For those who don’t know, dog pure breeding is when a dog breeder breeds dogs of a specific species as much as possible to create a dog that shares the most amount of DNA with a specific species or a “purebred” dog. Ex: a dog that is nearly 100% golden retriever, nearly no mixes with other breeds.

But why is it bad?

Great question! On paper it’s a completely normal thing to do. Just making a purebred dog isn’t bad, the problem is  how it happens. Making a purebred dog is difficult because finding lots of unique dogs all related to one species and getting them to breed is hard to do. And that’s the problem, because its difficult almost all pure breeders don’t find unique dogs, they resort to inbreeding. Inbreeding is terrible and very inhumane because it causes the puppies that are made to be very vulnerable towards diseases and conditions in the future. On top of that it can shorten the lifespan of the dogs by up to several years! Some conditions they gain can prevent them from leading a normal dog life of running and jumping!

So then why do they do it?

Well, the reason breeders resort to inbreeding is because its the fastest and easiest way of making a purebred dog. If you just keep breeding say, poodles, over and over eventually you’ll be left with a pure poodle. Unfortunately, pure breeding is a very profitable process as many purebred dogs go for hundreds of dollars to buy. And as sad as it is, lots of breeders don’t really care about dogs, as long as they get money. Lots of people buy pure bred dogs in hopes that they will get certain qualities in the dog or just that the dog will look nice.

Healthier alternatives!

The good news is there are plenty of healthier alternatives to purebred dogs! Like for example!

• Adopt mutts!(dogs with lots of other breeds mixed in) as they have more genetic variation and are less likely to develop issues
• Rescue! Rescuing dogs is the nicest thing you can do for a dog, as without them being rescued they might have to be put down as many end up in the pound
• Adopt half breeds! If you really, really want a specific type of dog then just get that dog mixed with a little bit of other breeds. It will still look like the breed you want while still being healthier than pure breeds.

How can I help stop pure breeding?

Excellent question! There are several ways you can help out Ill list a few

1. Just simply don’t adopt a purebred! Yup, just simply not adopting a purebred is the easiest thing you can do, but it still helps! if less people buy them then the demand will go down and the breeders will make less money from it. And, in time potentially quit!
2. Speak out about it! Post online sharing about the problem. Make posters or simply just like other posts promoting the cause. If the posts get more likes and views they will become more public, educating more people about the issues of pure breeding.
3. Sign a petition! Quite simply just sign some petitions, it’s a civil right and a great way to voice your opinion. Perhaps if a petition gets big enough the government might recognize it
4. Tell a friend, spread the word! Tell friends, tell family, tell everyone! Knowledge is power after all.

Thank you for reading

Please take these words thoughtfully and consider supporting the cause so that no dogs have to be born unhealthy.

This article was inspired by my dog, Rocco, I love you buddy.