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Originally Posted by SnowWa It seems that the author (or person who endorsed this article) is a person who raises and sells apacas. There is a meeting coming up regarding whether or not there should be breed standards set for the alpaca, and the writer is obviously against having these standards and is hoping to convince his readers to think the same way.
He quoted a lot of opinions with good documentation and did bring up many good points, but he is trying to further his own point of view ---- to the point of excluding many good reasons for selective breeding and setting breed/species standards. He isn't really representative of any current scientific point of view. Science recognizes both the pros and cons of selective breeding.
He cited many problems found in prebreed dogs to backup his argument against setting standards for alpacas. His main focus was on "inbreeding" as the reason for most breed-selective faults. And this is certainly true. His point that monetary gain often regulates breeding practices is also true.
"Are breed standards good for the dog?"
I have loved and appreciated all the different breeds of dogs all my life. If we want to continue having these different breeds, we have to have and maintain these standards.
Breed standards, in themselves, are not bad for a dog. Most standards address the health of the breed. They mention the physical size, measurements, and appearance of the different breeds, and also state that these dogs should have good muscle tone, good teeth, a good bite, good knees, healthy shiny hair, and other health-related features. Anything that is not healthy is considered a fault and not up to the standard of any breed.
I am in favor of different breeds and having standards for these different breeds. I am not in favor of inbreeding (none of us are), and I am not in favor of developing or even maintaining breeds that are fragile, sickly, and cannot live and enjoy a healthy life.
Carol Jean |
Thank you very much for your response. It seems as though the chain is being yanked again. I hope that this is clear so that even those who may have cognitive memory problems like myself can understand. If any breed of dog, cat, bird or fish, any animal, or flower is not bred true and according to a standard you can loose what originally attracted to you it. That means standards. With out the standards all breeds of dogs would end up being looking like each other. I personally do not want a yorkie that looks like a mixed breed. I want to keep the visual, behavioral and physical traits that make them what they are. I think that is why we all chose the breed not because it looks like the neighbors alpaca.