OPINION: Dog breeding only breeds problems

PHOTO: Many Davis High students have dogs at home, but how ethical are these pets?

Editorial by Lily Schroder
HUB Staff––

Close to one in five households adopted a new pet during the pandemic, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, many of which were purchased from breeders. Experts say that the bred dogs are now causing problems for owners.

According to Michelle Montna Vogt, a dog fosterer for Friends of Yolo County Animal Services, animal shelters across the country are overflowing with “COVID-19 dogs,” dogs that were bought from breeders during the pandemic but whose owners no longer have the time to care for. Shelters are forced to euthanize dogs to make space, especially the ones with behavioral issues.

Shelters have seen an explosion of Huskies and French Bulldogs put into their care, according to Vogt. She attributes this to the popularity of Huskies on the tv show “Game of Thrones,” and French Bulldogs being seen as “designer dogs.”

People buy these dogs from breeders but then realize that they are not ready for the responsibility that comes with owning these high-maintenance dogs.
“It’s just odd when you see all these beautiful dogs that someone bred and then somebody decided they were just too much work,” Vogt said. “And that’s when they end up on the street.”

Even if dog breeders were to ensure their puppies are well cared for, the practice of breeding is not sustainable because purebred dogs are more difficult to have as pets and so many will eventually end up in shelters.

Purebred dogs tend to have more health issues and grooming demands which owners find hard to keep up with.

Additionally, some breeders will go to extreme lengths to produce purebred dogs. According to a 1999 article written at the University of Sydney, “The incidence of certain inherited defects in some breeds is unacceptably high, while the number of registered animals of certain breeds within some countries is so low as to make it almost impossible for breeders to avoid mating close relatives.”

These genetic disorders can lead to health problems for dogs and more frequent vet visits for owners, compared to those with mutts. “I think you’re just getting a really hearty dog when you get a mutt and they don’t cost as much as … pure breeds,” Vogt said.

Junior Ellie Ross recently got a new dog and her family made a point of looking at rescues as opposed to breeders.

“There are all these dogs that need homes and I just morally feel like going to shelters or adopting dogs who are in need of homes is better,” Ross said.