Pedigree dogs 'being bred to death' Decades of inbreeding is causing immense suffering for pedigree

[Shallah Kali]

Decades of inbreeding is causing immense suffering for pedigree dogs, who are plagued by painful and deadly genetic diseases as a result of breeding for appearance, a UK investigation has found.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/10/2681558.htm

he BBC documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed, to be aired on ABC1 tonight, shows boxers suffering from epilepsy and spaniels with brains far too big for their skulls.

Other painful disabilities and deformities, including poor gait and severe heart and respiratory problems, plague purebreds like west highland terriers, golden retrievers and german shepherds.

"We are in effect breeding them to death," dog historian David Hancock said.

University College London professor of genetics Steven Jones says some breeds are paying a terrible price because of inbreeding.

"People are carrying out breeding which would be, first of all, entirely illegal in humans, and secondly is absolutely insane from the point of view of the health of the animals," he said.

snip

Despite the poor health of such dogs, the two-year investigation found affected dogs are are not stopped from competing in prestigious dog shows and the dogs have even gone on to win top "best in breed" prizes.

:cry:

the article has a clip of the documentary. others have posted parts of the doc on youtube and myspace:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=pedigree%20dogs%20exposed&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/08_august/19/dogs.shtml

Scientists at Imperial College, London, recently found that pugs in the UK are so inbred that, although there are 10,000 of them, it is the equivalent of just 50 distinct individuals – making them more genetically compromised than the giant panda.

snip

Disturbing footage is shown of a cavalier King Charles spaniel writhing in agony due to syringomyelia, estimated to affect up to a third of the breed.

They have been bred with skulls too small for their brains, explains veterinary neurologist Clare Rusbridge: "The cavalier's brain is like a size 10 foot that has been shoved into a size six shoe – it doesn't fit."

Boxers suffer from several life-threatening health issues – including heart disease and a very high rate of cancer, especially brain tumours.

There are no official figures to say how many boxers suffer from epilepsy but in some breeds it is 20 times the rate found in humans. Two-year-old Zak is filmed while fitting and the distress the disease causes for him and his owners is obvious.

snip

Bulldogs, for example, have been bred to be such an unnatural shape that most can no longer mate or give birth unassisted.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-tv-no-prizes-for-the-pedigree-chumps-902755.html

The burden of Harrison's film was simple. There are rising levels of disease and distress in pedigree breeds as humans tinker with their genetic make-up to suit their own entirely artificial notion of "breed purity". And the Kennel Club – keeper of the flame of breed type and promoter of dog-show ideals – is not doing nearly enough to prevent the pain and suffering continuing.

The case of Rhodesian ridgebacks neatly exemplifies the problem. For the Kennel Club, and ridgeback breeders, the dogs' spinal ridge is "the escutcheon of the breed", an indispensable element of any prize-winning dog. In scientific terms, though, the ridge is also a marker of disease and spinal deformity, and breeding for more prominent ridges has led to an increasing number of dogs with spinal problems. Left to their own devices, the dogs would soon put this right, but ridgeback breeders take care that puppies born without a ridge don't contaminate the gene pool with their unsightly good health. This isn't always easy, given the perverse reluctance of some vets to kill healthy puppies. "We do have trouble nowadays with the young vets who tend to see everything in black and white," said one ridgeback breeder. "'It's a healthy, beautiful puppy, there's nothing wrong with it except that it hasn't got a ridge,'" she continued, parodying their woolly-minded soft-heartedness.

In many cases, the disease is intimately knitted together with the characteristics that have been decreed "desirable". George the pug, a hairy collage of physical abnormalities, demonstrated the point nicely. Pugs are supposed to have tightly curled tails, but breed for that and you get twisted spines thrown into the mix for free. George's spine kinked like a crank handle, but it hadn't stopped him qualifying for Crufts, and Harrison had come up with several cases here in which breeders were knowingly breeding from dogs with serious genetic disorders, a situation that the Kennel Club appears to have done little to prevent.

[mitchum]

1. In the UK, they should just put them on the throne

[lapfog_1]

9. I thought they already DID!!!

[flvegan]

2. In other news, water still found to be wet.

I think we'd find that anytime folks attempt to profit off of the backs of animals, the animals collectively lose.

[pnwmom]

5. No, this is a problem that has gotten much worse over the last 50 years or so.

Water has always been wet.

