The relationship humans have with dogs would be significantly different if they could talk to us. They are fairly expressive animals based on their behavior and the way they show affection for their owners. However, as much as they can express joy and excitement, they can just as easily hide pain. Dogs have been known to hide their illnesses. Their owners would only know something was wrong if their dog became noticeably ill or there were obvious physical differences with their pet. This can be hard to deal with when a dog owner finds out their pet is suffering. No one wants to actively allow an animal to live in pain: at least that is what we hope for.

Unfortunately, there are people that consciously cause pain to dogs. This pain is caused by the cruel system of inbreeding. Lazhar Ichir, the owner of a business devoted to providing resources to dog breeders, states, “Inbreeding is the mating of closely related dogs” (Ichir). So inbreeding can look like mating a mother with her son or a father with her daughter. This process does not occur for every dog; inbreeding is deliberately used to make purebred dogs. These dogs are known for their specific characteristics and overall appearance that defines them from one another. Because the species has such a wide variation of physical features, breeders have found ways to select specific features and make a breed out of it. In order to create a new breed or maintain a smaller one, a breeder has to continuously mate the dogs within their families to get purebreds. This is a process of inbreeding that is dangerous and causes mutations and defects in future offspring of the breed. Official breeders and kennels use the inbreeding coefficient (IC) to determine how genetically similar one dog’s chromosomes are to another (Genetics of the Dog).

The pain that comes out of this process is severe and possible life altering for these animals. Mutations and defects can cause a dog pain everyday of their lives. The pain is caused by the selfish nature of the breeder who sought to make more purebred puppies. Some would argue that this process is not dangerous, not as prevalent today as it was, or justifiably necessary to maintain a breed. However, based on genetics, this is not the case and inbreeding has no justification. Inbreeding of any mammal is often avoided in nature because of its known repercussions. It is unnatural but breeders still practice it to collect a pure standard of breeds. Inbreeding is not a safe and successful system of producing happy and healthy dogs. 

The inbreeding coefficient is used often to defend the breeding of closely related canines. The coefficient increases the more inbreeding there is in a pedigree. When the coefficient reaches past 10%, there are significant health issues that are possible. An experiment was cited in the fact and statistic filled book Genetics of the Dog. This experiment was conducted in the UK in 2008 where they looked at the IC of different breeds. The conclusion was recited in the book. The book states, “While inbreeding is a significant concern, a recent study of ten breeds in the UK determined that the average inbreeding coefficient for 88% of the dogs studied was less than 10%” (Genetics of the Dog). In other words, this coefficient is fairly low when taking into consideration that they looked at ten different purebred breeds. I admit that this experiment provides a low coefficient of inbreeding for these breeds. However, in just a sentence later, the argument that inbreeding is not a huge problem today is put to judgement. The book goes on to say, “However some less popular breeds… have relatively large inbreeding coefficients” (Genetics of the Dog). They understand that this experiment does not account for all breeds and many breeds still undergo inbreeding. A high inbreeding coefficient is unsafe and disastrous for a breed’s health. 

Inbreeding has been an ongoing problem since its beginnings in the 1800’s. People were just discovering the many ways dogs can be bred to produce varying physical characteristics. The curious breeders just starting out used a lot of inbreeding to get desired traits and name breeds. There is debate if the inbreeding then was more detrimental to canines’ health than inbreeding dogs today. An experiment was conducted by Swedish scientists, M. Jansson and L. Laikre. They focused on genetic diversity in dogs and inbreeding’s effects on health over time. Their findings states, “recent breeding history with respect to rate of inbreeding does not appear to be the main cause of poor health in the investigated dog breeds in Sweden” (Jansson). Their point is to assert that inbreeding today does not have the same detrimental effects as it does in the founders of the breed. So they argue that based on their experiment, the damage is done in the breeds they tested for inbreeding and it does not get much worse. Jansson fails to acknowledge the IC and its purpose to find how dangerous inbreeding is, past or present. Based on just that premise, there is going to be major effects of inbreeding today; there will be just as many affects as there were when breeds were just beginning to form. 

