Feb 114 min read

Dogs Bred To Be Miserable - Pet Fashion Over Animal Welfare

People love to mess with nature. A unique or cute feature becomes a hype amongst buyers and enthusiasts whether it's horses, cats, and dogs . . . Animals being deformed for fashion and hype. The standards for many dog breeds have changed over the years as people desire certain traits over others and make it the new normal. And they pay extra for it! Not just in the initial price tag of a new puppy, but also when that animal develops health problems later on.

It'd be nice to simply say it needs to stop. But the reality is it won't. Not without public awareness. The reason these animals are bred this way is because it's what the public demands. Well . . . frankly the public is uneducated and doesn't realize the damage that's being done. They buy these dogs that later require medical intervention to help ease the modern-day curse of their breed. These extreme features cause animals to be less efficient at breathing, moving, and living in general. Their lives are increasingly less healthy and fulfilling because of hype.

Here's just a few examples of dog that are affected by poor breeding practices.

German Shepherds

German Shepherds today are much different than their past relatives. They've been bred to be larger (by roughly 30 lbs) and more intimidating for protection work. The larger size is more of a strain on their bodies. While the working line shepherds still have relatively straight backs. The Showline shepherds are bred to have the exaggerated sloping back and hips. This is purely for looks and can later cause hip dysplasia in many dogs.

The American Showline is especially bad, breeding for looks over health or temperament. West German Showline's Lines have strict testing to ensure breeding dogs have a less exaggerated angle in the rear with hips, elbows, & DM testing, as well as good stable temperaments. But the slope still just isn't necessary or functional for the dog.

*FUN FACT: Both these German Shepherd images are past relatives of Osa from a pedigree database.

Pugs, Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers (flat faced dogs)

All these have the same features in common. The flat face and excessive wrinkles. The wrinkles make these dogs susceptible to yeast infections if the skin folds are not kept sufficiently dry and clean. And no big surprise, the flat faces make breathing a big problem and incredibly dangerous. Many dogs need corrective surgery in order to function a little more normally. Bulldogs can't even breed naturally and need medical intervention to do so.

Dachshunds

Originally used to hunt rabbits, foxes, and other tunneling type animals. Now days these dogs have shorter legs and longer backs making back issues a common problem. They struggle to jump over simple objects as their bellies almost touch the ground!

Bassett Hounds

Originally bred for hare hunting and their amazing sense of smell. Today's Bassett Hound has excess skin, longer ears, droopy eyes, and shorter legs. These poor breeding choices created a dog that is prone to yeast in infections in the skin folds, ear infections, eye problems, and spinal issues.

Best Multi-Level Dog DNA Test With Wisdom Panel CLICK HERE

Bull Terrier

This dog was once used for bull bating and vermin control. Today's Bull Terriers have an egg-shaped head. This unnatural head shape causes problems like dental & mental health problems. They are also prone to several skin conditions.

Chow Chow

It's believed chows came from China as sports dogs for things like hunting, herding, and sled pulling. These dogs have now been bred to have excess skin, thicker coats, and more wrinkled faces. This makes for reduced vision, overheating, and skin/coat problems.

St. Bernards & Newfoundlands

Both breeds were much more functional than they are today. St. Bernards were famously known as those rescue dogs that brought you brandy when you're stuck on the mountain in the French alps. While Newfoundlands were often used on ships and helped fishermen. Newfoundlands were great for hauling fish nets, pulling wood carts, and for water rescues, capable of saving a grown man from drowning. These breeds today are bigger, have larger skulls, deeper foreheads, and more squished in faces. This makes for a variety of modern-day health problems such as difficulty breathing, overheating, and eye problems.

The list goes on from Cavaliers, Poodles, Boxers, Saluki, West Highland Terrier, Bearded Collie. And I suspect the list will get larger with time and bad breeding practices.

This post is to help bring awareness to the problem. I would hope that one day breeders will wake up to this problem and do what's right to increase the health of these beloved breeds. Some will and have tried to stop it. But most will give the public what they want, even when the public doesn't know any better.