By now, everyone has seen one of those videos or articles on the internet that uses pictures of dog breeds from the late 1800s to early-mid 1900s and sets them against the absolute worst photos (usually, but not always) of modern counterparts. Typically, it's the same handful of breeds because they can't possibly go through 400+ breeds and say they've all changed immensely because they haven't. Ones that exhibit what seems like extreme physical changes. And the whole theme here is pretty much "BREEDERS RUIN BREEDS".
Now, I want you to look at the title of this post again. You've probably heard this phrase many times over in your life. I'm not going to evaluate individual dogs, as I do my best to avoid copyright issues. Instead....
I'm going point out a few things.
1.One of America's most beloved breeds, the Labrador, is almost never on these lists. Even though a good number are often kept over weight. This breed is an average looking dog, nothing extreme, but distinct enough that you typically know a Lab when you see it, probably because they're everywhere. Not flashy, not extreme, though there are a ton over over-sized Labs. But let's look into some of their health issues. Hip and elbow dysplasia, luxating patella, progressive retinal atrophy, cataracts, corneal dystrophy, retinal dysplasia, hereditary myopathy, autoimmune diseases, deafness, exercise induced collapse, and yes, obesity. Because in a study of 310, most were missing all or parts of the POMC gene which plays a part in appetite regulation. But it's okay, they look normal, so no concern there, right?
2.Bull Terriers and their egg shaped heads....there's no known problems that can be attributed to their head shape alone. The OCD.tail chasing is a mental thing, and there are other breeds that have dental problems just the same. Now, the fact that Bull Terriers seem to literally use their heads may be a side effect of the head shape, but I kind of consider it a benefit.
3.The Bull Terrier and the GSD were still rather young breeds back then. Technically, they're still quite young when you compare them to Otterhounds, which are in NO way the oldest. In early days of development, the breed may not be what it was meant to be. Don't like them? Don't get them.
4.GSDs are popular and varied. There's many different lines, many different types. Also, you can stack a GSD four ways ( Example from google ) and, depending on the dog, get four different looks. There's terrible working lines, awesome show lines, iffy bred lines...all kinds! I used to harp on this breed myself, but I can no longer, with the evidence, paint the breed with the same paint brush.
5.Basically, if you're going to judge health on looks, you are going to miss the fact of cancers, heart problems, mental issues, joint diseases, and a plethora of other things that AREN'T seen in a single photo. You ARE judging a book by it's cover. Because some of those weird looking dogs are just fine, are healthy, had health tested parents and won the Russian roulette of genetics when some of those normal looking dogs, purebred or not, didn't.
Do not prioritize your idea of the appearance of health over the whole and deeper picture. There is more going on under that cover.
