All-breed books are often full of nonsense, copied from one to another, and none tell you very much about health problems and temperament challenges.
If you flip through an all-breed book, for example, you may fall in love with the Golden Retriever, but the book will not tell you that 40 to 60 percent of these dogs come down with cancer, or what it will cost to treat that cancer.
If you insist on a pedigree dog, take the time to really study the diseases and genetic problems associated with each breed. Look at real longevity data, and ask a veterinarian what it will cost to fix a pair of wrecked hips, to treat chronic heart disease, or to remove a dog’s eye if it has a luxating lens.
As for breed clubs, recognize that these are trade associations.
The main function of breed clubs is to create and rationalize an artificial market for show dogs bred in a closed registry system.
The second function of a breed club is to serve as a marketing hub for puppies sold to a public who are told that breed club affiliation is the first sign of a “good” breeder. In fact, breed club membership is little more than an indication that a breeder has the patience to suffer through breed club politics. Most breed clubs require no health or performance testing of any kind, and offer up only weak ethical guidelines related to the age and frequency of mating.
Many good breeders can be found in breed clubs, but breed club membership alone tells you nothing.
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