I checked out this DVD from the public library. I had never seen a dog show before, and I was kind of curious.

It's one thing to think about how cruel it is of humans to breed dogs for specific characteristics that make their lives miserable. It's another thing to see over 150 breeds of them.

Some of them have skin way too big for their bodies.
Some of them have permanently bloodshot eyes and runny noses.
Some of them have their faces pushed in and can't breathe properly.
Some of them have legs too short for their bodies.
Some of them can't see through all the hair in front of their faces.
Some of them have long, thick dreadlocks that would be totally inappropriate in the wild, they would get tangled on branches and trapped to die.
Some of them are genetic dwarves.
Some of them are genetic giants with very short lifespans.
Some of them have hips that make a 45 degree angle with the ground.
Some of them have chopped off ears and tails.

But many of them still enjoy their lives.

Some of them were very happy to be there and clearly enjoying the attention from the crowds. It was not difficult to pick among the top 2 choices from each group--it was not looks but personality that made them winners. The little guy who won was a beagle and he was so self-assured. It was amazing. He was so dignified, despite all the nonsense from the people around him.

There was one point near the end, where the judge was looking at the final contestants among all the groups, and the beagle was barking at him, as if to say, "I am the best, I am the best, you know i!!" and was practially dancing with joy. The judge told him, "Now settle down!" and then named him the best.

I think it is creepy and irresponsible the way people breed dogs for weird traits. There seems to always be some kind of unintended side effect in purebreds. Sometimes they also end up excessively inbred because of the limited gene pool involved in breeding them. It is sad because dogs are forced to suffer. My friend have a young dog who is a quintessential mutt. His nursing mother and siblings were strays before they were rescued. It is almost impossible to figure out what breeds his descendants are from and all his siblings looked very different. He is the most amazing (and attractive) dog. I suspect the more dogs randomly mate (the way nature intended), the more normal they start to become.

Yeah, it takes only about 3 generations of unrestricted breeding to lose all the purebred characteristics and get a "generic" dog--medium size, medium coat, medium muzzle, medium leg height, nothing exaggerated, and healthier, too.

We have a purebred Irish Setter... she sleeps on my bed and thinks she's people. She's so awesome. We thought about showing her but (fortunately?) we were all too busy to put the organization into it. We take her to our cottage where she likes to swim in the lake instead, hehe

when i was a teen i trained and showed my siberian husky in my local 4-H for years. she and i loved it, there was no cruelty involved whatsoever. just pure bonding and fun. i will never forget those years.
patty