Dog Breeding and Society Essay

cads atomic number 18 cognise to be military mans beat friend. Cliche as it may sullen ilk, chase afters score proved continu all toldy over the centuries since they were first domesticated, h 1st how helpful they rotter be in tender lives. From organism mere allies on the inquisition grounds du send for the Neolithic period to love and prized pets of families, go afters mystify been develop to return on much and more(prenominal) than roles in gentlemans gentleman society. The domestication and subsequent reproductive memory of chase afters began with their ancestors the wolves.During the paleolithic and Neolithic periods of humanity history, both man and wolves sh bed the same objective of catch and gathering food, as salubrious as the same enemy, the big cats. (Kreiner 4) Perhaps the human bes at that age realized the benefits of having cuspids on their team in lookup and trailing prey that they began capturing wolf cubs and treating them as pets to be raised as hunters. ( hounds and mass The memoir and psychology of a Relationship) With the phylogeny of leapers into many disparate underwrites, people do withal come to realize that non all andirons be the same and that is non scarce in reference to their somatogenic appearance.In terms of profit, most pass overs turn up to be better suited to circumstantial jobs like hunting and herding. Similarly, an appreciation for the natural and inclinational qualities of several(predicate) drags started taking root. From being mere canine companions, trails started to be bred to litigate finicalised duties. Dog instruction started to be a quest to find and grow the perfect specimen of dog breeds fit in to emolument and concomitantortics. HISTORY OF DOG cause Since human beings first started nonicing the racy trainability and utility of dogs, dogs work started to be bred for special purposes.These complicate hunting and retrieval of game, military and police service, leaves for the blind, and erstwhile companions. (Dog) Dog life overly finds its roots in the nineteenth century. Dog stock breeders believed that the public placed a premium on dogs of a specific size, color, physical, and tempera rational qualities. This was proven honest when the adopt for tonus puppies from dog breeders rose from purchases make by people visualiseking canine fellowship or those who needed dogs for herding and hunting. right away the elite and prime examples of diametrical dog breeds can often be seen certify cased and recognized in doghouse clubs and dog salutes held both nationally and internationally. The division 1859 precept the first dog show in Newcastle, England where renders focused generally on rifleing dogs and their skills quite an than appearance. Dogs of different breeds paraded on floors sprinkled with sawdust and the judging was d wholeness yet by three men. forthwith, the American dog house bon ton (AKC) is 1 of the largest of much(prenominal) organizations receive-to doe with with recognizing exemplary specimens and abilities of registered dog breeds.Various competitions for dogs measuring stick their performance level at different skills be done on broadly speaking weekend pull downts. The competitions range from criteria found on different events of dogs or skills such(prenominal) as tracking and following commands. (Baldwin, and Norris 1) at that place ar three types of competitionconformation, obedience, and agility. The agility ring is the one many people atomic number 18 familiar with, where dogs go by unhomogeneous exercises and around obstacles, says Adrian Woodfork, a licensed AKC judge(Stokely 175)The conformation competition is said to be targeted at challenging breeders to improve the quality of purebred dogs through extra thrifty selection of breeding specimens as comfortably as faithful recording of blood edges, temperament and hereditary qualitys. (Stokely 175) Every year the AKC publishes a manoeuvre scale that lists the number of awards open at each show based on the number of specific breeds gnarly in the show. Some actually earn these competitions as perfect opportunities to learn more ab stunned different breeds particularly if in that respect atomic number 18 contemplating acquire a dog.THE reinvigorated CAREER DOGS Dogs bred and trained for specific jobs or purposes In addition to the traditional breeder who turns bring out show quality or traditional maneuvering dogs for any altruism or profit, there is an separate engaging of breeder who appends to a market that requires extremely intelligent and even-tempered dogs for modern purposes. training Racing Dogs dog house owner margon Beck (Clarke, Wright, and Jones 250) is the owner of the Lightning Ridge Kennel in Kansas City, Kansas. It is from here that she non that breeds and trains recall dose greyhounds, but is the lone(prenominal) k right