Hacker News Reader

Comment by Shivetya | Hacker News Reader

the number of dogs in shelters has very little if no correlation to their obsession with particular breeds but instead their lack of understanding what pet ownership is about. Far too many expect animals to adapt fully to their needs and scheduled without regard for the animal's needs.

Many also pick up pets because of child pressure or simply fads. 101 Dalmatians was a shit show because of the number which ended up abandoned as people didn't realize that a large dog was an impact.

Rescue groups are full of dogs that are abandoned because they are too old, required expensive medication, developed eye issues, or worse. As in, far too many people are not mature enough to own pets. Sadly the same could be said for many having children as well.

View on HN

And the "Air Bud" movies. And all those Puppies-that-talk cartoon movies. And puppy yoga. And all the "surprise puppy" youtube vids. Pretty much every media event involving puppies has encouraged people to buy dogs who shouldn't own them. Puppies are only puppies for a day or two before they aren't puppies anymore.

If I were king of Disney or Youtube I would ban all cute puppy footage.

I'd also discourage anyone who has never owned a dog from purchasing a particular breed. If you have no experience with dogs, get a mutt. If you want a larger dog, get a lab-Shepard cross. If smaller, any of the bichon-havanese crosses.

Disney should have bought this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Dog%27s_Purpose_(film)

(spoilers, of course)

A horrible movie based on an old hollywood trope: The traditional purpose of a dog in a movie is to suffer and die. They are the vehicle for teaching kids about death, a metaphor for human suffering, or to enforce class distinctions as the dog heroically dies defending its betters. This movie just rolls that all together into a series of horrible dog deaths.

We see this flipped in pg-13 movies these days where writers, who grew up watching dogs suffer under the old rule, wouldn't dare kill off a dog (independence day, 1 and 2). So the presence of a dog in a scene now reassures the audience that all will be well. But in an R-rated movie... if I see a dog on screen I'm tempted to walk out of the theater because I know it won't end well.

So many Corgis and, lately, Samoyeds (big fluffy white dogs) are being bred now, it's upsetting. And the huge popularity of French Bulldogs is depressing to me because they have to be born by c-section.

People do want specific traits in dogs though, whether for hunting, for companionship, or agility etc. I just wish breeding dogs had better oversight and certification along with better custodianship of the breed's viability. (i.e. none of this more and more extreme visual traits that many "breed experts" judge against)

Especially when you understand just how sentient these beings are. Euthanizing them shouldn't be so widespread.

We have serious responsibilities to another species that we are not maintaining, we should be doing better for our dogs.

We should be doing better for all other animals, there's nothing special about dogs.

What's wrong with Samoyeds? I understand corgis (dwarfism) and bulldogs (breathing problems) and american german shepherds (hip problems). A quick internet search didn't bring anything up regarding samoyeds and even says they have 12 - 14 life span and breed has been around for a long time.

Increased demand leads to backyard breeders who may not have any goal except for churning out puppies. Hip dysplasia and various pancreatic/liver/kidney issues should be proactively monitored for and susceptible dogs should not be bred.

Breed specific health issues could indeed be linked to wanting pure breeds instead of a mixed breed.

In the UK we have so many staffordshire bull terriers in kennels, or abandoned, they get 24 hours when caught, and then euthanised if not claimed by owners or a rescue, in my opinion it is a product of both irresponsible breeders and irresponsible owners.

We are currently fostering a staffie, he is the sweetest thing, a little snugglemonster, but he is one of the lucky ones, most don't survive the 24 hours.

The USA also has a 'pit bull' problem, everyone wants to breed them in their backyard for some reason. They think they can sell them for a ouple hundred dollars each, end up giving most of them away and turning the rest loose on shelters. And most people who buy one can't take care of it so they put it up for donation. And nobody wants to spay or neuter their damn dogs.

>> Breed specific health issues could indeed be linked to wanting pure breeds instead of a mixed breed.

Demand definitely has something to do with it.

I would also argue that quality of supply has something to do with it too. There are good breeders and bad breeders.

I tend to think that the good breeders make every effort to avoid allowing health issues to get bred to the next generation. My breeders would take a dog with health issues out of their breeding program the moment they found out. It also helps that a large number of the people who got their dogs from my breeder have gotten to know each other on social media, so if there's an issue, we're much more likely to hear about it.

I have a suspicion that bad breeders likely outnumber good breeders, and produce much more of the supply of purebreds, which increases the incidence of purebreds with health issues.

The French Bulldog seems to be the biggest trend on social media right now. Those things are not cheap. $3,000 for a pup is not unheard of.

Not only is $3,000 not unheard of, it's common. $10K for a french bulldog or small pomeranian or chihuahua is not unheard of.

So what happens to all the cats and dogs that are bred that no one buys? Some selfish person says "I want a xxx because they look cute! (And of course I'll get their nasty claws ripped out duh)" And so the breeder produces a whole litter just to supply demand for a single dog or cat. Where do the others go? Best case scenario, a shelter and then a loving home. Let's not talk about worst case scenario.

That depends on how ethical the breeder is.

My breeder has a waiting list, and you are not guaranteed to be accepted as a potential adopter (i.e., there's a detailed questionnaire to fill, and you have to pass their "smell test" when they meet you). They have a fixed number of litters per year (litter size can vary though, so you can wait a long time to get a dog), and they never increase that number no matter how much demand there is.

They never have a problem finding a home for their pups, because they have a reputation for being good breeders and for their dogs not having health issues.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com