| Comment | I really appreciate seeing this perspective! I follow a Facebook group for a breed of dog (silken windhounds which are a cross between afghan hounds and whippets I believe?) where there’s a lot of chat about how KV registered breeders are the only ethical breeders there are and anything else is more or less considered abuse.
To a certain extent I understand why new breeds like these might benefit from some sort of “control” when breeding if they are bred for specific personality traits that you can’t guarantee from crossing any individuals. Eg. Folk expect Labradoodles to be hairy like a poodle with the personality of a Labrador, but because they because they became popular backyard breeders were just doing any only cross and huzzah loads of people have unexpected traits in the puppy they just got.
But when it comes to selective breeding so that the dogs fit the bill physically, I just struggle to see KC club breeders as such ethical icons. There are just so many absolutely terrible health defects associated with breeding for exaggerated traits that can cause a miserable life for the dogs. No matter what the KC club argue they do to prevent this, as soon as you are benefitting financially from dogs that express the physical traits that are emblematic of the breed, people are going to breed for them at the expense of the dogs. |
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