"The diminutive size and winsome expressions of Toy dogs illustrate the main function of this Group: to embody sheer delight." -- America Kennel Club website
No one would deny that dogs often provide humans with "sheer delight" but is that their function in life? Of course, dogs have been bred to serve us in many other ways over the last 15,000 years - for herding, guarding, hunting and, of course, companionship. Sometimes it seems that this relationship is all about us....
Last year the RSPCA in the U.K. withdrew from the famous Crufts dog show in London, stating that the "judging criteria used by shows such as Crufts encouraged inbreeding and the rearing of deformed dogs." (The BBC has also refused to broadcast the show for these reasons.) The same criticisms have been leveled against American dog shows. None of this should be surprising - these dogs are being bred to match arbitrary human notions of desirable appearance, not for health. For our whims, they suffer.
The whole history of dog breeding has been about us, not them, and that has to change. We need to stop breeding dogs for show and focus on keeping them healthy and happy, not exploiting them. That's why VHS does not support breeding and encourages people to get their animal companions from shelters or rescue groups, not breeders. Dogs don't care how they look and they need homes more than we need blue rosettes for best in show.
And from my "Species Link" magazine:
The Kennel Club, the world's first and oldest purebred dog registry, is redrafting the show standards for 209 breeds to eliminate rules that favor dogs with extreme and unnatural characteristics which might impair their health.....
The RSPCA holds that the current breed standard encourages intentional breeding of deformed and disabled dogs, such as the flat-faced Pekinese, winner of Best in Show in 2003, who had undergone a soft palate resection surgery to enable the dog to breathe. Dogs Trust pointed out that the inbreeding of closely related animals compromises the health and welfare of hundreds of thousands of pedigree dogs, and the culling of dogs, such as Dalmatians with sports in the "wrong" place, has to stop.
WOO-HOO!!! They're FINALLY getting it!
Don't go to breeders to get your dogs (or cats!) (whether pedigreed or not) and don't support pedigree clubs, if you truly care about the animals themselves.