[flvegan]

8. I think

I'm missing something in your attempted correction.

[pnwmom]

13. The problem with poor health in pedigree dogs has gotten much worse

over the decades, as dogs are more and more inbred. This IS news. "Water is wet" is not news.

[flvegan]

19. Erm

so "water still found to be wet" would be appropriate, no?

[pnwmom]

20. "Water is wetter than it ever was" would be news. n/t

[flvegan]

25. That's the point.

This isn't news. This "discovery" isn't anything more than an affirmation of something most folks involved with domestic animals already knew.

Know what? Nevermind. I'm sure you're endlessly correct. Forgive me.

[pnwmom]

39. "Most folks involved with domestic animals" know more than the American public

in general about this topic. It would be news to them, as it was to the British public.

That is why this documentary got so much attention there.

[flvegan]

54. And my post

was my opinion. To me, it was old news.

Tell you what, I'll try to get your buy-in on my opinion before I do that in the future, lest we have to do this go-round again.

[yourout]

3. Of the 7 dogs we have owned.....the pound mutts or mongrels have been the healthiest.

The purebreeds have had the most cancers and dietary problems.

[Critters2]

12. I've had pretty good luck with rescued purebreds--beagles and a cocker.

They probably weren't from real careful breeders, or they would have been returned to the breeder, rather than ending up in rescue. So, they may have some other genes (my current beagle stands taller than the breed standard, so it's possible daddy came in over the fence). But it is possible to get purebred, or close to purebred dogs, without encouraging selective breeding, and without getting the problems common to purebreds.

[Mosby]

83. Beagles have more genetic variability that most purebreds

Probably due to the influence of breeders of field dogs who don't obsess about physical characteristics like the show breeders do. It's also very common to see beagles taller that the two breed standards of 13 or 15 inch, two of the three beagles in my family are taller than the 15 inch standard.

[TxRider]

51. I've only ever had mutts, they have all been awesome..

My current dog is a rescue pure bred German shepherd, seized breeder.

She is an very sweet and awesome dog though, considering. No health issues I or the vet can see, besides her ears being mangled and cauliflowered.

[pnwmom]

4. Unfortunately, the well-intentioned spay and neuter programs are coming

with a cost -- the vast majority of dogs being bred these days are purebreds, rather than healthier mutts.

[Warpy]

14. Here in NM, the local pounds have found a market for healthy mutts

in areas that have a shortage of adoptable mixed breed animals.

Unfortunately, the same thing is starting to happen to cats. Designer breeds are being bred into susceptibility to dental problems and blood diseases already, along with cosmetic and joint defects.

I've had a rescued designer cat and yes, he had a lot of physical problems, although he lived to a ripe old age.

Give me a mutt or an alley cat any day. They're more durable.

[pnwmom]

21. I saw an ad a few years ago in our local paper that said:

"Two mixed breed puppies. Five hundred dollars each."

That's how rare it is to find litters of mutts in my area.

[Warpy]

46. A good sign and a bad sign

Eventually I hope people are smart enough to figure out that what a mutt lacks in dog food can cuteness it more than makes up in intelligence and durability.

I would love to see all puppy mills out of business.

[pnwmom]

48. I wonder if some puppy mills are in business simply because

there are fewer accidental "homemade" puppies anymore. You can't just wait for one of your neighbors to have a litter.

[Shallah Kali]

52. accidental puppies were free or cheep. puppymill puppys are $$$

People who want free or cheep dogs will still find them because there are still people who don't want a litter who don't get their dog fixed they can get them from advertised in newspapers or a paper tacked up at the local convenience store as well as shelter pups. Puppy mills exist because people want a pure breed not a mutt and are willing to pay bucks for it.

[pnwmom]

68. Nowadays many of the puppies in the mills are mixed breeds,

otherwise known as "designer" dogs.

And in many parts of the country, there are few litters of puppies brought to shelters anymore -- that's how successful spay and neuter campaigns have been. (More successful with dogs than with cats, by the way.) Some shelters, to meet demand, are not only importing puppies from other states -- they're importing them from other countries.

Currently, at the Seattle/King County Humane Society, there are only 3 dogs under the age of one year old available for adoption, and two of them are pit bulls.

