Inbreeding And Breeding Practices In Dogs: Genetic Analysis

Dog breeding is dangerous because to make a perfect dog they too often inbreed and cause birth defects and other health issues in dogs. Terry Allen, an “In These Times” senior editor who has written the magazine’s monthly investigative health and science column since 2006, argues in “We’re Breeding Dogs to Death” that “neither price, pedigree nor being loved like a member of the family can shield a dog from the pain, breathing difficulties, cancer, panoply of debilitating genetic disorders, mental illness, crippling physiognomy and shortened life span that disproportionately plague purebreds.” The article “Selective Breeding or Artificial Selection” explains that in dogs, the “frequency of being homozygous for rare recessive disorders increases when inbreeding occurs, potentially causing severe

If you are allergic to dogs, the Goldendoodle or Groodle is the perfect fit for you! This lovable and playful breed is a cross between a Poodle and a Golden Retriever. Ready to learn more? Here are some amazing facts about Goldendoodles:

Today, the United States of America is hardly “United”. Divisions between race, religion and breed has left the country scrambling for answers. The answers themselves, are not always the right ones. Breed Specific Legislation are laws enacted in states and countries across the world that place bans and restrictions on certain breeds including Rottweilers, Boxers, and Pit Bulls. Several of these dogs are euthanized and ripped out of their homes if their owners do not fill out the right paperwork, with no reason other than their the dog's’ bloodline.These laws, are not only discriminatory against the breed, but built in fear of the unknown mind of the dogs themselves. Breed Specific Legislation should not be enacted because

I feel that as long as animal shelters are euthanizing animals due to lack of space, there should not be any breeders profiting from creating more animals. The aspect I do agree with is the difference between backyard breeders and reputable breeders. The most important being that a reputable breeder will have a buyer sign something stating that they will not relinquish the puppy to a shelter. They agree to return the animal to the breeder themselves. Reputable breeders also check the bloodlines of the parents before they mate them. They make sure both parents are sociable animals free from genetic mutations. I do not feel that purebred puppies make the best pets. Purebred puppies are predisposed to every health issue known to their breed. For example, my family owned a purebred Akita, she was the most loyal dog and was amazingly behaved. She also suffered in the end of her life from almost every ailment known to her breed. She began having seizures, went bling and developed hip dysplasia. Mixed breeds are stronger and live healthier

“A dogs sense of smell sometimes out perform X-Rays and CT scans at detecting cancers at an early stage by simply smelling a persons breath or urine.” Everyone is able to breed a dog to function in many different ways and for many different reasons. Mow explains how this is possible through his short movie Science of dogs. “Because of intensive selective breeding by cross breeding different breeds for different distinctive types of physical appearances and behavioral attributes; you will soon create the dog you were looking for and it will also have a consistency of creating the same breed of dog by creating a new genetic code in the dogs DNA”. For example there is one breed of dog that has the best sense of smell in the entire world and they were created for one job and one job only. Klim Sulimov explains what dog this is and how it was formed on the Science of Dogs, “The Sulimov dog has the best sense of smell in the whole entire world, and they were successfully created to identify explosives, he bred a Jackal with a Lapland Herding Hound, a Reindeer Herding Hound, a Fox Terrier, and a Spitz. Creating a dog that is highly trainable dog and a superior snout”. All these hybrid breeds are so successful because of how the dogs DNA is formed. The discovery of deciphering the dog genome was discovered by the Researchers at the National Institutes of Health on The Science of Dogs “Every piece of DNA is made up of four different chemical components

Firstly, the number one reason why purebred breeding purely for profit is unethical: puppy mills. A puppy mill, as defined by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), are “commercial kennels where profit counts more than the dogs’ well being”

Humans and dogs have long shared a bond that was based on function. Early dogs that were the least valuable and useful did not make it into today’s time. On the other hand, the most valuable and helpful of dogs remained and created others like them. Ultimately, breed predecessors were produced by breeding the best hunters to the best hunters and the best guards to the best

Banning breeds is a knee-jerk response that is inappropriate and ineffective. Any breed can be dangerous; there was a case where a Dachshund was involved in killing an 87-year-old woman (“2005 dog bite fatalities“). This policy assumes that all dogs of a certain breed is considered dangerous and will bite, instead of acknowledging that most dogs will not. Another issue is breed identification. According to the memorandum, the dog will be not be allowed if officials think it looks like one of the banned breeds. That makes the policy unfair even to dogs that are not from the so called “dangerous” breeds. For example, a Labrador-Boxer mix, the result looks a lot like a Pit Bull, but are in no way related. Or certain black and tan Labradors that look like Rottweilers.

