Hopefully non inflammatory :)
I have just read the thread about English bulldogs and was quite amazed at the depth of feeling surrounding it.
I have pedigree dogs, albeit working lines that would no more qualify for breed showing at Crufts than fly to the moon and it's been a while since I bought a "proper" pedigree puppy. So......
- The breed judges follow the KC breed standard. Is it simply personal interpretation that has allowed GSDs to get so low, bulldogs and pugs to be unable to breathe etc? These traits are not specifically in the breed type so is it naive to think that the dogs you see at the top of the game ie- Best in Show, are good examples of breed type? Obvious there's a lot of shit breeding on the way to that pinnacle but taking that out of the equation.
- Endangered breeds such as the bulldog. Is it ethical to allow the breed to become extinct? The general concensus on the thread was that purchasing an EB puppy was an unethical decision. If that is so then do we just accept that the breed dies out, or worse continues in the hands of unscrupulous breeders?
I'm genuinely interested in a rational discussion, not a lecture on the morals of buying pedigree puppies or suggestions for rescue dogs as I may lose my final shred of sanity if we had another dog
:)