So, I want to get an older dog when I finally tick off all the boxes on my "I have to move out of the house and support myself" checklist, but I've become very worried about what that might entail, especially as miss Blossom, my remaining feeder mouse, takes me on a yo-yo of health complications. See, good breeding, at its core, has nothing to do with good looks. Good looks, actually, have everything to do with good breeding. Good genes. Good health. Even when a breed is inbred for a specific characteristic common among only a few dogs, good breeders are self-aware enough to not only target these bad genes and breed them out, but also to cast a wider net for newer genes. When the Basenji stock became too small to maintain, for instance, Basenji breeders from America traveled to Africa and bought street prowling Basenjis, vetted them, tested them and brought them back to America. That stock is primarily responsible for the addition of brindle to the breed colors. A similar thing happened with border collies when the exclusively black and white dogs started to experience eye problems. Since then, you see more colors, more genes, and healthier borders.

So, what worries me is, well... of course you have dogs that need homes, that could be happy and healthy for all the years that you have them and could even have sturdier genes that we see in first generation crosses, but, it could also have any of the hundreds of genetic diseases that plague the different breeds. This is especially true if I got a shelter purebred, as many of the purebreds who end up in the pound are not from reputable breeders (who insist that you return the dogs to THEM for rehoming). As far as the mix breeds? Well, most of those come from backyard breeders or accidental breedings. There is no professional organization dedicated to the healthy and responsible breeding of mix-breeds. Maybe there should be, but there isn't, so what can you do? Roll the dice, hope for the best, and sometimes end up with a dog that dies of some horrible disease a year after you get it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am thinking very critically about this. Rescue organization talk about making an up to 15 year commitment to a pet, but I'm just worried that it won't be that long. I suppose, I could take the dog to get genetic testing myself, but then, isn't it just easier to go to a show, find a good breeder and ask them to inform me if they have any dogs that are returned to them?

Somewhat unrelated but I really like the list of names!
» middaymoon on 2013-08-17 01:34:56

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