[Warpy]

82. The best place for a purebred dog

is from an owner who is trying to defray the purchase price of a female pup by breeding her once and selling the puppies. Those pups are raised underfoot and well socialized, unlike puppies from puppy mills. They often don't come with AKC paperwork, but who the hell needs the paperwork? You're adopting a family member.

They still have the same health problems as commercially bred pups if they're purebred, though.

[XemaSab]

89. When we got Pip from the Red Bluff, CA shelter

she was literally at that moment about to be taken up north for a shelter that was low on dogs.

We rescued her, and they took another dog up north instead.

If there's a dog shortage in the area, maybe more dogs should be sent in from California. :shrug:

And on edit:

Here's Pippi. She's a cattle dog x boxer. Maybe.



Here's Maddy. We also got her from a shelter. She's possibly a GSD x border collie with some other stuff in there.



This is Bailey. He's a springer x golden. My mom's colleague's aunt's ranch dog had puppies, and he was free.

[SoCalDem]

6. The AKC has outlived its usefulness

and whatever the British version is called..

a dog is a dog is a dog

most live no longer than 10-12 years, so why bother with all the beauty pageant for pooches stuff anyway?

Mutts are healthier and are just as smart..if not smarter.

The sad thing, is that mutts are mostly neutered these days, so eventually they may become "scarce"

Many breeders are incompetent and downright criminal when it comes to what they are doing to the dogs, and the unsuspecting people who still think they "need' to pay a fortune for a "purebred' dog, only to end up with endless vet bills and heartache, when the dog has to be put down.

[undeterred]

33. There are still enough people who fail to spay or neuter

so there will still be mutts.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

7. Always go Mutt!

My experience mirrors the other posters: purebred dogs in my family have had seizures, melanomas, hip dysplasia, etc. The mutts have trundled along and outlived all the purebreds. Mutts are smarter, too.

Think about it: one of the hallmarks of the Labrador retriever breed is the little pointy cowlick at the top of the head. What does a pointy head mean in human circles?

[elehhhhna]

11. "One of us! One of us!" lol

[Oregone]

10. Good doc. I already caught it up here

Some of the skull progressions they showed were disgusting

[Critters2]

15. Just read the article. The cavalier king charles spaniel is a genetic nightmare

that simply should not be continued. 95% of them have poor hearts, which don't show up in testing until they're old enough to have been bred. Morons breed 'em, insisting they've been tested and have no problems, only to have owners, who spend thousands on 'em, end up heartbroken when their 4 year old cutest-dog-in-the-world, dies of a heart attack.

Dogs are NOT accessories. They are living, breathing, feeling creatures.

[Posteritatis]

62. Pity more people don't get the accessory thing

Someone I know in town, who I increasingly hesitate to call a friend, keeps multiple chihuahuas. Why multiple chihuahuas? She collects them to match her wardrobe when she's out and about. Of course the ones she owns are effectively insane, even by chihuahua standards, to boot.

Makes me stabby. >;P

[queenjane]

85. Dear friend recently got a cavalier king charles

Her first pet (and she's 40). Dreamed of having this breed forever, waited till she was established in a career. Don't know what she paid, but I'm sure it was mega-bucks. The dog, just turned a year old, is at the vet constantly (at least once a week) for various problems. Friend's mother-in-law visited, and instantly noted that the dog didn't seem to feel well. If/when something really bad happens, my friend will lose it.

[lunatica]

16. That doesn't apply to all dog breeds

And a great deal of the problem is with breeders, not the dogs. One example is how good breeders who have bred poodles to be among the healthiest breeds and they live longer than other dogs.

Breeding should be a science with ethics. Zoos do it to preserve animals to be as healthy as possible.

If people didn't want dogs with their noses smashed into their skulls people wouldn't breed them.

[XemaSab]

24. Poodles are NOT healthier

My grandma's dog had epilepsy (starting at age 5), Cushing's disease (9+), and some sort of back problem that required a $10,000 surgery (age 4).

My aunt's dog had patella subluxation (lifelong), retinal atrophy (6+), and diabetes (6+).

Two dogs, six GNARLY conditions. By the time the dogs were put down, they just looked horrible. I really don't feel like either of the dogs had any quality of life for the last half of their lives.

I would NEVER get a poodle.

[lunatica]

47. I have one that's 13 years old and perfectly healthy

and acts like she's ten years younger than she is. She's a toy poodle and still jumps off the back of the sofa onto the floor. When I got her I did some research and was warned to be careful of bad breeders, so I was very careful. If they don't have pedigree papers don't get them. Part of buying her was an agreement that I wouldn't breed her. Indiscriminate breeding is what causes the problems. I was fine with that agreement.

