a. This documentary reveals a hidden fact that many pedigree dogs are suffering from genetically inherited diseases or disorders. Syringomylia and epilepsy are among two examples of genetic diseases discussed in the film.
b. Syringomylia, which is commonly found in cavaliers, occurs when a dog’s skull is too small for its brain, causing neurological damages and unbearable pain. On the other hand, boxers are the victims of epilepsy.
c. Inbreeding may cause welfare problems because today’s dogs are simply breed to fit the breed standards for dog showing regardless of their health conditions and potential risks of developing health problems. Inbreeding has made a breed’s gene pool become narrower. As such, defective genes are more easily passed on within a breed, which could affect the breed population to a great extent. In this film, Margaret Carter, who is a cavalier breeder, discovered her dog had Syringomylia. Before then, the dog gave birth to many puppies who inherited the same condition. In class material that centers on ridgeback dogs, the inbreeding parents usually carry the same genetic defects and thus are at higher risk to give birth to a puppy with serious defects, though the desired ridgeback trait is retained at the same time.
2.
a&b. Although the working German shepherd used by police force still looks very much like their ancestor, unlike the original German shepherd who have straight back legs, today’s show dogs tend to have a sloped back and dragged back legs that leads to a lack of coordination in their limb movements. With regards to English bulldogs, they tend to have flatter faces with shorter noses and excessive wrinkles. Again, these physical changes were proven to be detrimental to the health and welfare of bulldogs. The shorter nose would be more likely to induce breathing problems when the airways are so easily blocked by the soft palate. They are also more likely to damage their eyes when bumping into things as a result of flatter faces.
c. Although the Kennel Club has taken steps to modify the breed standards, and the welfare of the dogs has been taken into consideration in the judges’ training curriculum, not all breeders are convinced of the need for change, and some still interpret the standards in their own way. While some breeders are willing to accept the new standards, others view the current standards as being traditional and they feel that the new standards will no longer capture the original traits of a breed, but rather represent a new breed different from its original form.
3.
a. I believe inbreeding needs to be controlled and the mating of close relatives should be banned from breeding practices. It is the best way to eliminate the genetic issues in the pedigree dogs.
b. Changes in breed standards fail to properly address the root cause of genetic defects in pedigree dogs. After all, the revised breed standards will neither stop breeders from breeding dogs according to standards nor reduce the occurrence of close breeding. Additionally, changes to standards may not necessarily change the attitudes of many who insist on traditional standards. The breed standards will still be left to judges to interpret in any way they like when it comes to show ring. As a result, breeding for standards will continue to exist without interference from third-parties. Law generally has greater impact on the society and imposing ban on close breeding will prevent a breed’s gene pool from getting narrower and help maintain genetic diversity within the breed.
c. Many breeders denied the need for these suggested changes and turned away from the genetic tests and other procedures that aim to improve the welfare of pedigree dogs. The Kennel Club stated that they were trying to breed away from the weaknesses and reinforce the good traits in pedigree dogs.
4.
I had an overall positive opinion of pedigree dog breeding practices before watching the documentary because in reality, pedigree dogs are significantly less in number compared to crossbreed dogs and more expensive to acquire. In a sense, pedigree dogs were even superior to crossbreed dogs in terms of physical condition in my eyes since only pedigree dogs have the privilege to be registered with a recognized club or to be featured in a competitive dog show. Since I was unaware that the breeding practices involved the use of inbreeding in order to get the perfect pedigree dogs, I believed the breeding practices were out of question, and in some situations, it was necessary to save the unique characteristics of different specimen. However, my opinion has totally changed after learning that the breeding practices has caused serious health problems among pedigree dogs. Growing appreciation for dogs’ physical appearance can be problematic when health conditions are no longer priorities for breeders. I feel that the breeding practices have been abused because of breeders’ obsession of breed standards, and pedigree dogs are not necessarily better than crossbreed dogs since they could carry more flawed genes. Above all, I believe the deliberate breeding practices that gave birth to those seemly prestigious dogs should be monitored and restricted to protect the welfare of pedigree dogs.