Which breeds should no longer be bred?
Thought this would be an interesting topic, spawned by the thread about the poor Bull Dog.
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We have a lot of different breeds in existence today, & a lot more being created for various reasons, good & bad...
my question is, are there any dog breeds in existence that you think should no longer be bred? Dog breeds you think should be bred into other breeds, or phased out completely? Why?
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I guess I'll start...as much as I like English Bull Dogs, they are probably one of the first breeds that comes to mind when we say "a dog who can't give birth naturally." I think, when a dog gets to an extreme where it can't do normal bodily functions, things a mammal should be able to do on it's own, it's time for an extreme change to the breed / breed standard or time to let the breed "die out." [ not saying we go & kill all bulldogs in existence, just saying it's time to stop breeding them ]
I mean, imagine a stray bulldog who's not spayed & gets pregnant...she's practically guaranteed a death sentence. Or like the bull dog mentioned in the thread, if they can give birth naturally they're so rare they become overbred to death. It's horrible, & it's not fair to the animals that us humans have modified &/or created
There are other breeds that also can't give birth naturally, & I would say the same to them. It's time for either an extreme change in the breed, or to let the breed go.~
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We have a lot of different breeds in existence today, & a lot more being created for various reasons, good & bad...
my question is, are there any dog breeds in existence that you think should no longer be bred? Dog breeds you think should be bred into other breeds, or phased out completely? Why?
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I guess I'll start...as much as I like English Bull Dogs, they are probably one of the first breeds that comes to mind when we say "a dog who can't give birth naturally." I think, when a dog gets to an extreme where it can't do normal bodily functions, things a mammal should be able to do on it's own, it's time for an extreme change to the breed / breed standard or time to let the breed "die out." [ not saying we go & kill all bulldogs in existence, just saying it's time to stop breeding them ]
I mean, imagine a stray bulldog who's not spayed & gets pregnant...she's practically guaranteed a death sentence. Or like the bull dog mentioned in the thread, if they can give birth naturally they're so rare they become overbred to death. It's horrible, & it's not fair to the animals that us humans have modified &/or created
There are other breeds that also can't give birth naturally, & I would say the same to them. It's time for either an extreme change in the breed, or to let the breed go.~
Comments
I also wish GSD's weren't bred the way they are in the states with that serious slope to their back that just guarantees health problems. My GSD--who I got as a rescue--came from dutch lines, and was bigger than AKC Shepherds, and the didn't have the slope to his back (not that it helped--he still had bad hips). My best friend has one that has what I think of the "normal" look too, and he is also from Euro lines rather than American, and seems quite healthy so far (at 5) But it really upsets me to see the AKC GSD's....
Lisa - Yeah, those poor GSD's. I've seen & met tons of working GSD's tho [ who are bred not to have the angulation / slope ] & they seem much healthier, but many still have hip problems. I know Dutch Shepherds are often mixed with Malinois to get a greater genepool, & while I've spoken to a few breeders who'd love to add some GSD blood to the Dutchies, too many are fearful because of bringing the bad hips into the equation.
Keep in mind this is being said by a devoted pit bull owner.
It's an uphill battle to fight with entrenched breed fanciers, though, and so it's just easier to create a new breed name for the throwback dogs and create a smaller, but unified community of like-minded owners/breeders.
For the GSD, there are the Shiloh Shepherds that created specifically by one person to fix the sloped back and recreate the dogs of old that she remembered.
For the bulldog, there are Leavitt Bulldogs that were bred to fix the breathing problems and the Caesarian births.
Shigeru - I understand the first three, but what's up with the King Charles Cavalier Spaniels? [ honestly asking, I've no idea ]
Ayk - That's the problem tho...people become sooooo blind-sighted they'd rather continue to produce a sick dog for "looks" then anything else. Don't take away their dogs who can't even give birth, it's ok.
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I'll also throw in those tiny little designer purse dogs [ the ones who are created by breeding runt to runt to runt ] who can break their legs if they jump off the couch. I saw one being walked with a Husky at a rest-stop on our drive back from NM, & I swear if that husky moved his foot over 2" & stepped on that tiny dog it would've died. ~
Jess - I'm pretty sure that it was the HSUS that started the idea of stopping breeding for 7 years in order for local shelters to gain control of the shelter population. The problem with that idea is two-fold. Enforcement could be done with the breeders who are out in the public eye (show breeders, working breeders), but the breeders who are under the radar and already underground wouldn't be nearly as affected. They would still produce illegal pups in the same manner they have illegal dogfights.
The other problem is what would be the status of the breed after the 7 year ban, or however long is needed to remove pits from shelters, is lifted? Say that in an idyllic world, the bad breeders went away and only reputable, good breeders have the freedom to produce pups again after a 7 yr time. They would be breeding 7+ year old females to 7+ old males (or straws of sperm from males). Now, granted pits are sturdy, healthy dogs, but having a female's first breeding at 7 yrs of age? Or a gap of 7 years between one breeding and the next? I think that many concerned breeders would end up spaying and ending their lines. I know it's very difficult to believe that with so many pits in shelters right now that things would ever evolve to worrying about diversity, but the thought experiment needs to be explored.
This is all in a hypothetical scenario.
Sadly if every pit bull fell off the face of the earth, disreputable people would find another dog to fight, another dog to abuse, and another dog to profit from their suffering.
I would agree with Bulldogs, though I love them.
I had heard about the skull issue with Cavs, but not the heart issue.
Not sure if that's what Shigeru was talking about, but I gave it a shot. This is not a major issue in the US right now.
But really, I get angry when I meet pit breeders. Not so much people who are showing their dogs, but the thousands of backyard breeders out their and the people who actually BUY pits from them. I have seen THOUSANDS of pit bulls euthanized (some puppies from back yard breeders who couldn't place them). Every pit bull puppy purchased to me equals another shelter dog who is never going to have a family. So I see it this way; I love the breed SO much I would rather see the population dwindle than what is happening to them now.
Its like your not macho enough unless you have a blue eye pit bull with a 100lbs worth of steel chain around it neck. I still remember the few times when I almost had to pull the trigger on a few aggressive dogs that were all owned by d-bag bangers who abuse their dogs. I am 100% for some sort of control on these back yard breeders who continue the cycle for breeding dogs for dog fighting and selling to who ever brings the greens.