first of all, i have been around the dog world a long time. having been a dog trainer/behaviorist for years, and worked with rescue leagues, therepy, search and rescue and now recently agility and fly ball. so i am NO stranger to dogs of many backgrounds. regardless of COLOR, "show quality standards", etc. I have a red merle australin shepherd, my agility champ and demo dog in groups classes, AND a WHITE great dane (GASP! oh no! not show quality! maybe he should have been put down) my therepy dog with perfect sight and hearing. so, having started a fly ball team for some of the border collies and pit bulls/mixes in some of my training classes i have really gotten into the sport. it is a great way to harness the endless energy our terriers and herders have and an even better way to work the terriers natural prey drive. i have found that pits are excelling at this fun sport which is why i have decided to add another dog to my family. My aussie is also a few years away from retiring and i plan on having another dog take the place for demonstrantions and a competitive fly ball dog. personally, red merles are my favorite color combination and that is just my personal preference. i do not plan on having a show dog (APBTS's arent AKC anyways...). i plan on having a beautiful, unique, wonderful family member and team mate. I plan on always being an advocate for the breed and for my dog to be an outstanding example in public, competition, training, etc. The breeder I have chosen was screened by my Aussie's breeder and i and we are expecting planed pups around august sometime 
Like I said again, red merles are MY personal preference for color. and i don't think i should be persecuted for a dog that doesn't fit a certin standard based on showing. (Also, wasn't it just in January of 06 that merles were not considered a standard color? They think the color showed up from crossing with Catahoula Leopard Dogs to create stronger dogs for wild hog/boar hunting, i have done my research...) Even if my dog got his color from catahoulas....so what? lets call him a Pit-O-Houla, slap a thousand dollar price tag on him, and put him on a shelf right next to all the "doodles", "poos", "puggles", and whatever else people are crossing to sell for more then AKC dogs.
I have done my research and I stand firm by my decision, I know all about merles, whites, double whites, pieds, starburst pupils, deafness, blindness, and the genetics that follow those traits, which is why my Aussie breeder and I have talked with many breeders and decided on this one who follows merle breeding ethics. I appreciate your concern for the breed, as I am well aware of people out there not dong their research when it comes to dogs, and especially Merles. My dane was a rescue from an uneducated breeding of two Pied Danes, thanks goodness he has no problems, and his big blue eyes thank me every day for rescuing him.
