Purebred Abuse
Contrary to popular opinion, abuse has reared its ugly head in purebred pedigree dog breeding since historical times. What many people think of when a purebred dog comes to mind is a beautifully preserved embodiment of the true breed. The reality is that many of these dogs are victims of abuse. Abuse by definition is “to use (something) to a bad effect or for a bad purpose; to misuse, treat a person/animal with cruelty or violence, regularly or repeatedly over time.” The allure of the perfect dog breed, the best of show, and the cream of the crop is in reality a beautiful front for centuries of animal abuse, exploitation and cruelty. This billion dollar industry is structured in such a way that the abuse is almost admired as opposed to abhorred.
Historically, dogs were bred as working animals, used in tasks such as hunting, guarding, herding and even in the case of small dog breeds, warming laps of rulers and emperors. Around the late 1800’s that role of breeding was diminished and as pet ownership became more of a common household practice, ownership stemmed into a superficial desire for dog’s “purebred” looks, thus breeding for financial means became widely pursued. What started as a pastime for wealthy families in the 1880’s has now become a billion dollar industry. Purebred pedigree dog breeding is done for the purpose of dog shows in the pursuit of obtaining profit and prestige in showmanship. The health of the dog is ignored in such cases therefore resulting in a bad effect and purpose, in other words abuse. As elite society members demanded the more perfect beautiful dog, backyard puppy breeders seized on the financial puppy breeding opportunity. In the case of the Samoyed breed, a litter size ranges five t...
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...s intended violence resulting in direct abuse upon the animal.
Whilst many breeders argue they are upholding the true beauty of their beloved breed, they are in reality the sole cause to their very downfall by abuse. The demand for specific breeds leads to increased inbreeding therefore causing additional genetic mutations which in turn compromise or destroy the integrity of the breed they were trying to enhance. By breeding beauty and trademarks features in, health and wellbeing are being bred out. Now a billion dollar industry, using innocent dogs to achieve social status and financial gain, simply proliferates the repeated cruelty and neglected which results in continued abuse on all purebred dogs. To allow and even praise repeated, long tern inbreeding that knowingly results in painful, crippling diseases all for the purpose of profit and prestige is abuse by
The poem above speaks volumes about the nature of man’s best friend. Dogs are not inherently created bad, but are rather “a product of its environment”. The same principle applies to the world’s most misunderstood breed of dog. When you hear the phrase “pit bull”, what do you think of? A savage beast, murdering out of cold blood? A menace to society, lurking the streets, just waiting for its next victim? This couldn’t be further from the truth for most pit bulls. These fantasised versions plague the breed, outlawing them in many cities, states, and even some countries entirely. These bans are called Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), and in over 700 American cities these laws are in effect. They are in place to decrease the number of attacks
...ports Illustrated cover photo of a pit bull (Pit Bull Rescue Central, "Breed Information”). Dog fighting made a comeback during the 1980s and the pit bull became the favorite macho dog for dog fighters. The dogs were trained to kill or be killed. Pit bulls were also the preferred guard dog for gangs, thugs and criminals. Since the supporters and detractors of pit bulls hold such disparate opinions regarding the ferocity of the breeds, it is only hoped that further discussion and education will help resolve the sad fate that awaits these unfortunate animals. Simply placing all the blame on the breeds will not solve the problems of dog fighting, overbreeding, aggressive training, and excessive euthanizations. Lastly, the biased, sensationalistic publicity of horrific dog attacks which has destroyed the reputation of the once beloved All American Dog must cease.
Hundreds of thousands of puppies are raised each year in commercial kennels (Puppymills Breed Misery). Puppy mills keep breed stock in horrible conditions for their short lives and produce unhealthy puppies with many issues. Not only are they committing “inhumane care,” but puppy mills are responsible for customer fraud. Many puppy mills are small and contain about twenty breeding dogs in basements, garages, or sheds “in cages stacked to the roof.” The dogs will stay in those cages without “exercise or sunlight.” Also, the dogs have two “litters” a year till about the age five. Other puppy mills contain hundreds of breeding dogs. The operators keep the puppies in “relative darkness” so the puppies seldom cry or draw attention. The dogs in puppy mills rarely receive medical attention. The females are dissipated because of the never-ending period of “producing and nursing litters.” Most dogs have “chronic ailments, rotten teeth, and ear, eye, and skin infections.” Many of the puppies purchased from puppy mills are un-healthy and not well-adjusted. The puppies have a high prevalence of hereditary syndromes and illnesses, and difficulties that occurs following the “purchase.” After the females cannot produce anymore liters...
With the holidays approaching, many young couples look into getting their better half a puppy for Christmas. But what they do not know is that puppy could have been bred in one of the most inhumane ways. Puppy mills are all over the United States, and the government has turned their cheeks to the horrors behind those barn doors.
“A dog is not a thing. A thing is replaceable. A dog is not. A thing is disposable. A dog is not. A thing does not have a heart. A dog’s heart is bigger than any “thing” you can ever own.” -Elizabeth Parker. According to the ASPCA, a puppy mill can be defined as “a large-scale commercial dog breeding facility where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs” (Puppy Mills 1). Dogs are more than just items that are sold for profit, they are part of many people’s families. The way dogs are being treated in the mills is not the way one would want someone in your family to be treated. Because puppy mills do not care for the animal’s health, wellbeing, or safety they should be banned federally.
