Pedigree Dogs Exposed - Documentary - BBC

Pedigree Dogs Exposed video by Documentary - BBC

Narrator: "and there's the rub -- the problems of dogs (like this champion neapolitan mastiff) are all too obvious to outsiders, but within the breed, they are blind to them.

David Hancock -- dog historian "We have allowed some breeds to become too heavy, some too short-faced, some too heavy-coated, some too short-legged, others too short-lived, all in the pursuit of cosmetic points, not sound anatomical points."
There is also some discussion of Eugenics you might find interesting from a conservative viewpoint - I think in the above movie they do a ham handed job of comparing Eugenics in humans vs Eugenics in animals - the two are not morally equivalent at all because humans and animals are DIFFERENT morally.
This is worth watching for anyone interested in owning animals of any kind. If you buy or adopt any dog, you should be aware of these issues with breeding because they will affect your dog (sometimes even non purebreds because often they are crosses of purebreds). It is heartbreaking to watch some of the problems they experience. I don't agree with SOME of their moral equivalency arguments between humans and animals (it is based on the assumption that we are just animals and so what is wrong for us is wrong for animals -- this is not true). But they do make a compelling case for breeding reform. Much of the pressure for breeders to reform should come from the public refusing to buy dogs that are not conscientiously bred. e.g. pet stores, newspaper classifieds are a big red flag! Good breeders don't breed until they have a handful of people with deposits down on their puppies and as such they don't need to advertise or sell their animals to a pet store.
That being said, health issues are not always the breeder's fault, sometimes unforeseen things happen! A good breeder (NO PET STORES, and GOOD BREEDERS ALMOST NEVER ADVERTISE IN A NEWSPAPER - you have to sniff them out yourself and get on a waiting list!) will be there for you and take the dog back or provide some other guarantee for many genetic health issues. But that seems to be the exception in the general dog population, not the rule.

Just some food for thought anyway!
by Terriergal

 

I was just having a discussion about this the other day. For more than just this reason I would rather adopt a mutt anyday.

I find dog breeding in the face of animal overpopulation and this kind of genetic roulette to be cruel. But even beyond those "accidental" problems bred into a species the purposeful ones, like creating faces so short animal have trouble breathing are designed cruelty and should be punished.

 

we're on a waiting list.

one of the things about buying a dog from a good breeder is that the dogs are fairly reliable and predictable in terms of temperament and health. that's not something to sneeze at when you're bringing a fairly large, toothy animal into a home with children.

 

Omg that's so sad.
There are so many dogs out there already why not adopt?

 

Allow me to put my two cents in. That documentary was awful but for me, I could never adopt again. I got a 10 mo old German Shepherd, wasn't KC registered just a regular. He was a nightmare he was highly strung, OBSESSED with other dogs to the point he was getting un walkable and generally making life hell for us. He had everything wrong had separation anxiety, shit all over my house on more than one occasion and was aggresive to a lot of people.

We decided that it'd be best if he went to work on a farm (he was an angel with animals) and get another dog. This time round we paid a pretty penny for a KC registered German Shepherd, crufts qualifyers in his lines. He is now six months and is quite honestly a dream dog and everyone he meets he loves and at the top of his game at our training club.

Good breeders of the KC provide excellent specimens of the breed and you usually get a very good indication of what a puppy will grow up to be like by observing other family members of the puppy that the breeder owns. And if that makes me selfish because I'd willingly pay a LOT for a temperament guaranteed pup with lifetime support from a great breeder then so be it.
Breeders who only care whether their dog fits the bill of the show ring instead of the dogs ancestry are the ones who should be avoided

 

My words exactly! (only that mine were in portuguese )
Both my dogs were adopted. One in an animal shelter and the other found in the street with about only 3 days of life.