If it's ok to...

[mozbink]

Purebred dogs can have a lot of health problems.

•Crippling bone and joint disorders
•Eye diseases that cause reduced sight or total blindness
•Heart diseases that drastically shorten a dog's life
•Hormonal and endocrine system diseases like hypothyroidism and diabetes
•Seizure disorders such as epilepsy
•Skin diseases that cause frantic itching
•Digestive disorders that cause chronic diarrhea and vomiting
•Kidney and liver diseases
•Blood-clotting diseases
•Cancer -- the number-one killer of many, many breeds

Over 300 genetic health problems occur in dogs -- all kinds of dogs, purebred, crossbred, and mixed -- but the risk of these health problems occurring in a purebred dog is higher than in a crossbreed or mixed breed.

Humans have been selectively breeding animals to produce certain traits or visual looks for millenia, in spite of the genetic probems that result from breeding closely related animals.

It is estimated that 50% of German shepards will develop hip displasia, but the breed has many redeeming qualities that make them useful to humans, and few would argue that German shepards don't enjoy thier lives. Spiders have a wobble, but they eat, breed, shed, and don't seem to suffer in any way.

Well to tie this in to the original post....breeding a German Shepherd who is known to carry the gene for Hip Displaysia is considered unethical.

It is something that "back yard" breeders do all the time and one of the reasons you would be encouraged to buy only from a reputable breeder and not a puppy mill.

A reputable breeder will go a long way to make sure his stock doesnt carry the gene's for the defact, including having his dogs x-rayed and certified to not have the disease.

Also there is the question...how many of the genetic pure bred dog diseases were caused by breeders doing things they shouldnt have been doing, like inbreeding and breeding animals with known defects?

To be humane you have a responsibility to the animal. You would not want to intentionally pass along traits that in the end could harm the animals quality of life.

Not saying the wobble does this in a Spider. But if it did then it is equiv to hip displasia in dogs and would be unethical to breed an animal who had it.