08-17-2013 at 8:41 AM

08-14-2013 at 2:45 PM

Thanks, Paya :) I wish people hadn't taken this documentary so literally. There were studies and tests done, and mutts are not immune to the same issues that affect purebred dogs.

08-14-2013 at 2:25 PM

" It is a well known fact that purebred's have chances of having more issues than "mutts"."<br /> <br /> An untrue generalization of purebred dogs. I own three border collies. One was a semi-rescue (long story) who was bred from showdog lines. He has been on medication for arthritis since he was 6 (he is now 13), and has moderate skin and coat reactions to certain foods. However, my other two dogs are from ABCA working lines and are fit, healthy, and possessed of zero congenital or other problems. This is how a working dog is supposed to be. In their case, being purebred helps predict their temperament and working behavior, leaving little room for any aberrations in those characteristics that crossing them with another breed of dissimilar temperament and working behavior might cause. A sound working line, cultivated by a conscientious breeder, produces dogs that are every bit as healthy as curs, and in many ways more predictable and easily trained.

04-11-2012 at 6:14 PM

Oh I know Al. :( That's one of the reasons I always support adopting over buying from a dog-breeder.<br /> <br />

04-11-2012 at 5:11 PM

Oh f.uck, I had a book FULL of disorders common to certain breeds.. I wish I could find it. It was a veterinary book. You wouldn't believe how many breeds of dogs are plagued by disorders and diseases, it's very depressing.

04-11-2012 at 4:32 PM

I have to disagree with you Auclipse. ALL purebred's are inbred no matter what anyone has said. It is a well known fact that purebred's have chances of having more issues than "mutts". <br /> I, in fact, adopted a purebred boxer from death in a shelter. He has seizures and bad hips. Unfortunately these are common problems in purebred boxers. He wasn't considered "show-bred" but he was still of modern distorted purebred lines.<br /> Now on the other hand I also adopted a German Shepherd-Boxer mix. He might not have been the most intelligent, however he was a beautiful dog with no issues what so ever. <br /> <br /> These issues are VERY common and NOT a minority. It is so flippin scary having to hold an 80lbs dog foaming at the mouth watching his body tense and move so violently.<br /> <br /> German shepherds are known to have hip and spinal issues.<br /> Boxers, hip and hearing issues. Sometimes blindness.<br /> Dalmatians have blindness and hearing issues as well as aggressiveness.<br /> Mastiffs have hip and back issues.<br /> <br /> These are just purebreds. Showbred dogs are MORE extreme than this. <br /> Working huskeys aren't just every tom $@#!* and harry they find in the backyard, they usually are dogs bred to a fellow working dog owner to create teams, also sometimes they are mixed with wolf genetics. (Or closer related to them than most dogs.)<br /> <br /> I'm all for certain types of breeds, but breeding selfishly just to pass on a "champion" line is wrong. Especially when the breeder has been warned to NEVER breed the stud.<br /> <br /> This movie was just touching and horrifying. I hope that sometime they will realize that the very show they are putting on is killing the competitors.<br /> Thank you Clay.

04-9-2012 at 8:04 PM

I understand what you're saying but I have to disagree. Some of the breeds they highlight are the Boxer, the Pug and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. NONE of these can be compared to the Australian Shepherd.<br /> Does the Australian Shepherd have daily breathing difficulties simply because of the way it was born? No! It may have a higher risk of developing diseases down the road, but it won't collapse on a walk down the driveway on a hot day.<br /> <br /> So no, this is not like saying that because some furries f.uck in the suits means that all of them do.<br /> <br /> Plleease tell me what you believe a "real" husky is. I would love to know.<br /> If you link me a picture of a fluffy, puffy, black-and-white, curly-tailed, furry-fandom-obsessed Siberian Husky I'll laugh, turn around and cease to discuss this with you.<br /> <br /> "up to and including companies killing off a few hundred of them to save money"<br /> Hi, I live in Canada. What the world doesn't know is that the man who did this didn't do it maliciously or to save money. The man went around to shelters and humane societies to get them taken but nobody would take them. He went to the vets to see if he could get them put down but the vet refused because they were healthy dogs. These were dogs that were too hyperactive to be able to live safely with a normal family. The man had no money, no money or food to feed the dogs so he did what he could in desperate times.<br /> <b>Educate yourself</b>

04-9-2012 at 7:58 PM

One thing to note about this video (I've come across it before): it takes only the extreme examples. They are a minority. Yes, some breeds do have significant issues. Yes, there are many breeders who don't take health and/or temperament into as much account as they should. Is the video an accurate portrayal of the industry?<br /> <br /> No. It is like pointing at people who dress up as animals to have sex in the desert and saying that all furries, or even worse, all role-players, do that. It is untrue.<br /> <br /> For reference, my breed is the Australian Shepherd. They have their issues. Some breeders perpetuate some or all of these. There are backyard breeders. There are good show breeders and bad show breeders. There are also good working breeders and bad working breeders. I don't show at the moment and I'm not actively breeding, but I'm not completely out of the loop. Please, take anything that shows only one aspect of anything with a serious lump of salt. It's not the whole picture. It's very far from it.<br /> <br /> Oh, and those working huskies? Most of them are just whatever dogs the owner happens to be able to scrounge up and shove into an x-back. They usually have extreme temperament issues and are not real huskies (or malamutes, for that matter) anymore; they are simply northern dogs. Additionally, there is a very high abuse and neglect rate among such dogs, up to and including companies killing off a few hundred of them to save money. There's a wide range to everything, people.

