I love the picture of the Chessie on the agility equipment. Chessies are such characters.
We always make sure the parents have OFA hip certification and eye certification. I think our breeder also does something with elbows, although I am not completely sure. Even if you are getting an adult dog that is rescue or pre-rescue, you should make sure, as much as possible, that they don’t have any congenital problems. If all of us insist that all breeders get the certifications, we will be able to decrease the breeding of dogs who aren’t certified, and the incidence of preventable disorders.
Well bred Chessies are usually very healthy. Our recently deceased 14+ year old only went to the vet’s twice in her life. The first time was for her spay and the second was for a benign eyelid tumor. She got her vaccines, heartworm prescription, and a quick, cheap, once over by our farm vet each year when he came to do coggins and teeth. Her predecessor only went to the vet’s once in her 12 year life, for her spay neuter. My parents take their Chessie to the vet’s regularly, but they worry about every little thing including getting regular weight checks because he is plump.