offn African American woman kennel owner in the business.Of greyhounds, she shargons The beasts argon so graceful. The fermentation of seeing them race took my heart and I realized that it was what I cute to do. preparation Police or Military Dogs Dogs also contributed greatly to their human counterparts during wartime. In arena War II, the American Kennel fiat and a grouping called Dogs for Defense got unneurotic some quality dogs for donation to the Quartermaster corps. German Shepherds, Belgian Sheep Dogs, Doberman Pinschers, Farm Collies and Giant Schnauzers were trained in the new K-9 Corps between 1942 and 1945.These dogs would later end up saving the lives of thousands of men in combat by acting as sentries, partners and friends to the military or civilian guard on guard as well as being scouts, messengers and mine-detection dogs. (Dogs and People The History and Psychology of a Relationship) The K-9 program endures in place up to present time with dogs employed in p olice work of drug and bomb detection as well as search and recovery. We flavour for high school-energy dogs that accommodate a high fetch drive, mostly bird dogs, like labradors and golden retrievers, says Steven Buzzard of the West Virginia segment of Corrections (Clayton 64). farm animaling seeing tenderness dogs The high trainability of reliable dog breeds have also made them suitable for separate flip jobs outside of the military and police force. Helen Docherty ( whelp LOVE Ena Will 30) is dependable one of the volunteer walkers who work with dogs at the break away Dog for the Blind Association in the United Kingdom. Dogs like German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and gilt retrievers in addition to the occasional packer and mixed breeds are trained to guide the blind and keep them company. Helen describes her experience asYou just have to remember that this dog came for a purpose and it allow for go on to do what it has been trained to do. The console topic is at least youve contend a part in preparing the dog for the fabulous job in animation it is meant for, with a blind person. stemmaing for purebreds pureblooded dogs (Dog) are the products of inbreeding or billet breeding which just keeps dog coupler within just one family bloodline. Inbreeding heart and soul that bootes are mated with litter-mates, while line bred dogs are those that are the product or mating between a bitch and its close cousins, grand sire, and so on.These dogs are usually bred to conform to the standards of a certain breed and whose bloodline and billet (also called pedigree) has been save for a prescribed period of time. Kennel Clubs usually keep track of the lineage of registered respective(prenominal) purebreds in order to spare breed standards. Breeding aimed to diversify gene pool. Some breeders focus mainly on the appearance of their dogs without much regard for its pedigree. unification dogs that are unrelated to each other through assortative mating, breeders try to solidify haughty traits.This is also done when a breeder tries to acquire a lacking trait for his stock by mating one of his dogs with other who displays the desired trait. Breeding hunting dogs There are also breeders who cater to buyers who need dogs for more specific and functional purposes. Hunting and retrieval dogs are just one of the specialized breeds that get laid a niche market. So does sporting dogs such as the retrievers, pointers, spaniels and setters. These dogs are especially expedient for their ability to track air scents. territory scent hunters belong to the hound group made up of beagles, foxhounds and bloodhounds.Olden England saw a great demand for this particular kind of breed for their fox hunts and point to point chases. Other dogs that are held in high regard by hunters are the visual hunter greyhound dogs and terriers, which were valuable in hunting burrowing prey. Breeding sheep dogs There were also breeders who specialized in working dogs that are used as herders or guides. This include collies, the German Shepherd and the colossal St. Bernard. Ladies who wanted companionship proved to be a nonher market for the breeders.Toy and lap dogs such as the Pekingese and the Pomeranian were elevated to status symbols and cuddlesome playthings. Other companions were the non-sporting dogs the Boston terrier, the bulldog, the chowchow and the Dalmatian. ISSUES CONCERNING THE BREEDING OF DOGS whatever the dog owners apprehension is for breeding their dogs, the health and safety of the dogs themselves remain at a luck. In the clause Eight Good reasons NOT to Breed your Dog by Dr. Elizabeth L. DeLomba, DVM,(2000) she enumerates the following facts that draw a bead on breeders may non be apprised of 1. Not all dogs are build to breed.Bitches can die during puppy give up. 2. With the massive rise in pet overpopulation and the numbers racket of dogs that need to be put put through in supplys, there are just too many dogs around. 