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My bulldog was athletic and strong. Too many people over feed them, which makes me sad.
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There are several associations who are trying to recreate the original 19th century bulldog, as it was before the show ring assholes botched the breed so badly.
They are lovely dogs -
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Yeah, interesting. That was a dog that actually had a job (as cruel as that job was.)
The original idea of “breeds” was accidental-- farmers preferred the best herders or pest-control dogs, hunters preferred the best sniffers or pointers or runners, and those were the animals that got to reproduce. Eventually we ended up with animals that looked very different, but had purpose beyond being a pet.
Now they breed for looks and end up exaggerating useless traits.
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And yet Kitteh isn’t entirely poorly placed on this graph. 
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But… there is a whole song about terriers!
I mean, they are cute and cuddly, and easy dogs to feed. They even have a terrier dance.
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At least two…
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I have yet to meet a bulldog that wasn’t super friendly and just generally awesome.
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The word for mutt in spanish is larazacosmica.
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I don’t know about this. Poodles and Dalmatians as desirable?
Sure, if you’re prepared to put in the maintenance and training time. Both are very high intelligence, high energy dogs. Both have been overbred and tend to have personality issues – especially when combined with an owner who wanted a housepet, and aren’t able or willing to provide them with sufficient mental stimulation and exercise. Dalmatians run a risk of deafness, which requires special care and training – often they are put down because owners can’t (or won’t) put in the effort. Dalmatians were also bred to run, specifically run alongside horses and keep up, keeping horses calm at a fire scene as well as performing crowd control duties (why they’re also known as fire dogs). Despite what Disney movies may say, they are not good apartment dogs.
If you want a dog for agility competitions or have plenty of space for them to run free (and are willing to suck up the grooming on a poodle,) then maybe. But in no way would I classify either breed as a good idea for the average dog owner.
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useless without VORP (Value Over Replacement Pupper) stats
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A rescue dog made of bits of random terrier and a healthy disrespect for authority is the best kind of dog.
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Cats do decently well, when rated on a scale calibrated for dogs. But on a more generalised graph, well, the top corner woulldn’t be large enough to contain our fabulous data points.
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Yes, I thought that was hilarious they sneaked a cat in there, especially ranking it over 90% of the dogs. Wonder how many dog lovers are going “Hey! That ain’t right!” ?
Me, I love both cats and dogs, but ownership-wise, I like a pet that takes care of itself. Enjoy your 6 am walks in the snow, dog owners!
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Me too. I love animals, but I never knew that I was a cat person, until I owned a dog.
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There’s a bulldog who shows up at the dog park now and then who has a real problem keeping up with doggy play. After a few minutes of running around he collapses, wheezing. Others do better.
I’m on Dog Number Two. An unusual strain of German shepherd; not the tan and black kind with the badly sloping backs. People tell me she look Czech in origin. I was worried about her hips and legs at first, but after losing 12 lbs she straightened up. We walk 4 -6 miles a day; good for both of us.
Dog Number One was a mix of Belgian Shepherd and . . . Newfoundland? She had an insane prey drive and didn’t like playing with other dogs and herded people around the house but was cheerful and smart. I would have gotten another Belgian mix but they are so hard to find!
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I for one am glad they put the cat up there, and on the proper side of the graph.
All the best dogs I have known were cats.
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I’ve heard of other “breed rescue” operations. I’m always astonished at the idiocy tolerated in that show culture. You’d think being able to reproduce without help, or even to breath would be a requirement, but no, just looks count. Why do extremes get rewarded rather than penalized? The skulls and sinuses of pugs, bulls and persian cats are a mess. Siamese look nothing like they did when I was a kid, they’ve made them look like mutants, just for kicks. Lets not even talk about the poor sphynx!
The working and hunting dogs have fared the best since the breed requirements include being able to do their job. Pity the poor Poodle, once a German water retriever (Pudelhund), stripped of all work and dignity.
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That’s called Heterosis or Hybrid Vigour. Hybrid offspring exceed both parents.
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No, some dogs are bred for positive behavior and physical traits, and carefully controlled for consanguinity.
The fact that some breeds and breeders focus on bizarre physical abnormalities and disregard health concerns does not mean that all breeding is bad.
I don’t get the claim of bad science. Breeding of plants and animals has more or less enabled our comfortable way of life. Try to make a tortilla out of teosinte, or safely herd some aurochs.
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