Purebred Dogs

SOURCE CARDS

Source Card 1 Barber, Lilian. "It's Not Just About Competitions." nytimes.com. The New York Times Co., 12 Feb Web. 25 Mar

Source Card 3 Derr, Mark. "Stricter and Better Criteria are Needed." nytimes.com. The New York Times Co., 12 Feb Web. 25 Mar

Source Card 5 “Purebred.” Merriam-Webster: Word Central. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, Web. 30 March 2013.

Source Card 2 Ruppel, Brent. "Good Reasons for Some Purebred Traits." nytimes.com. The New York Times Co., 12 Feb Web. 25 Mar

Source Card 4 Serpell, James. "Cross-Breed to Avoid Inbreeding." nytimes.com. The New York Times Co., 12 Feb Web. 25 Mar

MAIN IDEA CARD Definition of purebred—put in introduction

Purebred-Definition 5 bred from members of a recognized breed, strain, or kind without cross-breeding over many generations Merriam-webster.com

MAIN IDEA CARD Breeders will breed dogs to try to enhance certain personality traits.

Why People Breed (opposing) 1 "Breeding dogs that fit a written standard isn’t just about appearance. Dogs are bred for certain tasks and certain personalities."

Why People Breed (opposing) 1 "Different breeds have different traits. It’s like choosing a vehicle. In many cases a two-door sedan will suffice, but sometimes a truck is needed. "

Breed Personality Traits (opposing) 1 "Some breeds are laid back while others tend to be very active. Some are barkers. Others are relatively quiet. A few breeds are close to being hypo-allergenic, which makes it possible for a family that has a member with allergies to still have the pleasure of canine companionship."

MY CONCLUSIONS People who breed dogs will try to make sure they produce a dog that they can feel fairly certain will act a particular way.

Personality Traits (mine) 3 "No one knows to what degree behavior and personality are related but they know those traits can be lost without constant attention."

Personality Traits (mine) 3 "So too a dog's adult temperament -- whether it is overly aggressive, for example, or shy or fearful or anxious or bold and eager to work -- cannot be predicted when it is a puppy."

MY CONCLUSIONS While breeders can never guarantee a dog’s personality will be what they want it to, they will try to breed dogs with certain temperaments to produce dogs with similar temperaments.

MAIN IDEA CARD Certain breeds of dogs are bred so that the dogs will be good at certain things.

Specific Breed Traits (opposing) 2 "Although there are outliers on the edges of any breed, generally Chihuahuas can be counted on to look and act like Chihuahuas; terriers can be counted on to look and act like terriers; and Labrador retrievers can be counted on to look and act like Labrador retrievers."

Specific Breed Traits (opposing) 2 "Terriers can’t duck hunt, and Chihuahuas can’t be guide dogs for the blind. They do not have the physical or temperament traits to do so."

MY CONCLUSIONS Sometimes breeders choose to breed for a dog’s ability, not just its personality.

Breeding Traits (opposing) 2 "A dog’s performance at a function was often better than another’s because he or she had physical or personality traits that provided for excellence at that particular function."

Specific Breed Traits (opposing) 2 "Dogs with greyhound shapes were faster; dogs with a better sense of smell were better hunters; dogs that were more territorial were better watch dogs."

Specific Breed Traits (opposing) 2 "We have found that Labrador and golden retrievers have the physical and temperament traits that make ideal guide dogs. We, and most important, our blind or visually impaired clients, depend on that consistency."

Shelter Dogs (mutts) (opposing) 2 "Unfortunately, attempts by our organization to use shelter dogs to be guide dogs did not work. Even with much observation and evaluation, the dogs that we received from shelters did not offer us the reliability that we need in a guide dog."

MY CONCLUSIONS Breeding for certain traits is not guaranteed, though it does not keep people from trying.

MAIN IDEA CARD Responsible breeders begin thinking about their dog’s quality of life from the time they begin breeding through the dog’s life. NEED MORE INFO?

