Good point, Emc. The problem lies in where these people acquired these purebreds to cross breed with. At some point somewhere, an unreputable breeder allowed another unreputable breeder to use their purebreds to create designer mixes. Now, if the dogs were to be completely genetically healthy and the breeder had had a distinct breeding program, I wouldn't have such a problem. However, the problem is that most designer breeders get their dogs from unreputable breeders who couldn't care less about the overall health of their progeny. Thus, we don't know the history of the dog. We don't know if this dog's granddam carries von Willebrand's, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, cancer, etc. We don't know if there is a history of osteosarcoma or luxating patellas or progressive retinal atrophy in the dog. Most likely, the breeder who purchased this dog won't even be testing for any of these diseases. They say love is blind. I say love for money is blind as well. Why can't these crossbreeders obtain good specimens? A purebred dog worthy of being bred and passing on its bloodline is a precious specimen. A reputable breeder would never give their dogs to a designer breeder.
A good breeder not only breeds for the right temperament, but they breed to sustain the breed itself. They test their dogs to ensure that the breed will stay strong genetically. They screen homes to ensure that the buyer in question is right for the dog. While they produce companions that will bring joy to families for years to come, they also produce dogs that can and will fulfill their original duties with exuberance and efficiency.
Like it was mentioned before, dogs today ARE mainly used for companionship, but it does not make it ethically right to create any dog just for the sole purpose of companionship. We have enough dogs for that. They're called shelter dogsUntil we can end the pet overpopulation problem, I don't believe we should add to the problem by creating more pets whose only purpose is companionship.
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