04-8-2012 at 7:18 PM

Agreed.<br /> <br /> That dog looks a lot more beautiful than the flat nosed one.<br /> <br /> And I think you just got me extremely interested in the American Staffordshire Terrier. I've always loved pitbulls but the Stafforshire Terrier is...wow.<br /> <br /> Now, is the pitbull the working dog? OR is the show dog version?<br /> Because for all the other examples, the working dog is on the bottom and the show dog is on top. But it seems like the Staffordshire is the working version of the pit bull

04-8-2012 at 6:34 PM

That long-face Pug looks 500x better than the short faced

04-8-2012 at 6:00 PM

No matter how much a person loves their dog, I don't think anyone wants to see their dog suffer, Ibizan.<br /> <br /> My grandmother had a pug, and because of the pug's flat face, he was often getting into problems whenever he roamed the house. And towards the end of his life, his eye ended up getting pulled out by an object that was sticking out. <br /> <br /> Even a pug with a longer muzzle, like one in this <a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4766896568_3faf51ee36.jpg">image</a> isn't at as much of a risk as a pug with this <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NveEt2qDaIo/TXEJhsgfXNI/AAAAAAAASrI/cn_ZqSAyFlk/s1600/pug-dog.jpg">one</a><br /> <br /> Notice how the muzzle is literally flat on the face. When the dog drinks water, it's whole face is practically in the bowl. And imagine if it was a bowl of hard food. <br /> <br /> Now, you say, "oh, why not focus on puppy mills?"<br /> Well, yes, we have that issue. But don't you find it wrong that the people who are against puppy milling are also damaging the dogs as well? Puppy milling and the breeding we are discussing now both end in health issues for the dog. So why is one more worse than the other? Especially when pedigree breeding is accepted by society?

04-8-2012 at 3:26 PM

Many animal abusers have said this to me, almost word for word.<br /> <b>their lives completly evovle around their dogs, im pretty sure most of them love their dogs more than their partner</b><br /> <br /> My response will always be the same, just because someone is not smacking their dog with a bat doesn't mean they're not abusing it.

04-8-2012 at 2:58 PM

What annoyed me most about this program they just highlighted the bad cases, although i dont agree with knowingly breeding through diseases and such, just because they are pedigree or bred by a KC reg breeder doesnt mean they're unhealthy. I go to crufts every year and i know alot of breeders and exhibitors, and their lives completly evovle around their dogs, im pretty sure most of them love their dogs more than their partner, instead of wasting time on doing a program slating pedigree breeders, who know heck of alot about dogs, they should focus more on puppy farms and bad back yard breeders that seem to be running rife through out the UK at the moment, my town have a pandemic atm with parvo, because of backyard breeders, not only this but they dont give a thought into their breeding and often have puppies with behavioural issues, not to mention theyre throwing them off to the new owners from the age of 6wks, i can put all my money on the fact i bet theres more bad dogs that come out of puppy farms and BY breeders than you would from an acredited breeder. the british KC are currently changing some breed standards to promote a healthier looking dog, the GSD show standards over here are also being discussed regarding that all GSD's should have a Schutzhund certificate, this however i do not agree with. but thats a new debate all on its own lol

04-5-2012 at 12:01 PM

I think that's the revisited version, the three years later documentary. But it still shows everything the first one does.<br /> <br /> Regardless, this sort of breeding is absolutely astounding. How people can even KNOWINGLY breed dogs like this just.. baffles me.

04-5-2012 at 11:54 AM

Awesome, thank you Leah!

04-5-2012 at 11:53 AM

http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2012/02/pedigree-dogs-exposed-three-years-on/<br /> There's a video on there.

04-5-2012 at 11:10 AM

Aww man, sorry Leah. I did a wuick google nad didn't find nothin.. but it's called Pedigree Dogs Exposed: Three Years Later

04-5-2012 at 11:04 AM

Aw poop, I really wanted to see that video. But I agree with you, this stupid girl down the street bred her two dogs about a month ago because 'they puppies would be cute'. Last year she put her dog in the pound because it ran away too much, or so she said. It was her own darn fault, the poor thing was hardly even fed. >_&lt;<br /> <br /> But yeah. Breeding in general just bugs me, unless it's for service dogs and stuff like that. <br /> <br /> Does anyone know where I can find a different link to that video, or who made it?