When most people today see a pitbull they see it as a monster who could snap at any moment. Something that they should protect themselves and their family from; but that is not necessarily true. Is any one man or woman exactly like the last? A human being’s personality along with their capacity for violence is molded by their past and how they were treated growing up; pit bulls are no different. In today’s society pitbulls are unfairly discriminated against because they are favored among street gangs and dog fighting rings, leaving a staggering number of loyal and loving dogs homeless or mistreated.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), there is a “great deal of confusion associated with the label ‘Pit Bull,’” as it does not refer to a single breed of dog, but rather to a group of breeds with similar characteristics1. These characteristics include short hair, a wide skull and shoulders, muscle definition, stocky build and a deep jawline, the combination of which create a dog that manages to strike fear into a perfect stranger. The term ‘Pit Bull’ is derived from the bulldog, which was originally bred as a hunting dog for large game, but has since developed into a “loyal companion rather than a working dog.”1 Their history as “gripping dogs” for hunters follows them into modern society, as many of these dogs have been inhumanely pitted against one another as well as other animals for sport and for human entertainment1. It is because of these illegal fighting rings that ‘Pit Bull’ type breeds have become the subje...
Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience purchase their dogs from breeders and not puppy mills o the Internet because puppy mills can me detrimental to a puppy’s health.
Take a moment and picture a dog in your head. What do you see? You may see many different things depending on your own personal encounters with the species. There are many types of dogs out there. Some small, some large, long-haired or short-haired. There are many variances in what a dog can look like. One thing that does not change, or should not change, is the importance for every dog in this world to be given love and affection, no matter its characteristics. This is what leads me to believe that the obsession with producing and owning purebreds needs to come to a halt. Continuing to create these so-called “best dogs” is dangerous to not only the purebred’s health, but also devalues mixed breeds and can cost them their lives in animal shelters where they may never escape. My interest in this topic caused me to look into seeing what other people felt about it.
Word count includes Annotated Bibliography. Throughout the world, there are many different countries that contain diverse cultures, religions, and lifestyles. There are however certain aspects within these countries and cultures that act as a common ground between one another. One dominant aspect is the existence of dogs within these cultures.
According to a recent study by the University of Pennsylvania Medicine, it has been proven dogs bred in puppy mills are unable to demonstrate impaired health. Animals from puppy mills show uncontrollable abnormal behavioral characteristics that causes fear easily. (Hawaiian Humane Society) Animals in puppy mills are not bred for the quality of the animal created but for the quantity of it. Many of the animals not only gain defects but can also be handed the defect from generation to generation. (PETA) In many of the puppy mills, animals are placed in small cages with very little room to move around because there is multiple dogs with them. There has been cases where a dog has been injured from a fight bec...
Currently, pit bulls have been reported by the media with very horrific and disturbing news of having attacked a child or being shot by a police due to aggression while some are reported to have been abused or neglected by its owners (Forderer and Unkelbach 534). And because the reports keep coming with heated discussions, more and more people have forged a frightening image of pit bulls even to the extreme of refusing to take care of such breed. Pit bull advocates claim that the dogs get a bad reputation considering that people should learn the dogs are not inherently aggressive. What the pit bull advocates would like to point is that the owners of the pit bulls should be considered guilty for mishandling of their own dogs. There are owners of pit bulls that even encourage the dog to be aggressive in order to fight and protect them in a wrong manner and wrong degree of training (Forderer and Unkelbach 536). Pit bull advocates claimed that a well socialized and well trained pit bull would be very intelligent and could be one of the gentle dogs imaginable.
Executive Summary Every 60 seconds, an animal is abused. Dogs, cats, horses, and many other types of animals are being neglected and tortured everyday, yet resulting in few and minor consequences for the perpetrators. Animal abuse is prevalent in the United States and has been an ongoing issue since the 1970's, and prior to. Society as a whole has chosen to avoid the facts and arguments about animal cruelty, because to some it is seen as acceptable and typical. It becomes much more frowned upon when people actually see the results of the cruelty, especially in the media.
One of the biggest unintentional ways of animal cruelty is a way that many people think is helpful but is actually has a negative impact on all of the animals involved, this idea is trying to take in more animals than one can handle, they have good intentions but this is harmful to animals because it forces them to live in unhealthy conditions. There are many new cases of animal hoarding every year, with over 250,000 animals falling victim. Puppy mills are large dog breeder’s that care more about making money than the wellbeing and health of the animals. Many dogs become ill with diseases such as kidney or heart disease as a result of the conditions in which they live. There are those people, however, that DO abuse animals on purpose.
Dogs are wonderful creatures. They are loyal, dependable companions if given the opportunity. In recent years I have come to the opinion that we could learn something from these animals. We should also take a look at the manner in which they are being treated. Abandonment, irresponsible breeding, and neglect are only some of the ways that humans are failing the canine species.