Pedigree animals question

With the issue of hereditary health problems in pedigree animals in the news once again. Do you think that we, as pet owners can have a positive influence to promote healthy breeding practices? we’d love to hear your thoughts and stories, and share your experiences about this issue.

I'd like to think we can but I have my doubts.  I read with dismay recently that Margaret Carter, the whistleblower in the case of the Cavalier, has been ousted from the Committee of the Cavalier Club.  This does not give one much confidence or hope for this popular little breed.  How do dog lovers choose a healthy puppy, if the breeders won't admit there is a problem.

Although it turned out that my own working-type springer had dislocating kneecaps and required surgery to both hindlegs, I still feel that dogs bred for working ability will be less likely to have hereditary conditions than those bred for show, and it is of concern to me that the gundog breeds, gsds, border collies and basset hounds, to name a few, have been allowed to split into working and show types.  To me, this is wrong, and the dogs should be true to their original purpose and surely if they were to be bred with this in mind we would not have gsds with banana shaped backs, bassets whose bellies skim the ground, bulldogs who cannot mate or give birth naturally, etc etc.

As consumers, potential purchasers do have a certain amount of influence. Ask if you can speak to their vet and discuss any potential problems in the line for example - as well as the obvious - see pups with mother to cut back on the profit made by bad puppy farms/breeders. Would you buy a car blind for that sort of money, or ask someone to look it over? I would also persue a bad breeder - if they make no money and get dragged through the civil courts - it might help retrain some and stop others - one hears such awful responses when people tell of a new pup that is seriously ill or dead that was purchased in good faith.

When we adopted my chap, there was a young old thyme bulldog at the rescue - and she was lovely - built for a purpose and built to be fit and healthy - so very different from the shorter more modern ideas of what they should look like. If a person is going to breed, then in my opinion it should be for health as the priority. Sadly this seems to be rarely so.