I love poodles and I'm very sorry to learn your dogs were in such bad condition. They are the smartest dogs around, love water and have their own minds.

[REP]

93. Anecdote is not the plural of data

I'm glad your dog is healthy, and hope she continues to be for many, many years, but one dog does not prove that one breed - and a toy one, at that - is healthier or better bred than others. (Smaller dogs tend, in general, to live longer than larger ones, whether they are purebreds or not.)

[REP]

94. If such dogs were simply unavailable (and were never awarded), demand would dry up

Same thing is being done to cats; the Siamese is now being bred with a too-narrow skull and once very intelligent cat is becoming a nightmare; the Persian used to have a normal face and not the deformed skull it now has and the eye and nose problems that comes with it. The judging system that awards these poor, deformed animals and makes them desirable is as much a part of the problem as the sadistic morons who breed for these deformities; the public, largely uninformed and uncaring, sees an awarded animal and simply wants.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

17. we had a AKC registered lab that lived to a ripe old age

with no real health problems other than she just got old and died. i am not sure why AKC is allowing the breeding of animals that they register to result in what are essentially dead end blood lines. very very sad...

sP

[RebelOne]

70. I have an AKC-registered Rottweiler who on Monday will celebrate

her 12th birthday. That is truly a ripe old age for Rotties. My last Rottweiler died just one month short of her 12th birthday. I am hoping to keep this one around for another few years.

[MadHound]

18. I had a purebred Great Dane over twenty five years ago

A truly massive dog, not just in how tall he was, but in over all size, thick chested, broad shouldered, a very laid back, gentle, intelligent dog.

Compare that with the Great Danes that you see today, sure, they're still tall, but they're amazingly narrow chested, thin dogs, that are skittish and nervous. I was thinking about getting another Dane recently, but when I saw the state of the breed I decided to stick with mutts.

[Canuckistanian]

29. Great Danes are starting to suffer heart disease

It's called Dilated cardiomyopathy and it's now the leading cause of death of Great Danes.

http://www.about-great-danes.com/great-dane-health-problems.html

[undeterred]

80. A young couple brings their Dane puppy to the dog park

and he's adorable. 6 months old and over 100 lbs. He plays well with my 16 month old Aussie mix. But it seems like there are a lot of things to worry about with this breed. I don't worry about anything with my dog except that he's wild.

[JeanGrey]

22. I have a purebred minature schnauzer, she is three years old,

smart as a whip, and 100 percent healthy. Great bite, good teeth, beautiful coat, good boning, great stance, you name it.

[Dennis Donovan]

23. There should be a moratorium on breeding...

...perhaps a few years to thin out some breeds. On a related note, this is my rescue pooch, Jack:

[dana_b]

28. if you ever need to re-home him....

;)

He's a beaut!!

[Dennis Donovan]

30. 's okay... he's home for good!

I adopted him almost 6 weeks ago from a local animal shelter & I have to admit I'm crazy about him!:loveya:

[dana_b]

38. very cool!

he looks happy.

[EndersDame]

53. Here is my Rescue pup- Kira

The neighbors roommate had her for two weeks and just abandoned her on the porch (at less than 8 weeks old)when they found out they could only take one dog to the new place :grr: We were told she is mini pincher/Red Healer/Terrier mix -what ever she is she is one hell of a great puppy who adds so much joy to my life

[smokey nj]

55. Kira's a cutie!!!!!

[Old Hob]

56. my rescue mutt six years after being rescued.

Border collie and chow. smarts with an attitude.

[EndersDame]

58. simply gorgeous

[Old Hob]

64. Thanks, Kira is gorgeous too. looks like a bit of jack russel terrier in her maybe

I want a puppy now. lol

[Ruby the Liberal]

26. Look what they did to horses!

Google up a picture of Secretariat (1970s) and Barbaro (2000s). They have been breeding these poor animals to be 'lighter and faster' for decades.

The result? Secretariat had legs like tree trunks. Barbaro dropped running a straight length and had to be put down because he broke his rather small (for his frame) leg.

I have a pure-bred whose line is only 8 years old. The reason I have her is because the SENSIBLE breeder retired her due to this very thing.

Greed sucks.

