Golden Retriever

As chair of our registry's health and genetics committee I am well aware of the value of surveys in assessing issues within a breed (we recently prepared one). They are valuable tools for establishing a general sense about a breed. However, I also know that surveys are biased (due to how the questions are posed and by those who respond). I also know that while correlations can be found in survey data they do not prove causation and may not even include the variable that ultimately proves to be the cause. The real risk with surveys is placing too much value on the data and correlations within those data.