http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7569064.stm
Anyone else catch this documentary last night. My wife sat down to watch it and I wandered in, went "Aaah, little doggies, I wuv them!" and watched as well. By the end I was about ready to bomb the Kennel Club and the morons that run it.
I knew that pedigree breeds had problems due to inbreeding (mother's Westie has arthritis for one), but I didn't know how bad it had got. Bulldogs are such mutants that they can't have sex or give birth unassisted anymore. And the the morphing shot of the bulldog's skull from the square, even look of the Victorian era mutating into the underslung jawed object of today was just nuts.
The differences between the 1946 Basset Hound and the one today were astounding as well, with the head of the breeders' club essentially saying if he accidentally bred a dog that looked like the 1946 cersion, he'd probably shoot it to make sure it couldn't breed (reading between the lines).
And the stuff about Rhodesian Ridgebacks! The ridge is essentially a deformity and can cause holes through the skin directly into the spine, but until recently the breeders culled any non-ridged puppies for not looking right was just batshit insane.
And that pug looked very discontented with its lot, I must say. Mind you, when all 10,000 of you and your breed in the UK are one of only 50 different DNA types and half your soft palate is crushed into your throat because you look sweeter with a squished nose, you can afford to be pissed off as you struggle to breathe.
Anyone else catch this documentary last night. My wife sat down to watch it and I wandered in, went "Aaah, little doggies, I wuv them!" and watched as well. By the end I was about ready to bomb the Kennel Club and the morons that run it.
I knew that pedigree breeds had problems due to inbreeding (mother's Westie has arthritis for one), but I didn't know how bad it had got. Bulldogs are such mutants that they can't have sex or give birth unassisted anymore. And the the morphing shot of the bulldog's skull from the square, even look of the Victorian era mutating into the underslung jawed object of today was just nuts.
The differences between the 1946 Basset Hound and the one today were astounding as well, with the head of the breeders' club essentially saying if he accidentally bred a dog that looked like the 1946 cersion, he'd probably shoot it to make sure it couldn't breed (reading between the lines).
And the stuff about Rhodesian Ridgebacks! The ridge is essentially a deformity and can cause holes through the skin directly into the spine, but until recently the breeders culled any non-ridged puppies for not looking right was just batshit insane.
And that pug looked very discontented with its lot, I must say. Mind you, when all 10,000 of you and your breed in the UK are one of only 50 different DNA types and half your soft palate is crushed into your throat because you look sweeter with a squished nose, you can afford to be pissed off as you struggle to breathe.
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