[Old Hob]

27. Mongrels, while not necessarily revered among all pet owners, will almost always be the healthier

and happier pet. I'm always tempted to get a purebred giant schnauzer, but I have had very good luck with my mutts and I have seen too many unhappy pure bred owners. My mother's $1,400 purebred, for example, is one of the worst behaved dogs I have ever seen and it has epilepsy to boot so he has to get phenobarb twice a day. I believe I'll stick with mutts.

[Mari333]

31. My son learned the hard way

both his pedigree dogs are often ill and have arthritis at young ages. I always have a mutt. my mutt is a shitzu/maltese/anythinggoes mix and hes healthy as can be. Acts like a puppy at age 6. I will always get a mutt. My son says next time, off to the pound.

[undeterred]

32. I've had 3 mixed breed dogs that have done well.

I'm watching a neighbor who paid much more than I did to have a purebred dog go through all kinds of expense because her 18 month old labrador is limping in pain. Large dog structural problems. The argument for getting a purebred is often "we wanted to know what we were getting". Well, a lot of what there is to know is that there are many health problems with overbred dogs.

[Mariana]

42. "We wanted to know what we were getting."

What BS. Go to the shelter and get an ADULT dog and you know exactly what you're getting. Looks, size, general health, intelligence and personality.

Every single purebred dog and cat that I've known has either had physical problems, personality problems, and/or has been very stupid.

[XemaSab]

60. You're making the same argument

as the person you're responding to.

[Mariana]

65. Yes, I was agreeing. Sorry if it wasn't clear. nt.

[doodadem]

63. You DO know what you're getting

You DO know what you're getting with purebreds, IF you buy from a responsible breeder. When we were looking for our Borzoi, I went to the Borzoi webpages in Calif., and talked to people, got recommendations, and finally settled on a breeder that I then gave the third degree to. His best show dogs were also his personal house pets.

We've also adopted several dogs from the ASPCA (I can't seem to pass up Min. Doxies!) You can tell by looking at them that the two we have now are purebreds. But one little guy that we adopted was "mostly" doxie, with a little Heinz 57 thrown in. We were never quite sure what that bit was, but he was a "special needs" adoptee--and given to biting strangers. Even adopting an adult, you have no idea what all might be in the mix. We adored him, and he worshiped my husband and I.....but strangers, beware. We ended up losing him to a rattlesnake bite.

Some of the best dogs we've ever had were racing Greyhounds that we adopted after their track careers were over. They were certainly purebreds, and just terrific. All 3 of ours came from a breeder that was very conscientious about only adopting out pet-quality dogs. We're thinking of getting another one.......too bad we're across country from that breeder now.

[GreenPartyVoter]

34. My family had AKC show English Setters when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s and

even then the over-breeding issues were apparent. I can only imagine what they would be like now.

I love Englishes, but if I ever did get a dog (doubtful at this point, though) I would get an English crossed with some sort of mutt and hope the English personality still came through.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

66. One of my brothers had a beautiful English setter that he had to euthanize

because she was aggressive and destructive, and no amount of training or dog psychologist work could stop her from attacking people without warning. (By this time, my brother and his family were experienced dog owners.)

The vet told him that the dog probably had "setter rage," which is showing up more and more in the breed.

[GreenPartyVoter]

76. Ours were so docile. Yeah they could tear the house apart with the best of them but

the only time I ever got "attacked" was when I was a kid I fell on one that was sleeping. She woke up snapping because she was scared.

The other time I was two and was smacking my grandparents' blind Irish Setter, who snapped at me (still got the scars on my fingers) and our English went after him. But that was all my fault, not the dog's.

[Canuckistanian]

35. We had a epileptic Pomeranian

It was sad and alarming to see him writhing while in seizure. He pretty much had a major seizure every day just before he died.

I always wondered if it was because of the tiny head of Pomeranians.

[doodadem]

36. Appalling!!!

Yes, the article is not great news, but I can't believe the people on here promoting mutt breeding. For godsakes! Do you know how many of these animals are put down each year at your local pound? Its disgusting. Every time I see/hear that ad with David Duchovny narrating, that shows dogs at a pound, where he says, "I don't know why I'm here...I'm a Good Dog". It makes me cry.