04-4-2012 at 6:41 AM

This is something I posted on another site a little while back. It's related to this entry because it touches on the subject of what breeds are "supposed to" look like verses what they originally looked like when doing their genetic task/job.<br /> It was a conversation I had with someone, which is why it's written as if I was talking to someone and be warned.. it is LONG. Here we go:<br /> <br /> Pekingese are pretty bad as well <i>(we were discussing pugs)</i>, they’re another absolutely useless breed. Bulldogs are horrible <i>(depending on what type of Bulldog you are referring to)</i> with English Bulldogs being the worst. The bulldogs that haven’t changed too much from their ancestors and aren’t so crippled that they have trouble living are bulldogs like the American Bulldog, Scott-type American Bulldog, Johnson American Bulldog but they were once bred for a purpose. Unfortunately, the Bulldog breeders still support their crushed-faced dogs <i>(English Bulldogs)</i> by saying that the wrinkles and brachycephalic skull shape assisted the dog and gave it the upper hand while bull-baiting as these wrinkles acted as channels for the blood to flow through to keep the blood from getting in the dog’s eyes, and the upturned nose was so that the dog could hold on while breathing easily.<br /> … The thing is, the dogs used in bull-baiting originally did not look like today’s English Bulldogs:<br /> <img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/qod189.jpg"><br /> <br /> With their short stature and smushed faces, they currently have trouble breathing and some dogs <i>(like I said earlier)</i> like Pugs can’t even walk around on a hot day without risk of collapsing. These English Bulldog breeders insist that <i>“the blood ran through the wrinkles away from the face”</i> and <i>“the dog’s nose turned up helped it breathe”</i>… well.. how in the heck would a dog that looks like THAT, that can’t even breathe on a hot day.. be able to do a strenuous activity such as bull-baiting? The poor thing would be trampled before it could even blink!<br /> <br /> The original Bulldogs looked like American Bulldogs, with wrinkles but not extreme wrinkles. Breeders have tried to re-create this dog and they came up with the Olde English Bulldogge seen here:<br /> <img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/160v887.jpg"><br /> <br /> Quite a drastic difference from the English Bulldogs of today, don’t you think?<br /> <br /> As for the German Shepherd Dog, a lot of the times the roached backs from from the stacking position of the dogs. The GSD’s stacking position gives it this slanty look, and breeders tried to breed slant-backed dogs because they believed it made the dog faster or some stupid thing.<br /> I’m not at all supporting the roached/slant-backed breeding of GSDs, but if you look at the leg positions on this dog, you will see that if he straightened his legs out and stood normally, his back would not be nearly as roached.<br /> <img src="http://www.asuperiorgsd.com/p2p.imgs/p2p.060.png"><br /> <br /> The AKC, UKC, etc etc other kennel clubs are ruining breeds, plain and simple. When a dog is bred simply as a shiny little trophy, it comes along with a myriad of health issues. When these health issues are ignored and placed second behind beauty, dogs start dying off. By the time these health issues are brought to light, it’s too late to save the breeds.<br /> <br /> I’m not a fan of show-bred dogs. I believe dogs should be able to work the jobs they were made to work, the jobs they were created for. You wouldn’t believe how much the kennel clubs have warped our views on breeds and what they are <i>“supposed”</i> to look like.<br /> Here are some fun comparisons between field-bred dogs and show-bred dogs.<br /> <b>Show-Bred/English Labrador:</b><br /> <img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/178qht.jpg"><br /> <br /> <b>Field-Bred/American Labrador:</b><br /> <img src="http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/english-american/tucker-field.jpg"><br /> <br /> <b>Show-Bred English Springer Spaniel (this type suffers from ‘rage syndrome’. Wow! Who woulda thought?!):</b><br /> <img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/15n2j9y.jpg"><br /> <br /> <b>Field-Bred English Springer Spaniel:</b><br /> <img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/33mpdmg.jpg"><br /> <br /> Although these two dogs are different breeds, they can still be compared IMO. The American Staffordshire Terrier is allowed to be shown in the kennel clubs, whereas the American Pit Bull Terrier is not. The American Pit Bull Terrier breeders started breeding for show and thus became the American Staffordshire breed. Don't even get me STARTED on the abomination that is the American Bully.<br /> <b>American Staffordshire Terrier:</b><br /> <img src="http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/images23/AmericanStaffordshireTerrierPacoPurebredDog.jpg"><br /> <br /> <b>American Pit Bull Terrier:</b><br /> <img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/33mspz5.jpg"><br /> <br /> This one will come off to many people as very surprising.<br /> <b>Show-bred Siberian Husky:</b><br /> <img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/ymkir.jpg"><br /> <br /> <b>Working husky:</b><br /> <img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/33ux2f7.jpg"><br /> <br /> Although show-bred Siberian Huskies CAN and DO pull sleds <i>(any dog can pull a sled. I’ve even seen a video of a Greyhound pulling a woman on skiis)</i>, they are not as muscular or fit as their working cousins. The reason for this is.. GASP… Appearance was put 2nd behind working ability with the working variety!!<br /> <br /> Anyways, I bet I’m boring you lol, I could go on and on and on about this kinda poop. I’m glad I had someone to talk to about breeds though :D

04-3-2012 at 8:52 PM

Aww, good grief. I wonder why it was removed