Many people are under the impression that purebred dogs are “better” than mutts, and nobody truly understands the reality of it. To begin with, pure breeds are man-made and not natural. Even the term “mixed breed” is incorrect because they are the original all-natural dogs without human interference. Pure breeding is just the genetic manipulation that humans do for amusement. Aside from the few working dogs, most purebreds have not even existed for many years. It mainly started in Victorian England when people would create interesting looking dogs for show, and later announced their creations as pure breeds.

One of the main issues with purebreds is inbreeding. When any breed was first created there were only a handful of them. They were bred together to keep their bloodlines pure, meaning they bred dogs with their siblings and their own parents. This resulted in countless genetic issues that these poor dogs suffer from. For example, some Spaniels have skulls that are too small for their brains, Great Danes have hearts that can’t keep up with their bodies, and many other purebreds suffer from health problems including high risk of skin diseases, cancer, immune system and neurological diseases, eye and heart disease, joint and bone disorders, and epilepsy.

One of the worst genetic disasters that man has created is a popular favourite, the English Bulldog. After decades of inbreeding the bulldogs now have a muzzle so flat they can hardly breathe, meaning hot weather can kill them. Their heads are so big they can only give birth by C-section. Their tails can become ingrown. Most bulldogs have hip dysplasia or other bone and joint disorders. Amongst many other health issues, their life expectancy is only six years, whereas normal dogs can live between 10 and 15 years.

Many purebred owners hate to hear it, and they get defensive and try to show us how healthy their dogs are. But as an animal lover, and as an owner of a purebred rescue dog, I strongly urge people to stop making pure breeds and allow them to mix. If you create a breed to suffer you are not a dog lover, you are simply selfish.

— The reader is a marketing manager in an animal shelter based in Sharjah