Don't normally post twice in one day, but we just sat through
Pedigree Dogs Exposed and I'm morbidly curious to know more about actual "doggie eugenics", breed standards, genetic problems, etc.
Directing this mostly at
aineotter and
primaldog because I thought you were the most likely people on my list to have avenues to more academic resources on this sort of
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I like mutts; after vet school I can't really think of most breeds without having a list of thir 'issues' running through my head; boxers=tumor factories, boxer colitis, corneal ulcers...german shepherds=hip dysplasia and hemangiosarcoma...etc.
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I've always been a mutt- lover beyond all else, and none of the "pound-puppies" I've ever had have had any semblance to any recognizeable breed XD. I have however fallen in love with a few breeds of dog from working around them for years. I was aware of the nightmare that are "show dogs", that inbreeding and genetic issues were pretty bad in some cases, but having someone on "Dogs 101" telling me in a jangly happy tone about how Frenchies often can't naturally reproduce because of their mutations just ruined the notion of contributing to that.
They cover the english bulldog issue in that movie, along with the syringomyelia of cavaliers, and some insane old lady killing rhodesian ridgeback puppies born without ridges. I don't normally jump on documentary bandwagons without my own research, but color me disturbed.
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However; not all breeders are like this. Some really *do* work to improve a breed overall, and not just win shows. You can see that in the development of early tests for hip dysplasia (and their widespread adoption as a certification for breeders), and in the funding of genetics work to identify carriers of deleterious genes. But sadly, the less ethical breeders are almost by definition churning out more puppies than the good ones.
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