If you are not willing to study genetics, you have absolutely NO business breeding anything--that goes for dogs, cats, horses, even humans. The reason you have purebred dogs with these kinds of problems is that you have greedy "breeders", not willing to study what lines will cross well with what, or what would come out dominant in such and such a cross. Its grossly irresponsible. The best dog breeders breed first and foremost for personality, then soundness, then beauty. A sound dog is also very correct in conformation, and a thing of beauty.

We have 4 dogs currently: two Miniature Dachshunds that were ASPCA adoptees, a Borzoi/Great Pyrenees crossbred (which means both parents were purebred, but of different breeds), and one purebred registered Borzoi. They are all wonderful, sound, highly intelligent dogs. The Borzoi is like....scary smart. I was sorting out okra from the garden on the back porch the other day. All of my dogs love veges (I cook for them). She sidled up, and when she thought I wasn't looking, picked up one and walked off with it. She went to the end of the porch, mouthed it around for a second, and spit it out. Then, she picked it back up, came back over to the woodbox where I was sorting, and laid the okra back up in the pile again. Like--sorry, gotta reject this specimen!

[Fumesucker]

72. I have two miniature Doxies also...

Very sweet and lovable dogs.

Trixie on the left is a hyper barking little watchdog who apparently fears nothing and Tilde on the right is more laid back and somewhat timid.

Tilde is about four and a half and Trixie is about three, I haven't had any health problems with either yet, they are both adopted from people who couldn't keep them any longer.

[doodadem]

73. Awwwwww................

Love 'em! Wish I'd figured out how to post pictures, but never have.

My husband says doxies all have "short man's disease"--they have no idea how little they are, and will take on anything. Our oldest one, Cedric, decided to take on a coyote thru the fence. It dragged him OVER the fence and made off with him. We found him about 200 yards out, with his throat nearly ripped out. Thought he was dead, but he opened his eyes. Rushed him to the emergency vets (of course, after hours), and they put him back together to the tune of $1,500. He has a lot of scar tissue in his throat, but when the coyotes start howling, he's still the first one to rush out there barking.

[Fumesucker]

75. Glad Cedric is OK..

I know I'd be devastated if anything happened to either of mine..

They *were* originally bred to go down badger holes and the like, hence the fearlessness.

I'll be happy to tell you how to post pics, if you know where they are on your computer it's really not that hard.

[Maru Kitteh]

37. Give me a rescue mutt any day. I think purebreeding is deeply unethical.

yes. *all* purebreeding.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

40. I'd love to get a dog, but so many of them seem to have these congenital problems,

apparently from overbreeding. Maybe I'll look for a mutt.

I have three healthy mongrel cats, another animal that has been warped by overbreeding. Persians with faces so flat they can hardly breathe; sphynx cats with no fur; munchkin cats with abnormally short legs. Poor things...

[BrklynLiberal]

41. There was a superb show about this a few months ago. The scientist on

that show proferred the same conclusion...dogs are being bred to death by those that are concerned with keeping the lines "pure", and breeding for preferred attributes.

The irony is that there are those that are paying top dollar for what is actually a mutt. All those cockapoodles and labradoodles and other -doodles are nothing but glorified mutts, the likes of which can be rescued every day from shelters around the world.

[Indenturedebtor]

86. We have two poodle mixes - I cannot have other types of dogs

The poodle mix doesn't mess with my allergies. One is a rescue the other we bought... supposedly not from a mill but I didn't know what the hell I was doing.

They're both very healthy very smart sweet little puppehs :D

[Upton]

43. I've got 2 pugs and they're just fine

in fact all the pugs I've owned have been perfectly healthy. Sometimes you have to take this sensationalistic crap with a grain of salt

[Shallah Kali]

44. The genetic study was in England. Did you get your dogs there?

Hopefully in America the bad breeders did not succeed in so badly concentrating the genetic pool resulting in the equivalent of the Hapsburg family tree

[Shallah Kali]

45. ABC piece on the same topic: Best in Show?

Video: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7064046

Article: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=7055788&page=1

Printer Version http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=7055788

photos http://abcnews.go.com/US/popup?id=6849313

[LWolf]

49. That happens with horses, too.

Overspecialization for a few specific traits often leads to problems.

Working dogs don't have the same kinds of issues that other purebred dogs do, in my experience.

It's not the "purebred" part that causes the problems; it's irresponsible breeding.

That said, I love mutts just as much as any other dog, and there's always been a mutt somewhere in the family. Currently, my mother has a wonderful little pound-rescued mutt, as well as a 3-legged golden she rescued.

