5 ms·

Whats the solution here?

Cthulhu_ 10y ago
Not breed to optimize for certain traits. But that's what dogs (and the current 'breeds') are all about anyway, both pugs and what most people consider 'anatomically correct' dogs.
- worldsayshi 10y ago
  Or at least don't optimize for traits that are disconnected from the health and wellbeing of the dog, like pure looks? Optimizing on more practical or athletic aspects probably makes it more difficult to end up with a sick dog.
  - Periodic 10y ago
    Dogsled racing is a working area that has seen trend away from pure huskies. There are still plenty of huskies in the sport, but mixed teams are very common in the Iditarod now. In 2000 there were only three all-husky teams in the whole race. The racers are crossing with other breeds and bringing in new dogs that are more optimized for the race. There's a danger that in the long run they could end up with something extreme, like what greyhounds are for racing, but right now it's full of healthy, diverse dogs.
hyperpape 10y ago
Mutts mostly, maybe a few different kinds of pure breeds. Might offend someone's aesthetic sensibilities (though I can't see why), but that seems like a worthwhile trade.
whyileft 10y ago
Ban breeding. There are plenty of dogs available for adoption. Once we run out of those we can reconsider the ban. Pretty simple stuff.
- imjustsaying 10y ago
  >Ban X the username checks out
proactivesvcs 10y ago
Realise that the incarceration (physically and/or psychologically) of animals for a purely comforting or entertainment purpose is an affront to proper morals.
bionsuba 10y ago
Don't buy a pure bred, especially not at a premium.
nailer 10y ago
Maybe: we stop using terms like 'purebreed' and 'mongrel'. Or reclaim 'mongrel' I like the term 'natural dog'. "I'd like a medium sized natural dog with a long coat because it's cold here."
- kharms 10y ago
  "Natural dog" is a silly term. Dogs are a domesticated animal and breeds have been around for almost as long as writing. [1] I call mine a "mutt" - it's inoffensive and gets the point across. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_breed#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_breed#History
  - tetrep 10y ago
    Mutt is intended to be an insult. While I'm fairly confident I've never heard it used as such first hand, it's still the 2nd definition on whatever Google uses for defining things: a person regarded as stupid or incompetent. "“Do not give me orders, mutt.”"
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
    - zeveb 10y ago
      'Dog' is also an insult, and for that matter so is 'bitch' (n.b. for non-English-speakers: 'bitch' is the English word for a female dog). I don't think that there's anything wrong with calling things by their proper names.
    - bitwize 10y ago
      If you wish to be pedantic, "mix" and "mixed breed" are fairly neutral terms.
  - nailer 10y ago
    A natural dog's parents picked each other because their butts smelled good. An unnatural dog's parents were chosen by someone looking to make an animal with a squashed snout.
acconrad 10y ago
Have them mate with other breeds
maxxxxx 10y ago
Eliminate purebreds. Can you imagine we did the same with humans? Selecting for only one characteristic is a recipe for genetic disaster.
- CM30 10y ago
  Oh, there's a pretty good chance people will try doing the same for humans when genetic engineering becomes a tad more common/extensive. There's a reason talk of 'designer babies' and the likes is a hot topic, especially in regards of selecting for certain characteristics here too.
- fixermark 10y ago
  I think you're throwing out the baby with the bathwater in that approach. Purebreds carry common genetic weaknesses. They also carry common genetic strengths. How confident are we that we can preserve the strengths as we mitigate the weaknesses?
  - maxxxxx 10y ago
    Again, imagine we bred humans that need to have their back shaped in a certain form, nose of a certain length and so on. It won't work in the long run. Even worse, they breed for genetic defects like the hips on German shepherds. You can select maybe for certain personalities or physical attributes but you need to allow for other variations. The guidelines for purebreds are just stupid.
- ceejayoz 10y ago
  > Can you imagine we did the same with humans? I can! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemophilia_in_European_royalty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemophilia_in_European_royalt...

