the ethics of breeds

If you love dogs and haven't seen Pedigree Dogs Exposed, scroll down, find it, and just watch the first ten minutes if you can't spare the time. If you couldn't figure it out from the wheezing pugs waddling painfully down the sidewalk, the bulldogs hyperventilating and suffering heat stroke, the almost-universal experience of knowing a lab or German shepherd whose life ends prematurely when they can no longer use their hind legs--then let's paraphrase all that suffering: Many breed standards are incredibly unhealthy for the dogs they describe. The KC and AKC subscribe to the wholesale mangling of dogs for aesthetic purposes. And while I am the first to admit that French bulldogs are damn cute, it's less cute when someone you love is suffocating in your arms. Ever helped an asthmatic through a terrifying attack, or watched someone suffer a severe allergic reaction? Would you intentionally force that on a child? What if it guaranteed that this suffering's side effects would leave them "cuter" and adhering to some made-up and changeable list of desirable physical traits?

That's the Kennel Clubs for you.

The same is true for certain cat breeds, although the show circuit is much less celebrated. But the relatively small number of cat breeds (80, versus the 150 dogs recognized by the AKC) and the astronomically high number--98%!--of companion cats who are just plain ol' barn cats ("domestic short/longhair" if you want to get fancy) leaves most cats better off than dogs.

In addition to the horrible condition of many "pure" breeds, the fact remains that buying a companion animal from a breeder is hardly justifiable when so many are waiting for homes in shelters.

PETA (not by any means my favorite people, but often the only actual experience the public has with animal rights activism) has this to say about buying a dog from a "responsible breeder":

...as long as dogs and cats are dying in animal shelters and pounds because of a lack of homes, no breeding can be considered "responsible."

Simply put, for every puppy or kitten who is deliberately produced by any breeder, a shelter animal dies.

Which is a powerful argument. But if for some reason words don't do it for you, try the bludgeon approach:

Charming, as always.

With all of these factors in place, it seems like buying a purebred puppy is a terrible idea. It's hard to justify. Watch me try to justify it.

My previous life as a professional dog-breed identifier, aspiring trainer, and puppy-gawker rages against this. Part of me loves the diversity of breeds. I covet the Doberman pinscher . I grew up with distinctly different terriers. There are certain breeds that are heart-wrenchingly gorgeous, some known for particular intelligence, and some with long histories. I have a hard time divorcing my fascination with breeds from my love of dogs in general.

Keeping distinct breeds does not have to involve suffering. There are many breeders who disagree just as vehemently with breed standards as many activists--this is especially prevalent among breeders of working dogs. Breeds like German shepherds, once prized for their working abilities, have been bred to standards that actually preclude their doing the job they were created for. So there is an undercurrent in these breeds that is determined to "save" them, breeding to older, more reasonable standards, or ignoring standards entirely and simply breeding good working dogs to other good working dogs, regardless of what they look like. There have also been movements in extremely problematic breeds, like English bulldogs, to return to an older version of the animal that doesn't suffer the way the modern dog does. The Victorian Bulldogge is exactly that kind of breed: a retro-bred bloodline determined to preserve the unique qualities of the breed while not sacrificing its health. Despite the extraneous vowels, I think the Olde Victorian Bulldogge is on to something. Solving the problems within breeds is one of the necessary steps towards healthier dogs.

There is also the question of dog "sports". Things like obedience and agility in the U.S. are largely sponsored by the AKC, and in order to participate your dog must be registered. These dogs needn't conform to the breed standard in anything more than name (the AKC will paper pretty much anything with four legs and a bloodline) but it does mean that the dog came from a "reputable" breeder. The coveted CDX and ADX titles can only attach to the end of registered dogs' names. But this is entirely a realm of human pride; the dog doesn't care if he's got a title or not. The dog also doesn't care if he's got papers. The dogs in agility and obedience care because it's fun to learn, fun to communicate, fun to forge a cross-species bond. It's a job, and a good job, a rewarding one. For intelligent dogs, having a rewarding job may be a prerequisite for a fulfilling life.

Dog lovers have recognized this lacuna and started trying to fill it. The American Mixed Breed Obedience Registration not only "papers" your mutt, but creates a space for mixed-breed dogs to participate in obedience trials while it offers a nod to human pride in its titles and ribbons and such.

There are grey areas, as well. One does not have to limit oneself to show-standard breeder-bought puppies or pound mutts. Breed rescues provide opportunities for lovers of particular dogs to search out a specific animal, and 25% of the dogs surrendered at shelters are actually registered with the AKC. Particularly irresponsible breeders may even surrender their surplus once they're past prime selling age. This is how I got my Mallow cat. Full disclosure: I have a cat that is not a mutt. Not only is he a specific breed--he's a problem breed. Mallow is an exotic shorthair, a Persian-derived breed with that problematic squashy face. What I can say for the exotics, though, is that they've been crossed with many other breeds, to the point where their gene pool is diverse and their health and breathing problems much less pronounced. In Persians that completely flat face is coveted; Mallow, while lacking a pointy nose, is at least round-headed. And while he will occasionally snore, he's not wheezy. So he's one of the lucky ones.

My own fondness for "breeds" of companion animals is, I think, illuminating. While the animal rights-enlightened amongst us recognize dog breeding as a huge problem, there are still going to be people looking for specific breeds--puppies or kittens, no less. They may even insist on papers. While breeding Olde Bulldogges may contribute to the overpopulation problem, it does make an argument that breeders and fanciers may be much more willing to listen to: you don't have to give up your breed to make their health a priority.