Quote Originally Posted by Crazy-Cat-Lover
I think whoever created that video is actually trying to send a message out about leaving pit bulls the way they are. Did you notice at the end when it says "Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is a PIT BULL" ...
I agree with this impression of the movie. I am deaf, so I don't know what sort of sound went along with the movie -- but there was enough text there that seemed to imply that the first dogs pictured were exaggerations of the ideal bull breed.

I have been reading about more people crossing the "English" bulldog (the brachycephalic, achondroplastic and frequently dysplastic one...) to breeds that are somewhat more 'natural' in order to return the breed to some less exaggerated breed type -- sadly, this vigilante approach is confused, and this isn't going to work with the registered dog crowd. First the purebred crowd has to define that there is a problem and then resolve a way to fix it. It may mean destruction of the bulldog fancy since change is very difficult to accept.

I think that well bred pitties are awesome dogs. The old type were like small terrier greyhoundish dogs. Agility, gameness and good temperament was everything then. But without getting into new age people attracted to pit types for the wrong reasons, there are very nice people in ALL breeds who do seem to be attracted to exaggeration in conformation styles of dogs. Examples of skulls of three common breeds that have changed in a few decades. The Saint, Bullterrier, and the Newf.

The old type dogs of years ago are considered very poor in type now.

As people move away from the need to use working breeds, they tend to glorify in the exaggerations and refine the standards. This tends to narrow diversity in the gene pool and do other things that begin conflicts in dog 'politics' and ethics. Also, certain traits have been found to be associated with the genetics of other parts of the dog, which means unexpected health problems unrelated to the exaggerated feature can occur simply because of the regulatory effect of different (seemingly unrelated) genes.

In my own breed, in Turkey, there have been emerging conflicts between the old time shepherds who used the landrace working dogs with sheep and the new generations that have begun to embrace and change the dogs for completely "new age" reasons. Vague histories/mythology are intermixed to help glorify subtypes and various strains. It's social engineering to some degree. But I hope that the dogs don't end up paying the price.

I hope that in the long run, the working ability, breed character and soundness (all these are elements of breed type) of these dogs will be maintained. News and information about the dog genome will be so valuable in more ways than we can imagine now.