Purebred Craze | ZENOAQ [Nippon Zenyaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.]

A few years ago the Pet Food Institute of Japan published some statistics about pet keeping in the country, one aspect of which was very disturbing. The percentage of purebred dogs in Japan is steadily increasing.

It is increasing so rapidly that the number (percentage) has doubled during a 5 year period to reach 57% in 2003. This means, of course, that at least one out of every two dogs you meet out in the street will be a purebred. This is incredibly high, but one becomes quite aware of the truth behind the numbers when walking through the streets of a large city like Tokyo. Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Corgis, Labradors, Golden Retrievers, the native Shiba inu are amongst the most numerous of the dogs one encounters. Is it only fashion? Are these dogs status symbols? What lies behind such a large demand for purebred dogs? What is the Japanese mentality here? Several things can be said in answer to these questions.

One is the strange Japanese mentality about consumer products. Although pets are not "goods", we can get a glimpse of the Japanese mind at work if we look into how things are chosen and bought by the Japanese consumer. Pricing is a decisive factor here, not cheap, but rather, expensive. Though people in many countries will share the view that high prices reflect good quality, this fact has always had a very strong effect on the Japanese consumer. While being appreciative of low priced, affordable goods, the Japanese consumer has always been obsessed with the idea that high prices will always bring quality, satisfaction, and prestige.

For example the extremely high prices of cosmetics in Japan is partly due to the fact that there is "consumer suspicion" of cheap products.

Going back to dogs, an expensive purebred dog (and they are expensive!) appeals to the Japanese consumer mentality.

One thousand U.S. dollars for a puppy mill dog is an ordinary, "average" price that one would see in any pet shop. Of course the prices can go much higher. "An expensive dog is a good dog" ......... Supposedly.

Another myth generally prevalent in the Japanese mind is that purebred dogs are smarter than "mutts". Though there are many owners who have mix breed dogs, and many people who like and understand them, the general public seem to think that purebreds are highly intelligent and trainable and mixbreeds are not. An obedience class instructor will oftentimes encounter owners who will say "Won't come, no use ......... mine's a mutt".

Unfortunately the media, at times, will play up on this by showing programs where mix breed dogs (pets) are compared to purebred dogs (oftentimes working dogs) simply to amplify their "stupidity". They will also through their shows praise Labradors, German Shepherds and others working as guide, police, and service dogs with an emphasis on pedigrees and "pureness".

Where this idea stems from is uncertain, but perhaps the longtime Japanese belief in their mono-cultural, mono-racial society (though this in itself is not absolutely true) has something to do with it.

Breed preference, both pure and mixed is a personal thing and certainly should not be criticized in any way.

But higher the demand for purebred dogs and the more lucrative the market, the more profitable puppy milling and backyard breeding become. And that in itself is a vice.

Objective

Archive