Not breed to optimize for certain traits. But that's what dogs (and the current 'breeds') are all about anyway, both pugs and what most people consider 'anatomically correct' dogs.

worldsayshi 10y ago
Or at least don't optimize for traits that are disconnected from the health and wellbeing of the dog, like pure looks? Optimizing on more practical or athletic aspects probably makes it more difficult to end up with a sick dog.
- Periodic 10y ago
  Dogsled racing is a working area that has seen trend away from pure huskies. There are still plenty of huskies in the sport, but mixed teams are very common in the Iditarod now. In 2000 there were only three all-husky teams in the whole race. The racers are crossing with other breeds and bringing in new dogs that are more optimized for the race. There's a danger that in the long run they could end up with something extreme, like what greyhounds are for racing, but right now it's full of healthy, diverse dogs.

hyperpape 10y ago

Mutts mostly, maybe a few different kinds of pure breeds. Might offend someone's aesthetic sensibilities (though I can't see why), but that seems like a worthwhile trade.

whyileft 10y ago

Ban breeding. There are plenty of dogs available for adoption. Once we run out of those we can reconsider the ban. Pretty simple stuff.

imjustsaying 10y ago
>Ban X the username checks out

proactivesvcs 10y ago

Realise that the incarceration (physically and/or psychologically) of animals for a purely comforting or entertainment purpose is an affront to proper morals.

bionsuba 10y ago

Don't buy a pure bred, especially not at a premium.

nailer 10y ago

Maybe: we stop using terms like 'purebreed' and 'mongrel'. Or reclaim 'mongrel' I like the term 'natural dog'. "I'd like a medium sized natural dog with a long coat because it's cold here."

kharms 10y ago
"Natural dog" is a silly term. Dogs are a domesticated animal and breeds have been around for almost as long as writing. [1] I call mine a "mutt" - it's inoffensive and gets the point across. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_breed#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_breed#History
- tetrep 10y ago
  Mutt is intended to be an insult. While I'm fairly confident I've never heard it used as such first hand, it's still the 2nd definition on whatever Google uses for defining things: a person regarded as stupid or incompetent. "“Do not give me orders, mutt.”"
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - zeveb 10y ago
    'Dog' is also an insult, and for that matter so is 'bitch' (n.b. for non-English-speakers: 'bitch' is the English word for a female dog). I don't think that there's anything wrong with calling things by their proper names.
  - bitwize 10y ago
    If you wish to be pedantic, "mix" and "mixed breed" are fairly neutral terms.
- nailer 10y ago
  A natural dog's parents picked each other because their butts smelled good. An unnatural dog's parents were chosen by someone looking to make an animal with a squashed snout.

acconrad 10y ago

Have them mate with other breeds

maxxxxx 10y ago

Eliminate purebreds. Can you imagine we did the same with humans? Selecting for only one characteristic is a recipe for genetic disaster.

CM30 10y ago
Oh, there's a pretty good chance people will try doing the same for humans when genetic engineering becomes a tad more common/extensive. There's a reason talk of 'designer babies' and the likes is a hot topic, especially in regards of selecting for certain characteristics here too.
fixermark 10y ago
I think you're throwing out the baby with the bathwater in that approach. Purebreds carry common genetic weaknesses. They also carry common genetic strengths. How confident are we that we can preserve the strengths as we mitigate the weaknesses?
- maxxxxx 10y ago
  Again, imagine we bred humans that need to have their back shaped in a certain form, nose of a certain length and so on. It won't work in the long run. Even worse, they breed for genetic defects like the hips on German shepherds. You can select maybe for certain personalities or physical attributes but you need to allow for other variations. The guidelines for purebreds are just stupid.
ceejayoz 10y ago
> Can you imagine we did the same with humans? I can! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemophilia_in_European_royalty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemophilia_in_European_royalt...