People tend to have stronger bonds with dogs and different dog breeds behave much differently. If you want a smart, energetic dog, and enjoy doing things like agility, you're probably going to go after a herding group dog rather than a bulldog. But that herding dog probably isn't going to make a great pet around children, so if you want a family dog, maybe you're going to go after a calmer breed like a Golden.
And for people who use dogs for jobs (which is a big reason breeding came to be and still exist), the breeds excel at whatever they're meant to do. Sport dogs for hunting, herding dogs for working livestock, terriers for chasing out vermin, etc.
While I largely agree with you that commercial breeding is far too rampant, there is some value in maintaining breeds. One positive side effect is that you can still get rescue mutts that exhibit positive qualities of breeds while also being much healthier than if it were a purebred. For example, I used to have a mixed breed dog that had clear herding blood and she did great in agility, learning tricks, etc. but didn't have the genetic issues that many Border Collies, Australian shepherds, etc. have.
Unfortunately, you're right in that people choose breeds for illogical reasons. For any dog breed, it's very easy to find their strengths and weaknesses online and find a breed that's actually a good fit. Instead, people pick a breed because they like the way they look or because they had good memories of a dog in that breed. Breed-based rescues always have dogs that are dropped off because the family didn't properly research the dog and when the dog exhibited traits that could be fully predicted by doing research (e.g. their Aussie herded and knocked over their toddlers or nipped their ankles).
I disagree. But I'm a cat person, so you're probably not surprised. The bond is different but neither is superior. That said, I'm strongly against novelty pets (birds, snakes, tigers). I think it's dangerous and stupid, and most of these animals either never bond, like snakes, or are poorly suited to typical pet conditions, like parrots (who get depressed in a cage) and wild/big cats. Cats and dogs make great pets and most animals don't.
I agree with the rest of what you're saying.
People hunting deer will favour breeds like the German Shorthaired Pointer or Vizsla for their particular hunting characteristics suitable for hunting deer in thick bush, while pig hunters will tend to use mongrels who have been tested in the field and excel at one of the roles needed in a pig hunting pack - finders, bailers and holders.
I'm not sure which approach is better in working dogs, the aristocracy or the meritocracy.
Plus it's worth understanding how an animal will behave; compare the activity requirements of a great dane that is relatively easy to wear out vs a border collie that requires hours a day of work. The second rescue was a cattle dog mix and needs 20 minutes of frisbee in the afternoon and a vigorous hour in the dog park every day to wear out, plus the usual walks.
Agreed. No-kill actually means "90+ percent live release" because some animals are so sick (physically or mentally) that euthanasia is the humane thing to do.
Temperament in dogs is a heritable trait, and selecting a dog from a conscientious breeder [...] than selecting a dog from a shelter at random.
Perhaps, if only because of the pernicious effect of the puppy mills. 99 percent of shelter cats are mutts and just fine. I'd guess that in terms of average health and temperament, the order is random/natural-bred mutts > well-bred pedigree > puppy/kitty mill animals.
Breeders will always put health and temperament first. If they don't, they're a mill. A nice pedigree and a super healthy dog are not mutually exclusive.
I have never known another dog who was in such need of being in constant physical contact with me. Admittedly, part of it probably had to do with her being a rescue, but still: Frenchies are extraordinarily affectionate.
That said, I would never buy one from a breeder. The fact that bulldogs are so inbred that they require artificial insemination and c-sections to reproduce says that it's time those breeds go extinct. If I had the opportunity (and the proper time) to get another rescue Frenchie, though, I'd do it again in a heartbeat
For your viewing pleasure, my little girl, Moxie:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/8104303829/in/s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/8292373427/in/s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/8403846731/in/s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/8590965099/in/s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/8609317262/in/s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/8658684108/in/s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/8776664388/in/s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/8773349885/in/s...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronbrethorst/10078258256/in/...
A) No c-section to procreate B) Same behaviors (need for affection, size, general behavior) C) Squishy jowly cuteness. Not quite as wide bodied. Many Bostons are built like grey hounds with a chihuahua size...
We bought a boston terrier from a breeder who gave us one she saw was docile and good for a family.
Honestly, that's what's missing from the adoption equation. Not physical characteristics (though I wanted a small dog that wouldn't trample and intimidate my 6 year old) but judgement from the breeder about whether the pet is suitable for your situation.
Edit: Here's a more trust worthy source (and probably the source of info from the first link): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20136998
1. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peterwedderburn/9405067/wh...
It's amazing more breeds don't have congenital issues, given up until recently the breeding process was performed entirely without genetic testing.
I wouldn't mind, honestly, if the practice of breeding animals for profit went extinct. We have too many good animals who are killed in shelters for no good reason. (We should stop that too, preferring TNR, but one issue at a time.) That's far more heartbreaking than the possibility that some weird-looking creature that wouldn't exist in nature and requires almost cruel human interventions (see: English Bulldogs, who now require C-sections) will not have descendants, or will have descendants of a more hybrid nature (pseudoextinction).
I think that dog breed is such a thing because of confirmation bias. So many people say, "oh, I got a French Bulldog and she's the sweetest thing ever" or "my Golden is smarter than I am" and I'm sure that they do have great dogs... but I have awesome cats and they're just regular mutt cats. As long as the animal is properly socialized, mixed-breed is best if you're just looking for a good pet.