By Kaylie Flannigan
Staff Writer
The perfect dog is hard to find. Many pet owners want to find a well-behaved companion with whom that they can cherish many years with.
People can spend hundreds of dollars, if not more, on a purebred dog. A purebred consists of the breeding of two dogs in the same gene pool. It sounds like incest because it usually is. We all know that incest does not work too well with humans, so why do we continue to do this with dogs?
Many purebreds do not live as long as mixed breeds because of common health issues.
According to Pet MD, many purebreds can suffer from cancer and tumors; eye and heart disease; joint and bone disorders; skin, immune system and neurological diseases; and even epilepsy. These cases are much less frequent in mixed breeds, as they are from completely different gene pools and usually unrelated.
People are still breeding purebred dogs when there is already a huge population of dogs in the U.S. The world cannot give homes to all these dogs, especially when many people are spending money on purebred dogs. Therefore, many dogs are euthanized each year because of overpopulation.
Puppy mills also contribute to a huge problem of inbreeding and overpopulation. The ASPCA describes a puppy mill as, “large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs… breeding at puppy mills is performed without consideration of genetic quality. This results in generations of dogs with unchecked hereditary defects.”
These dogs are often abused, diseased, and have major behavioral problems. Dogs are usually in small spaces with a lot of overcrowding, and lack the attention that they need. Dogs are torn from their mothers at a young age and sold directly to the public via the Internet, newspaper ads, or pet stores.
Many shelters have adoptable dogs who would love a home. These dogs may pose little health risks in comparison to purebred dogs as well as puppy mill dogs. It is important to find a pup that fits your lifestyle, but don’t get hung up on labels. You might fall in love with a mutt; you only need to give them a chance. At the end of the day dogs just want to be loved like everyone else.