Thus, there is no evidence shown that support Hoogland original prediction (stated in the former paragraph). Michener and Murie (1983) also argue that Hoogland’s grounded assumption is on outdated information. Hoogland refutes Michener and Murie (1983) argument by stating that the direct relationship between helper size and long-term reproductive success of females is an assumption; thus, it should not solely decide if black-tailed prairie dogs are cooperative breeders (Hoogland 1983). I find Hoogland’s last argument inadequate because he creates a prediction based off statistics that do not support black-tailed prairie dogs having an increased success from having more helpers. Although it is acceptable, it does not support his argument; and, consequently, taken advantage of by fellow researchers. The determination if black-tailed prairie dogs are cooperative breeders needs further research on the females’ long-term reproductive success. These are only a few of the examples that occur in this

What exactly is breed discrimination? Good question. Also known as Breed Specific Legislation, (BSL) it is the targeting towards dogs based off of their appearance. Remember when our teachers told us to never judge a book by its cover? Society is doing just that to the innocent dogs who are neglected because of history and abusive owners.

Unfortunately, animals being put through testing face conditions that are extremely unhealthy. Animals are kept in unsanitary areas with little to no space at all. According to the organization Humane Society International, “animals used in experiments are commonly subjected to force feeding, forced inhalation, food and water deprivation…” (“Animal Testing - ProCon.org”). With no rights at all animals are being forced into harsh medical testings for diseases that can kill or severely injure the animal, such as polio. Through undercover investigation animals located in these labs are living “stressful, monotonous, and unnatural lives of daily confinement and deprivation” (“Animal Testing - ProCon.org”). Not only are these conditions being displayed in large laboratories, but also universities such as University of Oklahoma. During these experiments animals are being“fed chemicals, infected with diseases they would not naturally get, and are treated with no painkillers” (Animal Testing - ProCon.org”). As a result, medical testing facilities should be unable to be this inhumane to animals. Even though these tests may combat a widespread disease, animals should not have to endure this type of treatment at their own will.

One of the most meaningful acts a breeder can do is provide their puppies with the best start in life, but it doesn't stop there. As a responsible breeder, your dedication surrounds helping prospective puppy owners raise happy and healthy dogs. As a dog lover, connecting caring, responsible individuals and families with their forever pet is your passion. By encouraging and endorsing products that promote the wholesome development of dogs, particularly during the first year of life, breeders can be a part of ensuring a long and active life for the pups. Breeders hold themselves and their clients to the highest standards and the goal is improving the life of each puppy.

For example, wanting a pure breed over a mutt or mixed dog. The cold hard truth is that though they may be pure and majestic, pure breed dogs are remarkably more prone to diseases and many more health problems. In a journal written mainly by Michael D. Lemonick, he communicates that 25% of the 20 million purebred dogs in America are afflicted with a serious genetic problem. Labrador retrievers are prone to dwarfing, collies suffer from genetic eye trouble, Dalmatians usually end up deaf, Great Danes have weak hearts, and German shepherds have the highest risk of hip dysplasia than any other breed (http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=727f4134-c2da-4922-9212-534b3dee80ed%40sessionmgr103&vid=0&hid=117&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=9412097592&db=f6h). I know that what Lemonick is stating is highly creditable because I have previously and currently own a German shepherd. Last April, my family and I made the difficult decision to euthanize my German shepherd, Bogey. Bogey had been dealing with hip dysplasia for the last four years of his life. During those four years of his life we made multiple trips to the vet and started giving him medicine every day. The last year of his life we watched him suffer just getting up to have a drink of water and knew it was time. Purebred dogs may attractive but they are overall unhealthier. If you must have a

Humans have manipulated the natural selection process for many years to preserve favorable traits in their pets, crops and livestock. Long before Darwin, farmers were manipulating heritable traits of their plants and animals. For example, kale, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are just cultivated forms of wild mustard through artificial selection of certain attributes. When compared and contrasted, natural selection aims for fitness to survival whereas artificially selected traits are based solely on what the breeder desires. Hence, artificial selection can cause some problem traits to predominate in a species. An example is Dobermans, a breed of dog. Dobermans have been selectively bred for a certain appearance. In the process, a genetic

The reason dogs have become domesticated was the synergy between humans and the wolves who were the ancestors of modern dogs. Dogs were attracted to humans by scavenging their left over food and the humans liked the dogs protecting the human settlements with their warning barks and fending off other predators with their constant presence. This meant the dogs natural diet of raw food was changed over the years and adapted to include cooked food left over from human consumption. This means that dogs who were essentially carnivores were eating the same food as humans, who were essentially omnivores. It is only since the late 1800′s that commercial dog food has been available, and not until the 1950′s did it become popular. It is also in the same