Guess the breed

This is another of our clients, a stubborn but lovable old man called Apollo. I took this snap of him in the park today with my phone. Almost everyone gets his breed wrong. Care to guess? 
 

michaelhanson
Wiemaramar.

That's what everyone says. But no......

 Arrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh................ stitched up by CraigB

A cat in disguise?

elcitrap-dog!
 
 
(hint: read backwards)

 
Ooh.... I know.............. I know sir!!! .................... pick me pick me pick me sir!! .........
 
 
It's a chiwawa chihawhaw shihuahua chohuahua chewawa poodle.

They do too. It's like wearing a disguise w/o wearing a disguise. Besides, cropping is a terrible thing to do.

AKC says
"Ear cropping is a decision made by a dog's breeder or owner. While it is true that some breeds are shown with their ears cropped, there is nothing in AKC rules and in fact nothing in any breed standard that compels an owner to have this procedure performed as a prerequisite to entry at a dog show. Even if it is traditional in a particular breed that the dogs have one of these alterations, it has the same potential to win as any other dog of the breed and will only be judged based on the compliance of that dog to the breed standard."
 
This from the group that has given us a set of breed standards and idiot judges that have consistently awarded major conformation prizes to German Shepherds whose "slightly" sloped backs have resulted in such short back legs that they nearly fall over on the turns, greyhounds with such slim pelvises that they can be delivered only by C-section, and Collies with such narrow skulls that they have seizure disorders. 
 
If anyone knows of a member of a breed that is traditionally cropped that has ever won best at a major dog conformation, I would like to know about it. Dog conformation, like the fine art market, rewards the wrong people (owners), and encourages the right people (breeders) to do the wrong thing.  In many more advanced countries ear cropping and tail docking for cosmetic reasons are prohibited by law.

Second only to declawing a cat. 
 
Man, you guys make me realize just how much I miss having a dog. German Shepherds and Dobermans are two of my favorite breads - along w/ rottweilers and boxers.

 
 
Dog shows should be banned, as should the standardisation and classification systems related to pedigree breeds.
 
It encourages genetic engineering of the worse sort, where arbitrary aesthetic attributes are bred into and maintained in each particular breed, often with devastating results.
 
Another wonderful example of man's vanity expressed through eugenics and the deliberate manipulation of the genes, and hence the phenotype, of a helpless species of animal.
 
It could be argued, I suppose, that if such meddling leads to the increased well-being or longevity of a particular species, then it's acceptable. Such breeding techniques have been practiced for centuries to improve the productivity of the food industry and the efficiency and suitability of working animals - but the welfare of the animal has generally been of secondary importance to the returns - unless, of course, if neglecting this particular aspect has a negative effect on this productivity or efficiency.
 
But to continue to sculpt and fashion the gene pool of a species, when it's been proven that in a lot of breeds to do so does serious physiological damage to the animals concerned, is simply barbaric, unacceptable and intolerable.
 
 
 
 

dubdisciple
The cropped ear thing is kinda effed up. It's  on par with forcing a child to get cosmetic surgery

Or having them circumcised (male and FGM), other than for genuine medical reasons in the case of infant boys, of course.
 
I'll steer clear of the religious aspect of this repugnant and loathsome practice, but anyone who thinks that needlessly chopping pieces of flesh off their children is acceptable needs some serious psychological help, and furthermore should be prosecuted for child abuse. In my humble opinion anyway.
 
 
 
 

Pugs: then and now