Breeding And Animal Welfare

I can across a truly amazing BBC documentary, “Pedigree Dogs Exposed”, via the Whole Dog Journal. The entire documentary is available online here or via YouTube (in 6 pieces, starting here). I found the film eye-opening, to say the least.

The breed standards, and therefore the dogs being produced to show, have often seemed odd to me. Many breeds (Labradors, for one) are becoming stumpy, bulky versions of their ancestors. Consider the dog shown below at Westminster (2010):

Source: http://www.goldenmoonlabs.com/

For comparison, the dog below looks an awful lot like Sadie... and like I expect a Lab in general to look:

Source: http://www.savedbydogs.com/2011/12/labradors-english-bench-and-american.html

I find it difficult to imagine her bounding effortlessly through a field of tall grasses to fetch a downed bird. She seems to me, admittedly not an expert, to be too heavy for a full days’ work. And those short legs must get tired.

Different breeds obviously have different physical exaggerations, and therefore different health issues. And based on the documentary, it sure sounds like breeders in the UK truly believe that these mutations are in the best interest of the breeds. At the very least, they turn a blind eye to the long term view, focusing instead on winning in the show ring. Excess wrinkling, tightly curled tails, and droopy eyes win the blue.

What I hadn’t considered, though, were some of the more egregious problems. Basic health issues like the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel not having enough room in it’s skull to hold it’s brain. (Ouch!) Or the ridge on a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback being due to a mild form of scoliosis. And imagine that this spinal deformity is the defining characteristic of the breed! The documentary touches on many other health concerns, but those two really stuck with me.

Another fascinating thing about the film was that it showed pictures and paintings of several breeds from 50, 75, 100+ years ago. Imagine my surprise to see daschunds with legs, bull terriers with normal snouts, and pugs with actual dog-shaped faces. The vintage images were absolutely recognizable as the same breed, but looked much more functional.

I recommend you also check out the associated blog. The prose can be over-dramatic at times, but it stops short of being alarmist. A critical reader will find much of interest and value in the information provided. I know I did!

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I wrote this post mid-day. By the time I got around to finalizing it in blogger and posting, this news came in from a friend via Facebook. The Kennel Club (European sibling of the AKC) has effectively banned merle-merle breeding in several breeds! This is wonderful news, and I hope to hear that the breed list will be expanded. To me, the most notable absence from the list is the Aussie.