There is no better way of understanding the effects of inbreeding than owning a dog that lives with the aftermath. The mutations associated with inbreeding are clearly evident in the way a dog looks. Mutations can range from defects that dramatically change the appearance of the dog or the overall way the animal lives and walks and breaths. One dog was subjected to this punishment but was very fortunate to be found by a loving woman. Cuda, an abnormal looking pitbull, had a birth defect that left her spine significantly shorter than a normal dog’s. Julie Leroy was an animal control officer when she first met Cuda. She knew right away she needed to do something about Cuda’s situation and took her in. Leroy states right away that she knew the dog was inbred. Leroy herself writes, “I believed Cuda was inbred and that her poor genetics contributed to her odd looks… I noted that breeders live next door to one another and often had dogs who were related to each other… reckless breeding practices included inbreeding dogs who were closely related” (Leroy, J.). In other words, Leroy believed the dog she had picked up was definitely affected by inbreeding. She also started a page and found that there were several dogs on the internet with the same disorder. She concludes that inbreeding caused the immense change to her dog’s spine. Inbreeding is so dangerous because of its potential to change a dog’s physical appearance and abilities so drastically. The author also states in her article that she uses her experiences with her dog to spread awareness to the repercussions of inbreeding.

Inbreeding does not just cause physical problems that can be seen, but problems with the overall viability with a dog. Looking at the life span and size of the litter, inbreeding can cause a change to both topics with little outright appearance. An experiment was done to find the effects of inbreeding on the litter size and survival of some breeds. The experiment used G. Leroy, one of the experiments’ leaders, made conclusions that span of the whole species no matter the breed. He found, “The results presented in this study illustrate inbreeding affects reproduction parameters and survival at different stages of life in dogs. Improvement of these traits is required, since the reduction of survival is generally related to health problems affecting animal welfare… survival of dogs could be improved by restricting mating between close relatives” (Leroy G.). The overall essence of Leroy’s argument is that their study proves that the viability and litter size decreases when inbreeding is involved. They also suggest that the best way to avoid these problems is to restrict inbreeding all together. This is a huge step taken from geneticists to find alternative ways to enjoy dogs without harming them individually and the species altogether. 

Alongside appearance and viability, the inner workings of an inbred dog’s brain can be altered significantly. They may have different wiring that may affect their thinking and the way they behave. Vetinfo is a website created by vets that addresses frequently asked questions with tested and proven responses. They have a section on inbreeding that recognizes the behavioral differences in inbred breeds compared to dogs that are not purebred. As they put it, “Dogs that are inbred often have a number of different behavioral problems. One of the most important of these to consider is that inbred dogs are often significantly less intelligent than ones that come from a wider genetic stock” (“Problems with Interbreeding Dogs”). In other words, the vets that run the site state that dogs that are inbred are less intelligent and therefore have a harder time learning and behaving correctly. The article goes on to address the fact that because inbred dogs are less intelligent, they are more likely to be more aggressive. They state, “Dogs that are inbred are sometimes much more aggressive than their mixed breed counterparts. This can result in behavioral problems including biting, chasing cars and other animals, escaping and playing too roughly, among many others” (“Problems with Interbreeding Dogs”). So this article shows us that the intelligence of an inbred dog can be significantly less than a mixed dog and can also lead to behavioral problems and aggression. Dogs are supposed to be man’s best friend. If man really wanted a good friend, it should not actively seek to destroy that relationship with it. 

The results are in; inbreeding dogs is extremely wrong. This has been proven time after time but breeders still focus on the pure line of a pedigree instead of the overall love for their dogs. It is no help that many prestigious kennel clubs do not outright ban or punish interbreeding. It is actually permitted in Bulldogs according to the kennel club of the UK. According to their website, you can interbreed and enter into the kennel club. The regulation states, “The Kennel Club will not accept an application to register a litter when the offspring are the result of any mating between father and daughter, mother and son or brother and sister, save in exceptional circumstances or for scientifically proven welfare reasons” (“Breeding Restrictions for Bulldog). They address this issue saying it is not allowed but say that there is still and exception to the rules. There should be no exception. Any interbreeding is bad news. It is wrong for people to even seek to do this terrible thing. Regardless of the fact that the Bulldog has already been so interbred. Quoting the comedian Adam Conover, “As much as you love the Bulldog, the fact that it exists at all is borderline animal abuse” (Birgati). This poor dog breed has been interbred so much it is painful for it to live and they have many health problems.

There is no concrete reasoning to argue that inbreeding is a safe and successful process of producing happy and healthy dogs. Looking at the harmful and painful effects interbreeding has on these animals, it should be abolished as a system all together and be labeled as animal cruelty. Because dogs have no voice, there needs to be people to speak and protect them. 
