D O G S, G E N E S A N D
SUFFERING
By J a y s o n V i va s
After years of selective breeding for specific traits
in order to adhere to the breed standard set forth by
American Kennel Club, the appearance of purebred
dogs including pugs, German shepherds, bulldogs and
other breeds has changed drastically, and dogs today
are suffering the consequences.
AKC is the primary registrar of purebreds. It sets a
specific standard of appearance for dogs, known as the
breed standard. This results in inbreeding that creates
avoidable genetic and physical defects in the animals.
Inbreeding is the practice of breeding close relatives
to each other. Examples include breeding mother-to-son
or father-to daughter. It allows for breeders to predict
traits of their dog’s appearance, and by adhering to the
breed standard, breeders are rewarded by being able to
be competitive in dog shows at the risk of the dog’s health.
Take, for example, the tail of the pug. The breed
standard for a pug tail, according to the AKC website,
requires that “the tail is curled as tightly as possible over
the hip. The double curl is perfection.” But the tightly
curled tail of a pug causes stress on the spine, which can
be painful for the dog.
The breed standard for bulldog reads “the distance
from the bottom of stop, between the eyes, to the tip of
the nose should be as short as possible.” James Serpell,
professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of
Veterinary Medicine, described how in order for breeders
to accomplish this, they had to alter the skull of the
original ancestors of the bulldog we now see today, and
squish it so that bulldogs now have breathing problems.
Health problems in dogs do not just affect breeders.
Kelsey Welsh and her family felt first-hand how dogs
can affect our lives. She and her family owned two pugs,
Tugger and Willy, one of which suffered from epilepsy
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and died at age 11. “That was the only time I ever saw my
dad cry.” she said, and “it felt like we lost a family member.”
Some common problems all pugs today share
include breathing problems, dry eyes, and proneness
to heat stroke and obesity, said Jamie Mays, an animal
doctor at VCA Pets First Animal Hospital. She said that
breathing problems occur in 90 percent of pugs that
she treats.
Katherine Rogers, author of First Friend: A History
of Dogs and Humans said that pugs historically did not
have the shorter muzzle. The breathing problems that
pugs face today are because their noses are pinched,
which makes it difficult to breathe.
Serpell explained how the Dalmatian Club of
America in the 1980’s managed to breed out kidney
stones, by outcrossing the Dalmatian with another
breed. Outcrossing is breeding dogs outside of their
relatives and bloodlines. The DCA was able to breed the
Dalmatian back to look enough like a Dalmation by the
breed standard, except now without the kidney stone
problems. Many of the people in the DCA were upset
with the new dog, since they knew of the outcrossing
that brought it, Serpell said.
Asked if the same could be done to help the pug, he
said “certainly, without a doubt.” People do not breed
with this in mind, he said, because the longer muzzle
is not part of the breed standard. Breeders could not
win dog shows if they bred for it. If the breed standard
changed and did not allow pugs with those features to
win dog shows, there would be a change in the way the
dog is bred, he added.
Breeding has become more specific over the course
of history, Rogers said. The culture of dog show
breeders shuns those who might outcross their animals
for health reasons. That prolongs the physical and
genetic problems for dogs.
In adhering to a harmful breed standard, breeders
preserve those traits that win in shows, but they are
“creating a very fertile environment for recessive genetic
mutations, and these are where the health problems lie,”
he said.
Inbreeding in any species causes a higher risk of
passing on recessive genes, and this can cause genetic
and physical defects for the offspring. Health problems
in dogs today are due to the narrow gene selection
inherent with inbreeding.
Narrow gene selection is an inherent risk, which
means the effects of inbreeding are, too. The same
problem is found in “line breeding,” another form
of inbreeding. Both are permitted by the AKC at the
discretion of the breeders, according to its website.
sell genetically defective dogs, however. The American
Veterinary Medical Association lists these states on their
website, www.avma