Since the dog show was just on I'd like to bring up something that has been bothering me for awhile.

[Egalitarian Thug]

22. There are good breeders, but they are far from typical. You mentioned hip dysplasia and

how there are some breeders working to fix it, but you failed to mention that it was breeders that made it so common in the first place. The Kennel Club (British Kennel Club), and the AKC have ruined more breeds than can be counted. They create "standards" that have nothing to do with the dogs, their health, or their purpose. It's as if some group gets together and picks traits based on their inappropriateness, then declares it desirable. And always there's a legion of breeders willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

The film industry is another major contributor to the suffering of dogs. It started with Rin Tin Tin who's extraordinary popularity in the 20s created more demand for the Alsatian (German Shepherd) than could possibly be met. The result was a horror of inbreeding that the breed has still not, and probably never will recover from. Lassie ruined the Rough Coated Collie. The Doberman Gang, Babe, and so on. The surest way to wreck a breed is to have one be a hit in the movies.