Fluffy French Bulldogs, Double Merle Doodles, Albino Dobermans, Microbullies… Just to name a few. I’m sure we have all seen the increasing craze for these designer dogs. Marketed as “Hypoallergenic”, “Rare Colors”, “Designer”, there is a dark side to the world of dog breeding.
In recent years, breeders have begun to breed their dogs for exotic looking coat patterns, unique face shapes, or even changing the entire size and build of a breed. These breeders are prioritizing profit over the health and welfare of their dogs and the dogs they are selling. More and more cases have come into light about poor living conditions of dogs being used for breeding, over breeding females and dumping them in shelters or on the side of the road when they are no longer useful, or selling sick and underage puppies.
These so-called “designer” dogs are also what many come to find as actually just genetic disasters. Many breeds that are becoming more sought after such as Fluffy or Merle French Bulldogs, and Microbullies are bred to have a smaller stature, and smaller face than the breed standard. This leads to severe breathing problems to have become incredibly common, as well as bone deformities such as Discospondilitis, and Spina Bifida. In other designer breeds such as Albino Dobermans or any of the many kinds of Doodles, things such as blindness, deafness, gastrointestinal and immune disorders or behavioral problems have become almost unavoidable.
Shelters are seeing an uptake in their already overcrowded facilities due to these breeds being purchased, and then dumped due to “unforeseen” medical or behavioral problems that are unfortunately genetically wired into many of these dogs. This places immense pressure on the rescue systems to find spaces for these dogs or else they are euthanized. Yet at the same time, people continue to purchase puppies which allows breeders to continue producing puppies who could very well end up in a shelter with an unknown fate.
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As someone who grew up around heavily researching breeders when getting a dog from a breeder rather than a shelter, the fact that people pay thousands and thousands of dollars for a poorly bred dog just for aesthetics is insane to me. The most important thing when considering getting a dog should be their wellbeing and health, not how they will look to other people or social media. Just the other day, I saw a fluffy french bulldog puppy and immediately felt terrible for the dog. It had obvious problems, including enlarged eyes and a heavily shrunken muzzle and nose, but the owner said it was just a “shy, scared dog,” which could be true, but I don’t think those are the reasons for the physical problems. To me, the health standards and testers for a dog are some of the most important things to look at when considering owning one, and I think this should be the case for everyone.
I was interested in this article because my family has had both purebred dogs from breeders and dogs from shelters. I have always questioned how ethical breeders can be, especially learning about hybrid dogs and puppy mills. This article articulates how dogs should not be treated as designer status symbols, especially when there are always so many loving dogs in need of homes in the shelter system. Instead of supporting these systems that breed more animals who are preconditioned to struggle genetically, people should look elsewhere.
I will never understand why adopting dogs isn’t more normalized in society compared to paying up to $5,000 for a bred dog. Breeding facilities can be unethical and inhumane, as most of these animals end up on the side of the road and are dumped when they are unwanted or finished with. While not all breeders are bad, many breeders breed dogs for the looks and the money, with many developing health issues and disabilities. Growing up, my family rescued or adopted all of our animals. One of our dogs was found on the side of the road in extremely unhealthy conditions before we gave her the best life she could have. Dogs should never be at fault for the conditions they develop, and they should not be placed in shelters or killed for it. Adopt, don’t shop should be more normalized, and unethical breeders should face consequences for their abuse.
This article made me think about a joke circulating online where some dog owners match the appearance of their dog and the dangers that could come if this phenomenon were taken seriously or desired. Breeders already selectively breed for exotic coats, unique faces, and breed size, so the next step could be owners requesting certain physical characteristics to make their pets resemble them. If this joke became a popular aesthetic, it would be disastrous for dogs’ well-being and would contribute to the large number of animals in shelters looking for homes.
As somebody who has a loving and healthy french bulldog, I often feel guilty for the kind of pain he is in. I would never fathom dumping a dog just because it had medical problems, the same way I would never abandon a child for being born with a disability. This brings about an important issue in our society that people sometimes cross that morally irresponsible line of abandoning others because they weren’t prepared for the worst case scenario. People in western culture often tend to their individual desires of aesthetics in the case of dogs, leading to them to choose the easiest, cutest option instead of accepting responsibility and providing the care, patience, and compassion that vulnerable beings deserve. Whether it is an animal, a child, or another person in need, true love and responsibility are measured by how we respond when circumstances become difficult and not only when everything is easy.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this article about dog breeding. I like how the article considered the rise of aestheticism into all facets of life, including animals. The author used the phrase “genetic disasters” to convey a stronger meaning to this practice. I also enjoyed how the article emphasized the rise of aestheticism and preference in live things, prioritizing the aesthetics of a person or in this case an animal over the individual itself. Additionally I thought it was interesting how the article brought up the impact dog breeding has on shelters and rescue systems. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this article and how it brought attention to a current and growing problem in our society.
As someone who owns a french bulldog, I firsthand experienced some of the negative side effects of unethical breeding. Something important to take away from this conversation is that it is at fault of the breeders, and the dogs themselves aren’t bad. You also can’t assume that every dog you see that is commonly backyard bred is a victim of that. As someone who enjoys these types of breeds I try to look for rescues, and ethical breeders who look out for health breed standard rather than pure aesthetics.
I’m a biology student, and after learning about genetics, I don’t understand how dog breeding isn’t a crime worthy of legal action. For comparison, we have developed recent technology that has the potential to change human traits in fetuses, which can be used to prevent genetic disorders. However, there has been controversy over this issue because where is the limit? Parents could also choose a certain eye color or hair color for their child, which most people have deemed wrong and disturbing. I see this as the same as breeding certain animals because genetically modifying any animal for aesthetic reasons is extremely wrong and honestly disgusting, especially when these animals are actively being harmed.
As a dog owner myself, reading this helped me realize how important it is that you know where you are getting your dog. This is because of the breeder you are getting the dog from and the reasoning behind getting a certain dog. Choosing a dog based on it well being is most important, not based on how cool it may look. This is because if you don’t carefully research the breeder of the dog, you might end up getting a dog that doesn’t live very long or that has severe health complications later down the line. Thinking about this is very important if you are thinking about getting a dog; steering away from breeders that seem to make wrong decisions is key.
As someone who just recently fostered a 4 year old cat from the shelter (and found him a forever home), I have gotten into how the aesthetic of having a pure bred dog or brand new kitten is harmful to animals. So many pets get euthanized or dumped on the streets/into shelters when they no longer serve a purpose anymore, or they are simply just abused by their owners. I think as a society we need to bring more attention to how we are caring for animals and how ethically we are breeding them (if at all).