3 ms·
The point about inspection overhead / regulatory capture is a good one. Regulation is difficult because of unintended consequences. So given a choice between "
by ethbro 8y ago
The point about inspection overhead / regulatory capture is a good one.
Regulation is difficult because of unintended consequences. So given a choice between "ban pet stores from selling bred animals" and "create a new bureaucracy to oversee animal conditions" (then pairing it with something like a transfer tax), the former is a lighter market touch.
And if we want to get realpolitik, mongrels tend to have stronger genetics than pure-breds ("Life finds a way"), so this is probably long-term good for pets in general.
- firethief 8y agoBut you need purebreds to get mongrels, otherwise you eventually wind up with mutts (which are healthier than purebreds but not as good as mongrels).
- johnkpaul 8y agoI thought that mutt and mongrel were synonyms. Is there some formal distinction?
- ethbro 8y agoI meant it as a synonym, debated on which to use, and decided mongrel carried fewer pejorative connotations. 'Cross-breed' is term I've heard involving pure-bred ancestors. E.g. this adorable Bassador on Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_crossbreed#/media/File%3AFred_the_Bassador.jpg https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_crossbreed#/media/File%3...