You have, by now i’m sure, heard all about “dangerous breeds” and breed bannings that are taking place not only in apartment complexes all over the country but also in entire counties nationwide. The question that comes up time and time again is: is there really such a thing as a dangerous breed?

The thing to keep in mind when you’re talking about “dangerous breeds” is that by generalizing an entire breed of dog as dangerous, you are, in effect doing the same thing as you would be should you say that all Asian people are tech savvy – you are generalizing from the horror stories that you hear reported in the news that all dogs of that particular breed are dangerous. One dog that is picked on the most as being a “dangerous breed” is the pitt bull. While Pitt Bulls can, in fact, be extremely dangerous, there are many factors that influence a dog’s personality and there are just as many sweet loving family Pitt Bulls out there as there are “dangerous dogs.” The Pitt Bull is picked on primarily because when a Pitt Bull does bite, they bite hard and don’t release whereas other dog breeds are more likely to bite and release. Another factor that goes in to the “dangerous breed” equation is the pounds of pressure per square inch in a dog’s jaw- Pitt Bulls were initially bred for fighting and duties such as handling unruly bulls for butchers and as a result they have extremely powerful jaws. This pounds of pressure per square inch in a dog’s jaw is the reason why you hear so many more Pitt Bull attacks and bitings on the news, it is not because there are more attacks it is simply because when they do bite they inflict much more damage than say, a poodle would.

Another reason that certain dogs such as the Pitt Bull get such a bad rap is because of the people who tend towards these breeds. As a result of the powerful jaws of the dogs people who are inclined to participate in the disgusting arena of dog fighting are more drawn to the breed and as a result they encourage aggression and breed aggressive dogs with aggressive dogs which worsens the breed temperement. There are many Pitt Bulls and other “aggressive” breeds out there who are loved family pets who have no trace of aggression at all and so it is that there is really no such thing as an aggressive breed, there is only a poor genetic makeup and poor handling on the part of a dog owner. If you are looking at breeds that are labeled as “aggressive” make sure that you spend the time to research your dog’s bloodline and temperement as well as partake in rigorous training and socialization. Like they say, there are no bad dog’s only bad owners and unfortunately certain breeds are being witch hunted as a result of the bad owners and breeders out there.

Designer breeding is not a particularly new trend; however, it is becoming newly recognized as a severe detriment to dogs as a whole. While in years past dogs were bred specifically to perform certain functions ie: wolfhounds were bred to hunt wolves in Ireland, dogs are now being bred merely to make statements and suit superficial human needs. The problem arises when we, as a race, begin to breed dogs for our own selfish means rather than for a practical purpose. A great comparrison is the creation of the newest “doodle” trends that have hit the dog market offering dogs to allergy plagued families claiming them to be “hypoallergenic.” The problem here lays in the fact that although certain factors can be reduced in specific breeding, these breedings are not bettering a breed at all which is the main staple of any GOOD and SOLID breeding program.

Dog breeding is regulated by standards, I will correct that, GOOD dog breeding is regulated by standards. Dogs and bitches both must meet a rigorous set of requirements before being bred by responsible breeders to produce offspring that are quality dogs. Quality dogs may seem to be objectifying your darling FooFoo; however, it is what it is. Dogs are bred by responsible breeders to better the breed. The problem with the designer breedings (picking the characteristics of your dog and creating your own breed to be fashionable or to suit a superficial desire) is that they often produce offspring that harbor both genetic defects as well as undesirable traits and often times these traits are not apparent until a few generations of offspring have been produced.

Designer breeds are an unfortunate product of spoiled humans. If you want a “hypoallergenic” dog, you should not be looking for a dog in the first place, try another animal instead. If you want a dog that’s “different,” take a look at your local animal shelter, there are a million and one varieties of mixed breed dogs to chose from and not only would you have one of a kind but you’d also be saving a life and not spending upwards of $500 to purchase what is essentially a mixed breed dog.