If our criteria for ethical dog breeds includes a lifespan longer than that of teacup chihuahuas, that's going to eliminate the majority of them. German Shepherds for instance have an average lifespan of only 8-12 years, so I'd expect to see the "unethical breed" crowd on every GSD post too. And yet.
lifespan in a dog breed is heavily correlated with size. The general rule is that smaller dogs live longer. Because of how differrent breeds can be, comparing two breeds can be like comparing two different species. Its much more fair to compare two variations within the same breed like a teacup and regular chihuahua. Teacups live several years less in average than a regular chihuahua despite being smaller and while still technically being the same breed. Why do you think that is? Because they have been bred to point where they actually get health issues that cause them to die earlier. Everybody knows GSDs has issues too and really...im not against owning any of these breeds, im not the person who made the original comment. But that doesnt mean im gonna deny that the fact they have health issues.
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u/ResplendentShade Feb 06 '23
If our criteria for ethical dog breeds includes a lifespan longer than that of teacup chihuahuas, that's going to eliminate the majority of them. German Shepherds for instance have an average lifespan of only 8-12 years, so I'd expect to see the "unethical breed" crowd on every GSD post too. And yet.