Renewable Revolution

UB said,

agb, degraded DNA aside are you saying horses shouldn't be ridden, sheep shouldn't be sheared, and dogs shouldn't be used to round them up or find fugitives or lost hikers or drugs or lead blind people or just keep their owner physically and psychologically healthy by taking them for a walk and warning them the House is on fire or greeting them when they get home?

Nope. According to the Wayne study, the wolf/dog was associated with mankind for as much as 80 to 100 thousand years WITHOUT any greater DNA degradation than what happens in the wild from Natural Selection. That is because mankind's relationship was mostly empathic and provided happiness and protection to both man and dog. That bond will remain. No special INbreeding is necessary to provide that.

But 150 years ago, we went off the deep end and started super specializing the dogs. That was WRONG.  It made life a lot easier for ranchers and hunters. It made some people a lot of money. So?

In the light of today's scientific discoveries, it was unethical. We know that now. We should not perpetuate or celebrate unethical behavior just because it is profitable. Beyond companionship and empathy, both traits present for thousands of years without more than the very gradual, and hardly measurable, normal Natural Selection degradation of the DNA of wolf/dogs, all the other functions can be done quite well, or better, by robots. That is ethical. And by the way, many different dog MIXED breeds (because mutts are SMARTER) make great seeing eye dogs. Diverse DNA dogs (Mutts) can provide all the mutual companionship and protective loving relationships both these fine animals and humans crave. Kennel clubs are unnecessary and unethical. 

What I am saying is that we should stop creating artificial founder effect box canyons, that are deleterious to these animals. JUST BECAUSE WE CAN.   

All scientific work is incomplete — whether it be observational or experimental. All scientific work is liable to be upset or modified by advancing knowledge. That does not confer upon us a freedom to ignore the knowledge we already have, or to postpone the action that it appears to demand at a given time.‎
Appears in 62 books from 1950-2008

When Darwin dreamed up his theory, several mistakes were made with the best of intentions (see quote above). BUT NOW, we know better. So NOW, we have to EAT CROW and admit that we WERE GRIEVOUSLY WRONG.

It's hard for breeders to admit that. Palloy said he was sad because he could not find a "suitable stud" for his Dalmatian bi tch. He does not get it.  :emthdown:  One of the deleterious "founder effect" genetic box canyons is precisely the incredibly damaging act of using sperm from ONE "ideal" dog from a "pure" breed to inseminate several females of the same "breed". That is one of the two WORST THINGS they could do (that they STILL DO!) based on DARWINIAN "pure" bloodline CRAP. The other thing is breeding for dogs to achieve a modified phenotype in stature.

That said, the breeds are there now.

I certainly DO NOT recommend killing them for any reason.

I certainly DO recommend providing them with the happiest and healthiest living conditions possible.

I certainly DO NOT recommend castrating or spaying them just because they have genetic disorders. That too, is ASS BACKWARDS DARWINIAN THINKING. They should ALL be encouraged to OUTbreed with mutts. NO "pure" bred dog should be allowed to mate with the same "breed", PERIOD.

The whole dog show IDIOCY should be eliminated.

And for those special working breeds that love to do what they were bred to do, let them keep doing it! As long as genetic testing indicates that no FURTHER accelerated DNA degradation is going on, rescue dogs and riding horses, as well as dogs for protection are okay. Even herding dogs like the tiny Corgi are okay IF we STOP all Inbreeding NOW. 

They exist. We are at fault. Let them do what they were bred to happily do. But let's NOT compound the error, OKAY? 

I also think is high time we STOP the "pure" breed NONSENSE (see ENRICHED URANIUM) and started showing some respect for SCIENCE and GENETICS by labeling the Genetically Diverse Dogs (GDD) with relatively few inherited disorders as TOP DOGS , instead of the pejorative "Mutt" label.   

I won't hold my breath waiting for Palloy to sign on to that...