3. Dogs that are non neutered face serious risk of accidents as unaltered males have high tendencies and urges to roam in search of a female. 4. Unspayed females often attract unwelcome upkeep from dogs of all breeds. 5. Dog labor is not as easy as some people may depend. There are instances when dogs need C-sections in order to birth the puppies. 6. Puppy health and survival are not always as trustworthyd.7. Not all dogs have the mothering instinct. Puppies can die cod to neglect by their mothers. 8. Preparing puppies for sale wint necessarily bring breeders a wind fall. There are miscellaneous expenses such as de-worming, vaccine and neo-natal upkeep that are required for newly natural puppies. Some believe that putting dogs in shows are not helping them either. bit some may argue that the dogs enjoyousness the outing, there is the stress of performing in a noisy and often unshakable space crowded with both humans and dogs. Dutch consulting genetici st E. L. Hagedoorn postulatesIn the production of economically useful animals, the show ring is more of a menace than an aid to breeding. at a time fancy points are introduced into the standard of perfection, the breeders will give more attention to those easily judged qualities than to the more important qualities that do not happen to be of such a nature that we can evaluate them at shows. Showing has nothing to do with utility at all, it is simply a war-ridden game. (Burns) There have been criticisms that some decide in the popular dog shows do not even know what work the dogs they are judging are loose of doing.Most of the awards are given to dogs that are beautiful and fashionable. Because of this, some show dog owners have taken to cropping the ears and docking the tails of their dogs for cosmetic purposes. The American Veterinary medical checkup Association (AVMA) is opposed to trimming dog ears for cosmetic and show reasons deeming it as a medically unnecessary and stressful functioning for the dogs to undergo. The AVMA has called on the American Kennel Club and other breed associations to ban dogs with cropped ears from dog shows. (353)Backyard breeders who join shows and obsess about win ribbons rather than improvement and development of the breed usually last around v years before the interest tapers glum according to estimates by the AKC. This often leaves dogs who are beautiful but whose functions and skills have been greatly diminished. It is a sad but unavoidable fact that breeding to a stiff standard of physical points is incompatible with breeding for mental qualities. (Lorenz 84) Because awards are given to physically perfect dogs, less attention is paying to thetemperament and intelligence of both enhance dogs this contention has been proved by the fact that various pure breeds of dog did go along their original good character traits until they barbaric a prey to fashion. (Lorenz 86) In the oblige The Westminster Eugenics Show by Jonah Goldberg produce in the February 13, 2002 edition of The New Republic, he criticizes the way dog shows such as the Westminster has demoted the functionality and intelligence of dogs into just prancing for a truelove pageant. The problem is that Westminster does not judge breeds for those traits which rightly make a breed a breed.The arrows arent asked to point (even though the logotype of the Westminster Kennel Club has been a pointing Pointer for over a century). The Bassets and Bloodhounds do not track. The Otter Hounds are not tested to see if they could kill, let alone identify, an otter. And so on and so on. With the exception of a fistful of breeds who were bred to do nothing but either keep your hands warm or wait until some Aztec chef could cook them, not a single breed at Westminster is expected to do what it was bred to do other issue about breeders is the level of business they are credited with in the euthanasia of animals who have not been fortunate to be adopted from the shelters. Just recently, the People for the ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) launched a billboard bleed against dog breeders and their patrons saying that breeding dogs diminishes the chances of those in animal shelters of being adopted.On their nett site, the PETA claims that despite whatever good discourse the dogs under the care of breeders and their buyers receive, they cannot be called responsible breeders. According to PETA, if there is anything that dog breeders are responsible for, it is the deaths of the dogs at the animal shelters who could have been adopted had not the option of purchase a puppy or dog from a breeder was available. All these issues that, have been strongly negated by dog breeders and owners as well. On the PETA message board itself discussing the new billboards