I particularly like my purebred aussie; she "fits" ranch life better than any other dog I've ever had. She doesn't chase chickens or the cat or horses or other stock, she doesn't dig, she doesn't leave home regardless of whether gates are opened or closed, she can do 15 miles out on the trail with my horse and I, and never strays out of range or gets sore paws, she handles bitter cold winters without a problem.

[FarCenter]

50. The main problem is the dog show people

They breed for rather extreme characteristics in order to win their beauty contests.

Working dogs, whether bred for herding, hunting, pulling sleds, police work, etc. are often healthier. But beware of the strains taken up by the dog fanciers. The German Shepards with the extremely sloped backs are an example of a show dog deformity.

[Ex Lurker]

57. the AKC should be abolished n/t

[comrade snarky]

59. Spot on!

When the AKC recognized the Border Collie and the Australian Shepard a lot of the breeders were extremely angry and fought it. They pick a few arbitrary standards like head size or body length and go for that standard with no consideration of the animal or it's purpose. These are working dogs bred for hundreds of years to a real purpose not some silly standard of beauty.

There are many breeders who refuse to have anything to do with the AKC standards or registration.

I applaud them.

[exboyfil]

69. AKC just recently allowed mixed breed dogs compete in agility

I can't even imagine why they ever excluded them. AKC's exclusiveness is one of the reasons we compete our dogs with NADAC. We adopted our two dogs from the shelter when they were a year old (the very best time to adopt them in my opinion after the first family finds out they can't handle the energy of these herding dogs).

Our first rescue dog is a classic tricolor border collie that I suspect comes from a show line. A dog with a wonderful temperament, but not really that interested in agility. He has done pretty well (four competitions and open in the only three categories he competes in).

Our second dog rescue dog, a brown and blue merle saddle back (possibly border collie/sheltie/mini-Aussie??), is a maniac for agility. At a little over 2 years old and only 5 competitions, she is already at elite in five categories.

My in-laws just adopted a crazy 1 year old black Lab from the shelter, and the kids already are working her up for agility (they can't jump until 18 months).

At least in this area we always have plenty of wonderful dogs available from the shelter. We have been walking them for years. It is so hard to see them in the shelter though.

[comrade snarky]

79. Good for you!

Borders are something aren't they?

Used to take mine to a dog park where she'd organize all the other dogs.

[Shallah Kali]

61. I was surpised when I started watching dog shows to see the differences between the show dogs on tv

... and generic home bred dogs like German Shepards. The ones I saw when I was kid were dogs with a level back. I thought there was something wrong with my eyes when I saw the sloped back on the show dog. Wouldn't this cause joint and back problems to have such large difference between the foreleg and hindleg length?

I always have wondered if bad breeding had anything to do with my families Golden Retriever's bad hips. Her hips were bad by the time she was 7. We were trying to save up $ for surgery when she got a skin tumor that was metastasized from stomach cancer. She was full of tumors and had a few seizures so we didn't make her suffer any more :cries:

[XemaSab]

91. Like this?

[Shallah Kali]

96. Yes, thank you. The backs were level not like a ski slope

they were also longer legged so maybe they were crossed bred :shrug: the people I knew that had 'em didn't have $ to get a purebred papered pooch so they were the kind that would buy from home breeders if they didn't get a free puppy from an unplanned litter. It is awful what breeding to an exaggerated standard has done to this and other breeds :( Loyal loving animals bred into contortions for an artificial ideal that creates an animal that has problems just walking :(

[Lydia Leftcoast]

67. Yes, I know people who have gotten their German Shepherds from Germany,

where the integrity of the breed is still maintained.

[JCMach1]

71. I think it also compromises intelligence

The people I know with STUPID pure breeds is out of proportion to what it was in the past...

[OnyxCollie]

74. The problem is bad judges, bad breeders, and the people who buy from them.

I know people in the Belgian sheepdog community who are responsible breeders. If they have a dog that does not fit the standard, they sell it to a "pet" home at a lower cost.

Now, I also know people who breed dogs with skittish temperaments, seizures, etc. I have watched with puzzlement a skittish dog win Best of Breed over more qualified dogs. Usually, there's some friendship between handler and judge.

Some characteristics that are bred in dogs are not appealing to me. German shepherds, for example. They look crippled. But then, the whole way GSD's are judged is like Bizzaro world, with obvious double handling, etc.

