[QuickSilver]

I also believe this to be true. I think the clincher is that dogs live significantly shorter lives than wolves, despite the fact that they live pampered lives with optimum nutrition and health care. All dogs come from recessive wolf genes, and it's clear that these are not the best genes for longevity.

Pet insurance also indicates that research confirms mutts are generally healthier, because it's cheaper to insure a mutt. Insurance companies don't have any agenda other than making money, and it is in their favor to price their product properly.

Finally, it's well known that breeders have often bred close relatives, even parent to child to "set" their line. This is bad for species, period. It is never good. It's very clear with inbred humans and it's clear with dogs. There's a reason that nature drives most animals to seek outside mates.

It seems to me that breeding is a dicey business - leaving it up to nature guarantees that you won't have specific breeds, and of course, nature mercilessly culls the weak. On the other hand, we humans with our limited knowledge and varying motives cannot make perfect breeding choices.

I've read that some breeds of dogs can literally be traced back to as few as a dozen ancestors. That blows me away.


(Disclaimer: I'm not saying all breeders are evil or anything like that. Breeding is like the economy - a lot of factors we don't fully understand come into play, and try as we might, we can't really control it.)