Good Pool & Puddles.
You can google "gene puddle" - it means a group of animals, or plants, severely split off from other varieties of their species.
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A "gene pool" are all the genes available to a group - the shared genes.
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Like think of all the people you would have a baby with if you could. Now delete from that list all of those who would NOT have a baby with you. What's left, their genes, are in the potential gene pool of your children.
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Then think of all the people your kids might grow up and have a baby with. The genes of those people are in the potential gene pool of your grandchildren.
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Now think like you know that tomorrow morning, you are going to get cryogenically frozen for 1,000 years. What people alive today, might become the ancestors of your great- great -gggggggggggg grandchildren? All the genes of those people are in the same POTENTIAL gene pool with yourself.
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The "humane gene pool" means all the genes found in people. All people.
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The "canine gene pool" is all the different genes that are in any canine.
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The "wolf gene pool" are the total genes in wolves - a subset in the canine gene pool.
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Is the "domestic dog gene pool" separate from the wolf gene pool?
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This issue gets wild wolfdogs shot for not being pure wolf - conservation people don't want to waste their time conserving dogs - dogs are plentiful, wolves are rare.
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But the issue of unhealthy wolves from reintroduced wolves has come up. When all the cubs descend from the inbred offspring of one wolf pack, health problems can become a real issue.
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It might not be possible to preserve some species AS A SET TYPE, because of them seem to require change - if their gene pool gets too resticted, it stagnants and gets yucky.
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We expect natural selection to weed out the unfit, and multiply all the fit - but nature has to work with what she starts with. The end isn't always pretty. (Especially if you don't exercise enough.)
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Knowing when to breed in, and when to breed out is an art based on a science.
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Purebred dog breeders have simplified that issue - they always breed in -they stay in their own breeds gene puddle - that's what "pure" breeding means.
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Why is it called "pure" breeding? If it were called "incestuous mating" the puppies would not sell as well, would they?
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Is "pure" just an advertising word? I don't think so - I think it is part of the theory of eugenics, or more correctly stated, the mis-applied theory of eugenics, but lets not get into a discussion of Nazi philosophy.
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The idea is that some individuals are "better", like "our show dog is a better show dog than your show dog" or "showdogs are better than pet dogs, pet dogs should all be castrated, only show dog breeders would be allowed to have a pregnant dog".
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Think that sounds nutty and snobbish? It is the very foundation of most dog shows - finding "best of breed" (BoB), and "best in show" (BiS).
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You can't just watch a dog trot around a ring and judge which animal is best with kids or least likely to chew things up, dirty the rug, or bark at the neighbors. If you really think people can see this by watching dogs trot, then I think you are being made a fool.
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Many many many dog show breeders (AKA: ribbon fanatics) have told me, posted on the web, and put up signs in pubic places stating that only show dogs should be bred. (They should be the only people allowed to breed dogs).
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This was largely modified en mass, to exempt other ribbon chasers that use their dogs in competitive events. Since guys aren't into ribbons, these events often hand out trophies. Often a sort of cup or vase, or a small statue of a dog.
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This junk (I did NOT say propaganda), went so far as to enter legislation (California's bill # 1634) which, had it passed would have given a monopoly to purebred dog breeders.
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If you like my posts, you can thank bill # 1634, which caused me to de-lurk and start posting.
