Friendly Mutts

No matter what you read about animals & where you read it, pure-bred dogs (such as the one shown on the accompanying pic) are shown to be the ones more likely to bite humans.

& it’s not what you’re likely thinking (aka, pit-bulls), but rather Labradors as the worst offenders in Britain. Surprising to many, golden retrievers are not far behind. In the same way there are exacerbated physical health issues with inbreeding, so also are mental ones.

It becomes even more obvious for canines that are genetically optimized as human hunting assistants. These need even more instances to dissipate pent up energy & higher instinctual senses. Not giving them enough stimulation would lead them to show what they can do in unproductive ways.

Not even those owners that seem to have all the resources at hand for their dogs to behave unseeingly, are exempt. Just remember the case that made it internationally because of those implicated. Then UK prime minister Tony Blair was bitten by one of Queen of England’s corgis.

It’s also been observed that when trying to push the breeding envelope on getting either inordinately big or small dogs, the potential for health complications grows along with it. When it comes to non-pedigreed dog sizes, they seem to self-regulate to a more normal average size.

While there will be bigger & smaller mixed breed sizes, once they procreate in that state, a more normal resulting epigenetics makes that next generation be more average sized. It’s been shown that dogs which are found to be at an adult weight anywhere between 10 & 60 kg, live longer & are more reliable.

Which brings us to a last point to be made in this installment. When breeding to augment a certain trait, other helpful characteristics that could be expressed are often not seen. For example, greyhounds are like the cheetahs of the canine world. Sure they’re fast, but only for short distances.

Other pure breeds are muscularly strong, but if they’re over-exercised, it’ll speed up the joint’s aging process. Not a mutt. Its enhanced gene pool makes it come out strong in a balanced way. That’s both in body & mind.

They’ll be more likely to end up as service dogs. Even fetching birds. Mutts would also be found with children. Also as competent family guard dogs. The difference is, mixed breeds can be a jack of all these trades, while also being a master of them.

Next, let’s tackle the far-reaching issue of dog-purchasing.