In our endeavours to preserve pedigree or purebred dogs by certain standards and aesthetics, it has morphed dangerously.
Many dog breeds have lost their original ability of purpose, and an increase of inherited diseases.
Dogs from breeding programmes of the police, customs and guide dogs for the blind even look different.
It is the same for working farm dogs compared to a show dog.
In America the register for border collies has split between two types.
According to the Pet Industry Association of Australia (PIAA) about 450 thousand puppies are sold each year.
Only 10-15 per cent of those sold come from registered breeders and members of Dogs Australia or Master Dog Breeders who keep compliance breeding records and proof of health testing.
Certificates that list breeding sires and dames for generations helps to track inherited traits and avoids excessive inbreeding or linebreeding. Unfortunately, the vast majority of puppies are sold online via Gumtree, Facebook and Marketplace.
Meanwhile; “An estimated 44,000-50,000 healthy and re-home-able dogs are euthanised in Australian pounds and shelters annually, overcrowding, health and behaviour issues remain the main reasons for euthanasia. Together with cats (which, has a higher rate) roughly 200,000 – 250,000 pets are put to sleep annually”, – a statement from Australian Pet Welfare Foundation.
One would think with all these Associations, Federations and the RSPCA this situation should not exist let alone get worse.
The debates around ‘purebred,’ ‘designer dog’ verses rescue dog are raging, fuelled by passion on both sides, yet all three can be found in pounds and shelters.
Unfortunately, in many cases choosing a dog bred for aesthetics is fuelling the over supplied puppy economy and claiming the choice is more desirable and better than the dogs that are homeless through no fault of their own.
It is not morally acceptable to keep breeding dogs on purpose when pounds and shelters across Australia are teeming with perfectly wonderful dogs, often because of an irresponsible former owner.
A younger friend of mine has just won tracking and obedience titles with her mixed breed (six breeds) dog against competitive, working purebred dogs, scoring 100 out of a 100 most recently, but she is a good and dedicated trainer.