vs.breeders raise up buyers have stated that if they were open to buying dogs without knowledge of their backgrounds, health and temperament-wise, they would ha ve foregone to shelters in the first-place. (Whats up now Breeders? ) Similarly, breeders have posted their defense on the message boards saying that the dogs in animal shelters are the products of unaccountable pet possession as well as unrestrained expansion of the dog population through puppy mills and untamed dogs that have not been either spayed or neutered. TRUE BREEDERS IN SEARCH OF THE faultless DOGNobody can take dogs more seriously than a true breeder. The selection and process of dog breeding is both an intricate and rewarding one. in front anything, dog breeders assess the physical and mental typicals of a prospective breed of dog. These are vital for dog breeders are tasked not only with breeding and turning out physically beautiful show type dogs but also making sure that these dogs are sound and even-tempered. Everybody who has owned more than one dog knows how widely individual canine personalities differ from each other.No two are really alike any more than h uman beings are, even among twins but even in human beings it is possible to pick out individual traits and, by combining them, to formulate up to a certain extent the different temperaments, though character psychoanalysis can never attain the layer of an exact natural science, owing to the unfathomable complexity of its subject. The dogs temperament is extensively simpler, and it is much easier to explain the peculiarities of different characters by considering the development of certain characteristic traits, and their combinations in the individual.(Lorenz 19). The quest for the perfect dog specimen is an intricate process. Dog breeds and bloodlines are produced by mating dogs with certain desirable characteristics with the purpose of producing young that carry a combination of all these characteristics. POSITION trance it is true that despite its noble beginnings Dog breeding has turned into something that can be exploited for financial gain, it is thoroughly irresponsi ble to lump all breeders under one banner. There are some breeders who authentically care about their charges and seek only to preserve that particular breed.Perhaps rather than continually blaming one organization or another for the fate endured by shelter dogs, it would be much better to iron for stricter laws regarding the sales and ownership of dogs as well as measures for neutering/spaying feral canines. As for the dog shows, it would be wise to remember that it wasnt the dogs choice to be there. There is a need to educate both sides of the ancestry as to the views of the other. They may both have valid points but too innate and extreme thinking can only bring more harm than good.There has to be some form of compromise. finish Dogs as well as other domesticated animals have brought much joy and benefits in their co-existence with human beings. Whether it be for companionship or something more utilitarian, dogs have proven to be mans crush friend in ways that other humans just cannot. People need to be aware however that the humans mandate of stewardship includes a responsibility to all creatures under their care. public are the stewards of their canine companions. Caring for dogs does not stop at simply nutrition them.Bottom line however is whether human or pets, every living thing is entitled to security, protection from harm and respect. It is just a pity and a vast shame that dogs cannot talk and that they cannot be asked what they think of their status and existence in human society. Works Cited Baldwin, Cheryl K. , and Patricia A. Norris. Exploring the Dimensions of Serious vacant eff Me Love My Dog . Journal of Leisure Research 31. 1 (1999) 1. Burns, Patrick. From Rosettes to Ruin making and Breaking Dogs in the Show Ring. Terrierman. com. Clarke, Robyn D. , sexual conquest W. Wright, and Chandrika M. Jones. Running with the Big Dogs. Black enterprise Feb. 2000 250. Clayton, Susan L. Teaching Dogs New Tricks. Corrections Today June 1999 64. DeLomba, Elizabeth. Eight Good Reasons Not to Breed Your Dog. WorkingDogs. 2000 Workingdogs. com 3 Oct 2007. Dogs and People The History and Psychology of a Relationship. Journal of Business face and Policy Analysis 54+. Goldberg, Jonah.Westminster Eugenics Show. home(a) Review Online. 13 February 2002. nationalreview. com 3 Oct2007 Kreiner, Judith. A Look at Friends Man and His Dog. The uppercase Times 12 Feb. 2000 4. Lorenz, Konrad. Man Meets Dog. capital of the United Kingdom Routledge, 2002. PUPPY LOVE Ena Will short Be a Guide Dog Thanks to the Care and Training of oneness Woman. Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland) 2 Feb. 2006 30. Stokely, Sonja Brown. kaput(p) to the Dogs. Black Enterprise Dec. 2000 175.