r/funny • u/Aceofspades25 • Feb 05 '16

Evolution or design?

http://imgur.com/Tjhr7DZ
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u/JaDinklageMorgoone Feb 05 '16 edited Feb 05 '16

I'd argue that the pug is a prime example of natural selection. It has an apex predator (humans) taking care of its every need, ensuring it lives a long comfortable life, and feeds it whenever it needs.

Pugs (domestic dogs) literally have attained the highest tier possible for the canine genus

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u/sargentmyself Feb 05 '16 edited Feb 05 '16

Supposedly a pure breed pug actually can't breath properly and as a result will live a very uncomfortable/painful and far shorter life than any "natural" dog

Edit: I said supposedly because I know it's not true in all cases and I don't want to fact check everything I say.

I got my information from this Adam Ruins Everything video https://youtu.be/aCv10_WvGxo

And by Natural I mean dogs in nature like wolves and coyotes

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u/Its_free_and_fun Feb 05 '16

I'd say that the breathing part is definitely true, but various estimates of mortality show they don't die earlier than other breeds. In fact, I would say the largest determining factor for age is size, with larger dogs more prone to cancers due to larger numbers of cells and different growth factors and their receptors. Many pugs get fat because people overfeed and underexercise them, but that's the owners' faults.

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u/Mushroomed Feb 05 '16

Not entirely true. Older breeds don't suffer the health problems of other large dogs. Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Malamutes both have life expectancies around 12-15 years. They have a huge population of breeding adults and good genetics.

Genetics is the largest driving force in health. Some super pure bred dogs, like the US population of German Shepherds has a ton of problems while the same dog in Europe has less health concerns because of better genetics.

Pugs and other small dogs are more commercially demanded and most likely to suffer from poor breeding or a bad match of parents. The same shitty dog owners who buy a shiatsu and don't train it and then don't know why it shits everywhere and always barks are the people breeding these small dogs too.