WoodenSpearZ t1_isq49kf wrote on October 17, 2022 at 9:27 PM

This happens with pretty much all pets, and heck with race horses. Lol they don't 'alter genetics' like in a lab, they select for traits in breeding. People gravitate to aesthetics, and overlook a lot of medical problems that come with the looks

thebedla t1_iss94d9 wrote on October 18, 2022 at 9:58 AM

They do alter genetics just like in a lab, only with different means. The animals' genetic code is altered by selective breeding - only those whose genome expresses the desired characteristics are bred, which means their offspring carry that genetic information. The result is genetically no different from making that change with CRISPR, for example.

That being said, it's even worse than genegineering because you cannot precisely select which gene to target. You just breed dogs that look funny. And that means some traits are going to be reinforced involuntarily. This is why overbred dogs have other health problems unrelated to the actual physical traits being selected for.