[comrade snarky]

78. I love your dog... Love him.

Groenendaels are such a gorgeous animals. Darn good dogs too.
I'd love to have one but I cant do another herding dog right now. When I had my border collie I was working from home so she'd spend all day with me and we could go to the park twice every day. It's like having a kid.

My in-laws show dogs, Great Danes and little terriers, my wife and I sometimes go to the local shows to scritch the pups. I spend a lot of time biting my tongue around the show people.

[OnyxCollie]

99. Thank you!

His name is Dante. He's a Select Champion, a Canine Good Citizen, and he recently finished his first rally obedience title. He's part of a pack of four that includes: his brother, Duck-Duck; his daughter, Rose; and another Belgian named Lia.

Whether it's playing in the yard, going for a walk, or just goofing around, they really are like having kids. It's readily apparent that they enjoy and appreciate the attention they receive.

[comrade snarky]

100. Great picture

They're like goofy werewolves!

[lapislzi]

77. I'd love to get an adult mixed-breed dog...

But my local shelter is overflowing with pit-bull crosses and little else. These are dumped by owners when they are discovered to be vicious, undisciplined, or untrainable. There's an info sheet for each dog, and almost all of them read, "not good with children," and/or "not good with cats." Most of these poor dogs are doomed.

That's not to say I'm going to abandon my search for an appropriate mixed-breed dog, but it's not always as easy as it sounds.

[Arugula Latte]

81. Breeders suck. There are too many dogs/cats as it is.

I wish they'd all go out of business. Absolutely disgusting.

[Posteritatis]

88. I dunno...

I've encountered a few who are basically trying to fix one line of dogs or another. There's the guys who got fed up with pugs being, well, entirely broken as a breed, and who started putting some beagle in the line to give them things like a head shape that allows them to, you know, breathe properly. There's some breeds which really Just Shouldn't Be - I'm looking at you, King Charles spaniels!

A lot of the pedigree show breeders are disgusting, especially the ones who are trying to exaggerate one deformity or another. On the other hand, when I see a picture of a puggle or something, my mind parses it as repair work as much as breeding, and I hope there's enough success in things like that that it eventually marginalizes some of the crueller breeding goals.

[dogsmycopilot]

84. temporary moratorium on breeding.

I think we should have at least a temporary moratorium on breeding. The English bulldogs have gotten to the point that they can't even give birth at all naturally. I can see making sure certain less popular breeds do not go extinct, but in general there should not be more breeding until we get the overall pet population down. There are tons of backyard breeders and hobbyists contributing to the problem. People see these dogs as a way to a quick buck as opposed to a life long responsibility.

Very sad, but I appreciate the heads up on the program.
I have never had much for the AKC. Anyone that mandates my dog isn't right till I cut it's ears and tail is sick in my book.

[glinda]

87. The answer lies in less "breeding and breeders" and harsh penalties for those who overbreed.

Anyone can now get an AKC for breeding just about. This should not be.

[Confusious]

90. My dad has had scottish terriers since I was 10

Every one of them has died of liver failure at almost exactly 9 years old. Thats 5 terriers.

They need new genes in these breeds.

[Contrary1]

92. My sister-in-law was looking for a puppy...

so she answered an ad in her local paper and set up an appointment. She was disgusted at what she found. The place was clean enough, and all the puppies looked to be in good shape. But, they were way too crowded.

She ended up talking the owner into selling her the "mill" rather than a pup. It is taking a while for the poor thing to realize she has the run of the house, can eat and drink at will, and is allowed to curl up on the couch.

No more babies for her!

[Hekate]

95. I wondered why my dear wee Sheltie gave out after 8 years. The cockapoo is now 14,the Lab mix was 15

The poor Sheltie had so many problems for most of his life....

Cockapoos are by definition mutts and crossbreeds. She's been pretty healthy all her life so far. The Lab mix, for all her screwiness (we finally figured out the other half was Dobie) was very healthy until she was brought down by severe arthritis.

All I can say is the RSPCA and the ASPCA ought to be coming down on overbreeders like God's own wrath.

Hekate

[Shallah Kali]

97. video: Pedigree Dogs Exposed bulldogs - extended cut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I0zwPwzfOU

[XemaSab]

98. God help me I laughed at the end of that!

:rofl: