The Cons of Dog Breeding as a For Profit Business

Genetics and Inbreeding

The push for the perfect “purebred” dog to match your lavish material life comes at a cost, and I’m not referring to the hefty price tag. Most specialty breeders who deal with the fancier types of dogs are prone to sell to fancier customers who have a specific type of dog in mind that they want to purchase. These breeders will listen to the client and then look for certain traits that appear within their puppies to try and selectively enforce that trait to continue on. These traits are usually visual traits that affect how “cute” a dog is perceived as. The problem with this is how breeders go about selectively reproducing dogs for these certain desirable traits. Inbreeding among dogs in a litter is fairly common if they share the trait seen as desirable, however, inbreeding can lead to genetic health problems and birth defects that negatively impact a puppy’s lifespan. Most dogs adopted from shelters don’t share this problem because they are the unwanted ones and while they may not look as perfect as some of the showier dogs, they can love you just as much and will probably live longer and more fulfilling lives than the inbred “purebred” dogs anyways.

Overbreeding

Unless you know the breeder themselves and/or they extensively advocate for healthy conditions for their dogs and care you cant always be sure what type of breeder you’re buying from. Buying from a breeder comes with the risk of supporting a potential puppy mill. Puppy mills are a base term referring to any breeding business that prioritizes profit over the care for their animals. They most commonly achieve this increase in profit by attempting to pump out as many dogs as possible while cutting corners with the health and safety of their dogs. These dogs often end up at pet stores and the next time you consider purchasing from a pet store you should stop and think about whether or not you want to support an industry that sees dogs as merchandise instead of a living animal. The alternative of adopting a rescue dog is so much better as you are giving back to the animal shelters that need the support the most.

Citations

Genetics and Inbreeding

Overbreeding