Sacramento, CA

Okay, so I’m pretty sure that a fair number of you are already sick and tired of hearing me rant and rave about breed discrimination, but I just couldn’t help myself this time because the proposition seems so innocuous. It even sounds really intriguing to those of us–like myself–who are nerdy enough to be totally turned on by things like the Human Genome Project. It’s funny, but it never really dawned on me that such areas of science could potentially be used for nefarious purposes.

Then, I discovered the following ad whilst browsing on craigslist this morning:

Its a DNA Swab-a-thon!!! An exciting new product that uses DNA to pinpoint the breed-mix of a mutt will be demonstrated during a weekend “DNA swab-a-thon” Nov 2-4, 2007.

Representatives from the Canine Heritage™ Breed Test will be on-hand at eight PETCO stores in the Sacramento area to answer questions about the test. Kits will be available for purchase($10 off the internet price!) and representatives will be there to swab your pooch and process the paperwork. The only thing left to do is to wait for the results in the mail!

Quick and painless, the Canine Heritage™ Breed Test is a step forward in DNA technology yet remains very simple to administer. It requires only a simple cheek swab that is mailed to the lab in Davis, CA, with results coming back to the pet-owner in about 4 weeks. The current test can identify 38 breeds which represent about 75% of the most common registered domestic breeds.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that this seems like a harmless bit of fun. You know, you and your boyfriend have always argued over whether Fido is secretly part lab or part golden retriever. Now, you can finally settle the argument once and for all. However, right after that thought came a second one–this could help to further facilitate breed discrimination in America. Just imagine the possibilities. It will be much easier to determine if a dog is a member of a bully breed or not. This in turn will make it much easier for landlords to dictate which dogs can live on their properties and which ones can’t. It will set in motion a chain of events that–I predict anyway–will eventually lead to the eradication of bully breeds.

We already have issues where states and cities can ban dog owners from having pit bulls. Authorities in those areas can go into peoples’ homes and sieze their dogs for no reason except for their breed. (How they can do this and then wonder why people are willing to support people like Michael Vick is beyond me–but that’s a whole other issue that Susan Mead at My Friendly Pets and I have both already covered so I’ll say no more on it for now!) The dogs are not dangerous and have done nothing wrong. However, these dogs then go on to be euthanized merely for existing. Until now, owners have been able to hide under the cover of declaring their four-legged friends to be mutts. The government could not murder them unless the owners admitted that they were pure bred dogs–or if the animal really had attacked someone. I personally know of at least thirty dogs who have been spared because of this little convenient glitch. However, now the authorities will eventually have the power to demand owners to give them a sample of the dog’s blood so that it can be tested.

This disgusts me because of the complacency with which it is likely to be carried out. No one really seems to notice the nefarious hidden implications that it could have for humanity as well. How much longer will it be before UC Davis sets up medical tests to determine a person’s lineage? Those curious about their heritage will flock to labs around the world like lambs to the slughter. Never mind that somewhere out there, the next fascist tyrant will be biding his time and waiting to exterminate various ethnic groups on a whim. I predict it will be much worse than what Hitler managed to accomplish too. After all, he only had Star of David patches and the word of other people. The next despot will have DNA evidence to back up his personal vendetta–evidence made all the worse because it will have been given willingly! i can’t believe how foolish science can be sometimes–never stopping to even consider the future consequences of their actions! Or perhaps I should instead be chiding the everyday average Joes–after all, WE are the ones who are going along with it without a second thought…

DNA testing, DNA, Human Genome Project, dog breeds, dog breed discrimination, pit bull, pit bull legislation, DNA test to determine your dog’s breed, breed-specific legislation, dog fighting, MIchael Vick, Adolf Hitler, racism, Master Race, genetic testing, fascism, craigslist, scientific discoveries, Petco, Sacramento Petco, Canine Heritage, UC Davis, scientific news, animal cruelty, ownership rights