Caen wrote: "The examples on the right are modern examples from multiple sources.
"To be able to make an honest comparison, I’ve chosen pictures
with similar poses and in a couple of cases flipped the picture to get
them both aligned in the same direction.
"I had to skip some breeds I wanted to include because of the lack of detail in the older photographs."
Bull Terrier
It seems incredible that at one time the Bull Terrier was a
handsome, athletic dog. Somewhere along its journey to a mutated skull
and thick abdomen the bull terrier also picked up a number of other
maladies like supernumerary teeth and compulsive tail-chasing.
The Basset Hound
The Basset Hound has gotten lower, has suffered changes to its rear
leg structure, has excessive skin, vertebra problems, droopy eyes prone
to entropion and ectropion and excessively large ears.
Boxer
A shorter face means a host of problems. The modern Boxer not only
has a shorter face but the muzzle is slightly upturned. The boxer – like
all bracecyphalic dogs – has difficulty controlling its temperature in
hot weather, the inability to shed heat places limits on physical
performance. It also has one of the highest cancer rates.
The English bulldog
The English bulldog has come to symbolize all that is wrong with
the dog fancy and not without good reason; they suffer from almost every
possible disease. A 2004 survey by the Kennel Club found that they die
at the median age of 6.25 years (n=180). There really is no such thing
as a healthy bulldog. The bulldog’s monstrous proportions make them
virtually incapable of mating or birthing without medical intervention.
The Dachshund
The Dachshund used to have functional legs and necks that made
sense for their size. Backs and necks have gotten longer, chest jutted
forward and legs have shrunk to such proportions that there is barely
any clearance between the chest and floor. The dachschund has the
highest risk of any breed for intervertebral disc disease which can
result in paralysis; they are also prone to achondroplastic related
pathologies, PRA and problems with their legs.
The German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog is also a breed that is routinely mentioned
when people talk about ruined breeds; maybe because they used to be
awesome. In Dogs of All Nations, the GSD is described as a medium-sized
dog (25 kg /55 lb), this is a far cry from the angulated,
barrel-chested, sloping back, ataxic, 85-pounders (38 kg) we are used
to seeing in the conformation ring. There was a time when the GSD could
clear a 2.5 meter (8.5 ft) wall; that time is long gone.
The Pug
The Pug is another extreme brachycephalic breed and it has all the
problems associated with that trait – high blood pressure, heart
problems, low oxygenation, difficulty breathing, tendency to overheat,
dentition problems, and skin fold dermatitis. The highly desirable
double-curl tail is actually a genetic defect, in more serious forms it
leads to paralysis.
St. Bernard
Once a noble working dog, the modern St. Bernard has been
oversized, had its faced squished in, and bred for abundant skin. You
will not see this type of dog working, they can’t handle it as they
quickly overheat. The diseases include entropion, ectropion, Stockard’s
paralysis, hemophilia, osteosarcoma, aphakia, fibrinogen deficiency.
"No dog breed has ever been improved by the capricious and
arbitrary decision that a shorter/longer/flatter/bigger/smaller/curlier
“whatever” is better. Condemning a dog to a lifetime of suffering for
the sake of looks is not an improvement; it is torture." Caen concludes
source: tori ng
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