I have to admit part of the blame for puppy mills. My profession neuters almost every pet to prevent an epidemic of unwanted puppies. Veterinarians and the dog-owning public have given the responsiblity of puppy production to:
- Responsible breeders (that try to not breed dogs with medical or behavioural problems),
- Irresponsible breeders (that breed dogs to obtain looks and ribbons without regard for problems),
- Puppy mills (that run an assembly-line operation or breed for the buck), and
- People that can’t afford the surgery or do not care enough to consider it.
What ever happened to the cute litter of mixed breed puppies down the street? They account for only 10% of my new puppy visits, whereas purebred puppies from petstores and breeders make up the rest. We want to be responsible and not overproduce puppies, but not having the option of cute mixed breed pups available in our communities promotes puppy mills, and irresponsible breeding.
Why is there such a market for purebreds coming from the midwest? People love the personalities and characteristics of various purebreds. Hunters love retrievers and pointers, ranchers want herders and heelers, and the general population is often nostalgically looking for the dog they had as kids or young adults to share the experience with their children and loved ones.
Don’t get me wrong, I have had and loved several purebred dogs. Teddy my Golden and Carly my three-legged Dalmation clued me into better nutritional practices for all the dogs that have followed as well as my patients for the last 15 years. Tucker my nervous Yellow Lab may have eaten the headrests in my car and the back of the driver seat, but he is my constant companion at home. The rest of my dogs have been rescued mutts, and they all been just as loved.
Some people feel that a purebred is a “better quality” dog, and if they buy one of those, they aren’t as apt to inherit “mongrol” diseases and parasites from dogs that aren’t cared for as well. In fact, the reverse is just as apt to be true. Purebreds have genetic health problems in each breed from intensive breeding to obtain the shape, size, or personality we want, and they are sometimes raised in an assembly-line fashion. Breeders of purebreds stay close to the “standards” of the breeds that are guidelines for the particular breed.
The breed standard for each breed of dog is distinct, giving a detailed “word picture” of the appearance and behaviour of an idealized dog of that breed. Included in the breed standard description are externally observable aspects of appearance and behaviour that are considered by the breed club to be the most important for the breed, and externally observable details of appearance or temperament that are considered by the breed club to be unacceptable (called faults). In addition, most breed standards include an historical section, describing the place of origin and the original work done by the breed or its ancestor types.
However, breed standards do not include testing requirements for health, requirements for genetic testing, or requirements for specific types of training or work; breed standards are only intended to describe the breed’s externally observable qualities. Breed clubs often make other requirements for health testing or work testing, but these are not covered in the breed standard itself.
The wonderful roadmap of genetics points to the wolf as being the dog’s most likely ancestor: 99.8 percent of your dog’s DNA matches that of the wolf. This means your dog’s genes may only differ by 0.2 percent from wolves’ genes. If your dog is a Husky, Malamute or Shepherd, this might seem plausible and even probable to you. If you’re sitting next to a toy breed such as a Lhasa, Pomeranian or Pekinese, it’s harder to believe. But believe it or not, even the loveable, bug-eyed Pug is a descendant of the wolf. Intense selective breeding has resulted in body types and personalities vastly different from the original wolf model. If you take a moment to think about all the different sizes, colors and personalities of dogs, you have to agree that breeding has introduced some pretty amazing changes. Nevertheless, dogs from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane are more than 99 percent genetically identical to the wolf.
We have domesticated and changed the original model and are responsible for the creatures we have created. I am always asked, “Is this a genetic problem?” A problem that recurs in a given breed is a genetic problem, and may not be desirable. So ask questions about medical problems in the parents of that purebred pup, and make sure to go online and check out genetic problems associated with the breed.
All the combination breeds such as labradoodles, puggles, bugs, peekachipoo are basically crossbreeding to produce mixed breeds. Our society likes labels and these desirable models command high prices. You too can have a designer dog by breeding your own mix and giving it a name.
Those of you that are responsible dog owners and were thinking about one litter before neutering, it’s a good option…please litter and do the species a favor.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, you just aren’t seeing those mixed breeds because they’re going to the shelter, and getting euthanized. The no kill shelters are all full – none of them have any space.
People who pick up one of those pups from down the street rarely have enough money to take them to the vet. *IF* they get any care at all, it’s through a low cost spay and neuter program, and county humane society shot clinics.
I have one of those dogs – some sort of spitz mix or something. Someone I knew had a litter of them in the backyard, and they were all dirty and fed crap, and so was the mother. Took me a good 9 months to get her used to being clean, and boy is she ever dumb! OMG – Lovable, cute, but stupid.
I’d never wanna breed her.
She’s just over a year old and saw the vet for the first time on Friday. Anyone who wants to judge something like that, and preach ‘responsible pet ownership’. isn’t someone who’s heart is bigger than their wallet.
They have state programs for the kids – You pay a small monthly fee depending on your income, and the kids all have medical insurance, and go to the doctor for a dollar, and don’t pay for prescriptions. A parent who didn’t have a job that provided health insurance would be considered ‘responsible’ if they got their child in this program, and made sure they had adequate medical and dental care.
But, what about the four legged kids? The ones you picked up along side the road, or yanked out of a backyard where they were being neglected, or fell in love with in front of the grocery store? Is the responsible thing to take them home, clean them up, feed them, love them, and take your chances with the medical, or is it to just let them end up in the shelter and getting gassed?
IMHO – it’s the first choice. There aren’t enough people out there that can afford veterinary care to take care of all the dogs out there. We either kill them all off, or we choose not to judge and be glad the dog is being loved.
My other dog just died of cancer on monday, and with emergency runs to the 24 hour clinic over the weekend, and tests and x-rays, and then finally putting her down – we spent ALL of our rent money (It all added up to over a thousand dollars). We live paycheck to paycheck, and didn’t have anything put back for something like that.
That’s where all your mixed breeds are, Doc.
Peggy,
I know how heartbreaking serious health problems can be, and wish that there was a good solution for the great expense. Seems that the more techical vet medicine gets with all the expensive machines and procedures, the higher cost to the pet owner. There is pet insurance now that will cover these types of problems, but they also cost. My heart goes out to you for your loss.
Many shelters in Calif are adopting a “no kill” policy, but there are fewer desirable mixed breeds to be adopted in our local shelters. Where I was going with my line of reasoning is that if we did not have a never ending stream of purebreds from midwest, and there were a few more mixed breed pups around, it may avoid the health issues with purebreds. I realize that peole would have to be more responsible and see dogs and cats as important companions and not something to be thrown away.
I do explain more about cooking for your pet on my you tube videos under the name Dr Greg DVM
Thanks for your care and concern