I would hope that crossing out of the full BB breed to a RR might reduce the cancer chances. (“Hybrid vigor”)
you don’t get “hybrid vigor” if the genetics are the same across breeds- for example, the genes that cause hip dsyplasia are the same across breeds, so if you breed a lab with bad hips to a collie with bad hips you get mutts with bad hips. You can also get the “bad genetics” carried across directly into the mix- I for example, owned a rottweiler mix. Rottweilers carry all sorts of nasty genetic diseases due to bad breeding practices, and you guessed it, my mutt managed to inherit all of them- the tendency to CCL tears, the rare hereditary cancer that almost always shows up only in rottweilers, etc.
So don’t count on it.
if you read this whole Menagerie section, right this minute there are about 4 threads of cancer in dogs going on. It happens in all breeds.
yes, cancer is something that affects mammals. It’s one of the leading causes of death. However, when you look at cancer cases, the age of onset is a big clue to the cause- cases of cancer that occur in old individuals are more likely to be mostly caused by environment, vs. cases that occur in young individuals, that are more likely to be cause by genes. Breeders should be very concerned about cases of cancer arising in young and middle-aged dogs in their lines.
ALL have been sold and the next future litter is also sold out for prices of $2,500 and up. I’m sure none of the buyers were told about our “problem” with Ambush. He also had 11 full siblings - none of whom are ill (or admitting it.) We liked the full BB well enough to take a chance. It is not like I “ordered” the puppy…the litter is going to be born and SOMEONE is going to own each and every one.
this is just “designer breed” hype mentality- if you keep rewarding breeders for producing litters, they will produce more. It’s like the “doodles”: this the latest fad cross for your area, I guess. The higher prices they go for, the more people want them.
You should subject the breeders to the usual battery of inquiries about the health tests they’ve subjected their breeding stock to, the temperament tests, etc. but really the whole situation shrieks “unethical backyard breeder out to make a fast buck”, doesn’t it?
Since they are mutts, you can’t predict what the dog will be like. Siblings will be radically different from each other, in both appearance and behavior. If I’m paying a breeder big bucks for a dog, I want to know what I’m getting for my money. If I don’t really care, well, the shelters are already full of cheap mutts who need homes.
