46 Saber Tails Fall 2017

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America

We are so fortunate that the PBGV is a relatively healthy breed.  The one breed-specific disease that we face is Primary 

Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG). Other than that, PBGVs have sporadic cases of the usual canine ailments, such as Cush-

ing’s Disease, pancreatitis, congestive heart failure, and epilepsy. The mission of the PBGVCA Health Committee is to 

help PBGV owners and breeders maintain our excellent breed health, and provide information on health issues that 

afflict our dogs. Who are the members of this important committee?

Helen Ingher is Chair of the Health Committee.  Helen has been breeding and showing 

dogs for over 40 years.  She and her husband, the late Charlie Ingher, founded Charlen 

Kennel in the late 1970’s.  She started with Gordon Setters whereas Charlie began as a 

Golden Retriever breeder.  Together, they acquired German Shorthaired Pointers, fas-

cinated by their hunting ability.  Their first PBGV was Oaktree’s Taiaut, who came from 

Anne Snelling in Canada, in 1987.  At that time, the U.S. PBGV gene pool was very small.  

Helen and Charlie recognized that form and function needed to be improved in the U.S. 

bloodlines.  Thus, they visited kennels in Europe, attended many French Nationals and 

hunts to learn about the structure and type that could be favored in the show ring and 

also work successfully in the field.

Helen joined the PBGVCA in 1987 and has been a board member, vice president, sec-

retary, and chair of committees.  She has judged sweepstakes at several National Spe-

cialties, which has allowed her to watch the breed’s form change over the years.  Helen 

began to focus on health because of the incidents of ‘Neck Pain Syndrome’ in the breed.  

Along with other breeders, she collected pedigrees with the hope of identifying possible carriers of the disease.  Despite 

the lack of clinical material, anecdotal information that they gathered helped to reduce the number of litters with af-

fected pups.  Helen co-chaired the World Congress hosted by PBGVCA in 2005 and represented the PBGVCA at the 2012 

World Congress hosted by the UK’s BGV Club.  The focus at the latter meeting was POAG.  Helen presently lives with 

three PBGVs in Florida.  From her last litter in 2016, she has two 17-month-old females that she hopes to breed.

I (Laura Liscum) am Assistant Chair of the Health Committee.  Tibby, a puppy from 

one of Helen’s litters in 2001, was my first dog ever.  After a sharp learning curve, I was 

hooked on the breed.  Tibby was a hunting enthusiast.  When rabbits weren’t available, 

he made do with shoes and remote controls.  When we lost Tibby to congestive heart 

failure in 2011, I had to have another.  Zoe has been with us for 6 years.  She is a good 

little girl, has her Advanced Canine Good Citizen title, and is enjoying nose work.  While 

I don’t bring a ‘pedigree’ of dog breeding or extensive dog ownership to the committee, 

I do bring expertise in physiology, biomedical research and writing.  For over 30 years I 

was a Physiology faculty member at Tufts University School of Medicine, where I taught 

and ran a research laboratory investigating a genetic disease of cholesterol metabolism. 

Now retired, I divide my time between Massachusetts and Vermont.  I have more time 

to devote to Zoe, the Health Committee, and the PBGV Health and Rescue Foundation.  

For the Health Committee, I attend lectures on canine health, help survey which health 

issues are relevant to the PBGV, and write health articles for Saber Tails.

Shelley Barclay got her first PBGV, Flora Kate, in 1995.  Flora Kate went on to be the 3rd 

PBGV to earn a MACH title in agility.  Flora Kate was followed by her half-sister, Annie, who preferred the sofa to the agil-

ity ring.  Shelley got Homer in 2011.  He is a conformation Bronze Grand Champion and is training for agility.  Homer 

is a New York Yankees fan with boundless energy.  He enjoys six neighborhood walks in Manhattan plus two miles on 

Health Committee - Meet The Members

By Laura Liscum

Helen Ingher of Charlen PBGVs

Jerry & Laura Liscum