I LOVE DOG SHOWS! It gives me a avenue of show casing my dogs ability! As a matter of fact, I am going to an obedience dog show this weekend!

When you mention dog shows though, it sounds like you are just referring to conformation. There are many other dog show venues such as obedience, agility, hunting tests, herding tests, flyball and field trials.

It is true that some breeders discover the dogs they thought would be great conformation dogs end up not being so. The ones I know personally all try to rehome the dog by the time it is 2 or 3 years old to loving homes. While I could not do this, I respect that they just don't "dump" the dogs in shelters but make sure they are rehomed in loving environments. I personally have helped several close friends get their cherished dogs this way.

As for the betterment of the breed.... I think most people are trying to say if their dog has allergies, they will not pass it on. If their dog has hip problems, they will not pass it on. ETC. ETC. ETC. It is more selective breeding. In my own personal case, I will not breed Dusty because he has allergies and it would not be for the "betterment" of the breed to pass allergies on too his offspring. In Dixie's case, I did choose to breed her because she was a perfect specimen of a Golden with no health issues to pass on. Unfortunately, I did not know the sire had allergies in his line 3 generations back so it just goes to show that even with the most conscientous breedings, unwanted results can result. But if you ever met my Dusty in person, you would probably realize he is a great representative of the breed with his sweet loving temperment!