Responsible Breeders (opposing) 1 "Most breeders of purebreds support research regarding the genetic health of their breeds and plan their matings carefully to insure that the offspring will be healthy. It would make little sense to put time, effort, money and passion into breeding unhealthy dogs."

Responsible Breeders (opposing) 2 "For this reason, we breed and train Labrador and golden retrievers, breeds that we feel best meet the needs of our clients. We rigorously health and temperament test all of our dogs. We maintain data records on all the dogs we breed. We spay or neuter any dogs that don’t make it as a guide dogs and place them in other careers such as medical alert dogs for diabetics, therapy work, hearing dogs, companions for bind children and as loved and loving pets."

MY CONCLUSIONS Breeders do not want unhealthy dogs, so they will try to mate two dogs that will produce healthy puppies.

Responsible Breeders (opposing) 1 "A responsible breeder of purebred dogs not only breeds for results that adhere to a written standard but knows the value of a well-bred animal and pays close attention to health concerns, proper nutrition, housing and everything else that affects the lives of those beloved dogs."

MY CONCLUSIONS Responsible breeding does not end when the puppy is born—there are still many needs that will have to be taken care of as the puppy grows.

MAIN IDEA CARD Unfortunately, the breeding of pure-bred dogs can often cause negative effects for the offspring.

Genetic Disorders (mine) DEFECTS 4 "Nowadays, many breeds are highly inbred and express an extraordinary variety of genetic defects as a consequence: defects ranging from anatomical problems, like hip dysplasia, that cause chronic suffering, to impaired immune function and loss of resistance to fatal diseases like cancer."

Genetic Disorders (mine) HOW THEY ARE CREATED 4 "First, in order to produce dogs that met the standard, breeders employed breeding practices that inevitably resulted in inbreeding. Not only were the original gene pools of many breeds very small to begin with, but breeders have also accentuated the problem by selectively breeding from relatively small numbers of "champion sires" and/or by mating together closely related individuals."

Genetic Disorders (mine) GENERAL 4 "Selective breeding with small numbers of champion sires lead to genetic defects. Breeding in outside traits is a cure that is shunned."

MY CONCLUSIONS Sometimes it is not enough to try to choose the right parents to breed because the dogs will still be likely to have life-altering genetic defects.

Genetic Disorders (mine) GENERAL-ISH 3 "In more than a few cases, A.K.C. breeds are characterized by physical extremes or deformities of the legs, back and skull that can bring the dogs constant suffering."

Genetic Disorders (mine) GENERAL 3 "Reliance on inbreeding and over use of favored sires to fix desirable traits have also concentrated life threatening or debilitating conditions in particular breeds."

Genetic Disorders (mine) GENERAL 4 "This tendency for the primary distinguishing features of dog breeds to become more and more accentuated over time is extremely widespread, and in almost every case it has been detrimental to the health and welfare of the dogs."

Genetic Issues (mine) GENERAL 3 "Many breeding standards have led to the creation of dogs with severe problems, especially among those certified by the American Kennel Club."

MY CONCLUSIONS It is cruel for the American Kennel Club and other organizations to require standards that force breeders into creating “franken-mutts” that will live their lives with deformities and pain.

Genetic Disorders (mine) BREED SPECIFIC 4 "Consider, for example, the written standard for the English bulldog’s face and muzzle: “the face, measured from the front of the cheekbone to the tip of the nose, should be extremely short, the muzzle being very short, broad, turned upward and very deep from the corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth"...Is it any wonder then that bulldogs can no longer breathe properly?"

Genetic Disorders (mine) HOW TO STOP THEM 4 "The only sensible way out of this genetic dead-end is through selective out-crossing with dogs from other breeds, but this is considered anathema by most breeders since it would inevitably affect the genetic "purity" of their breeds."

MY CONCLUSIONS People should be less concerned about the “purity” of their dogs and more concerned that they are able to live a healthy and happy life.