Dog breeders - why isn't health of dogs the first priority?

[LifeofBrienne]

I'm not a dog owner myself, but see a lot of pugs around here. It always makes me wonder why people would buy a dog that's well known to have breathing issues because it's been bred to be malformed. But maybe the main question is why breeders have created the extreme face shape of the breed in the first place. I just saw a thread on here from someone thinking of buying a German Shepherd puppy and almost the first reply was to watch out for back problems since they've been bred to have their front half much taller than the back.
Naively I would have thought that people who breed dogs carefully (not talking about puppy farms or anything) and those who set the standards go into it because they're dog lovers. So why do they take healthy dog breeds and make them less healthy?

Years spent struggling to breathe with every step.

Behold someone who is part of the problem.

Some do. Some want to see their breed improve in health and will only breed the healthy animals.

This was our pug breeder.

Pugs are one of the most ancient breeds of dogs with the most amazing temperaments. It would be a huge shame if the breed became extinct.

Our breeder specifically bred for health and our pug has longer legs, a slimmer built and a slightly longer snout than the usual pugs. He has no health issues at all (touch wood) and is noticeably healthier than the pugs we meet in the park.

He's honestly the best dog in the world 😍an ideal family dog.

In no way do I condone Kennel Club breed standards, but bear in mind that not every dog who is KC registered meets those standards. I have Working line Labs, one is KC registered, which basically means he came from 2 registered labs who were extensively health tested and whose lineage could be traced.

It certainly doesn’t mean he would win at Crufts ( though he should imo)

I am another who tried really hard over a couple of years, with Lab Rescue to get a second dog in need of a home, rather than a puppy, got nowhere, as I already had a lab ( who loves being one of 2 ).

I did get an adult in need of a new home, but I had to seek her out myself.

There are good breeders and bad breeders. Good breeders care about the dogs. Bad breeders just care about money. Sadly, some people use dogs as fashion accessories. And these people want dogs with really squashed in noses and wrinkly little faces because they look cute and are seen as the fashionable breed to have. So the bad breeders, seeing a huge money making opportunity, breed dogs for these traits and charge the prospective owners £££ to buy them.

I have a hound and specifically chose a working line version, no KC reg at all. The KC show versions would never be able to work in a field all day and some struggle to do daily walks. I despise the exaggerated show versions of breeds.

Im glad some breeders are working to make deformed breeds healthier but I still don’t believe you can call yourself an animal lover while funding breeds that will have a difficult and painful life.