Breeding Dogs to Death

     The BBC recently aired a documentary on the health of dog breeds pedigrees, and criticizes professional dog breeding and showing– especially in Britain and over the last 50 years or so (however, much of the documentary easily applies to breeding and showing here in the States) – as breeding to death, with dog shows as the main cause for such aesthetic breeding. Essentially, the documentary shows how these breeds have changed dramatically over recent decades, and how this aesthetic breeding has caused horrible problems within the general breed; for example, King Cavalier Spaniels with heart disease or skulls to small for their brain causing Syringomyelia (a neurological disorder), Pugs and Bulldogs unable to breath properly (and nothe breeds have not always looked like that), German Shepherds who can’t walk properly due to hipdysplasia, and increases in seizures and cancer in some breeds (especially the Boxer).
     The report claims, among many things, the only 10% of the overall gene pools (from just 40 years ago)for these breeds remains, while the other 90% was lost to unethical inbreeding ( mother to son, and brother to sister). The report states that this is all done in order to over-exaggerate certain characteristics when cosmetically breeding (read: “playing God”): a good example is the fact that Basset Hounds did not have such a short gait, no where near as many wrinkles, and did not have ears that were quite as long as today’s (they looked more like a larger Beagle): the breed now has increased arthritis due to a “deformed” structure. The best scenes, however, are when they show CGI images of the previous bone structures of a breed compared with that of their current structure.
     As a Veterinary Technician I can tell you that I have met many a dog breeder, and am not happy with many of their positions, beliefs, and attitudes; however, I have met very kind, caring, and thoughtful breeders who simply love a particular breed and want to breed their pet to create a better and better bred breed. In my opinion, ignorance is to blame here: I don’t believe many of these people (though some sure are as heartless as the ones portrayed in this documentary) would not be a part of all of this if they truly understood the extent of the genetic manipulation, the effects of said manipulation, and the shallowness of producing genetic defects in order to manipulate and create genetic aesthetics.
     The BBC video is quite long, but is truly interesting and informative (in fact, in my opinion, it is just this lack of true and honest investigative journalism that is destroying our media– for example, the documentary produced by the BBC critiques the Cruft’s dog show, which is aired yearly by the BBC.) and is a good watch. Below are posted excerpts from the documentary, and in a following post, I hope to have personal interviews with some professional breeders in order to obtain their viewpoint on this documentary.