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Boxer Breeders Euthanising White Puppies


Guest Augustine The Boxer
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Guest Augustine Approved

Apologies if this is a common question, just wondering if someone can shed some light on something that has been troubling me.

I bumped into someone the other day who's boxer had pups. It was explained to me that two of them were white and because they are a registered breeder they had to be euthanised. The explanation was that if they did not euthanise the pups they would lose their registered breeder status. IF I understood this correctly, I would like to know why the pups couldn't be spaded and given an opportunity to live like the other puppies.

I can appreciate that it's a "defect" so to speak but a life is a life. What is the harm in keeping white pups?

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Dane breeders euthanise white pups too - has nothing to do with their ability to retain breeder status as far as I am aware. Its more about white pups are likely to be deaf as well as having a host of other issues. Here is an interesting link: http://www.chromadane.com/whites.htm

Personally I think euthanising white puppies at birth is a sign of a responsible and ethical breeder.

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Registered breeders must register all puppies in a litter but white Boxers are the only ones of any breed that cannot be registered on main or limit register. So to comply with the rules the breeders don't have much choice. If they elect to raise the puppies they have to give them away because they are not allowed to sell unregistered puppies.

All white dogs in any breed that is not supposed to be white, have a much higher risk of deafness and other health issues, especially skin cancer. Many breeders would prefer to put down newborn puppies than raise them to 6-8 weeks, find out they are deaf and have to put them down then, once they are attached to them. Reputable breeders do not sell puppies that they know are affected with a major health problem.

If you have ever seen a young all white dog covered in skin cancer you would never contemplate selling anyone an all white dog in a breed where the white is influenced by skin pigment.

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"I can appreciate that it's a "defect" so to speak but a life is a life. What is the harm in keeping white pups?"

I am another one who thinks euthanasing them is the ethical and responsible thing to do.

There are far too many white dogs out there already with skin conditions that people just can not stay on top of no matter how hard they try.

It is also very difficult to rehome deaf dogs. While they might be nice and and easy when they are young babies, wait till they hit the 9 or 10 month age and they have not had the training they should have recieved. A lot of people struggle with high energy dogs like a boxer at the best of times. A deaf one makes it even more of a challenge.

They often end up in shelters and shelter life is hard for any dog let alone a deaf one.

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From what I can see most white boxers are just sold unregistered if you look at websites and talk to registered boxer breeders.

Yes, this is what seems to happen in WA, with the breeders that I know of. I think it was common practice to euthanize whites in the past though. :confused:

White Boxers are sold at a reduced price to pet homes but are still microchipped etc. They can't be shown/ bred but can obviously still compete in obedience/ agility etc. just like any unregistered dog. Owners can still join their local Boxer club as associate members. White boxers are not always deaf. They do need an owner who is mindful of sun exposure but to be honest, it's not hard to do that. I exercise my dog early morning and late afternoon and he sleeps during the heat of the day (preferring the comfy indoors to the sun!)

There are a few white Boxer owners on DOL. :)

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So why then do we have White Shepherds, who were once German Shepherds now with a different name, also the West Highland Whites, were once Cairn Terriers. Nothing wrong with these white breeds. Not every white dog is going to be deaf, same as every white cat is not deaf. If it is only being done to conform to breed standards for showing, why cull otherwise perfectly healthy white pups, whose only crime in life is to be born white. Just my opinion.

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I think its a terrible practice, my first dog was a white boxer, she was neither deaf orblind nor did she suffer any skin issues. she lived 1 week shy of her 11th birthday.

I understand raising and being attached only to find they are deaf would be heartbreaking, but there are people that are willing to adopt a deaf dog. Didn't realise they were unable to be registered on limited though does make it harder for registered breeders.

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I think its a terrible practice, my first dog was a white boxer, she was neither deaf orblind nor did she suffer any skin issues. she lived 1 week shy of her 11th birthday.

I understand raising and being attached only to find they are deaf would be heartbreaking, but there are people that are willing to adopt a deaf dog. Didn't realise they were unable to be registered on limited though does make it harder for registered breeders.

Yes there are people that are willing to adopt a deaf dog, but in my experience they are very few and far between.

There are also people that are willing to adopt a deaf dog because they want to "save" or "rescue" them, but really dont have the versatilities that are needed to care for them.

The last deaf dog (a white Boxer) that I rehomed, lived with me for months, before an approptiate home was found for her.

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So why then do we have White Shepherds, who were once German Shepherds now with a different name, also the West Highland Whites, were once Cairn Terriers. Nothing wrong with these white breeds. Not every white dog is going to be deaf, same as every white cat is not deaf. If it is only being done to conform to breed standards for showing, why cull otherwise perfectly healthy white pups, whose only crime in life is to be born white. Just my opinion.

The white in breeds that are all white normally is actually an extreme dilution of the hair colour of an otherwise genetically yellow/cream dog. The skin pigment is not affected so their are no health problems associated with the white coat.

In breeds with white markings (known as Irish spotting) on a solid colour, the all white is caused by an excess of the white markings that occur on unpigmented skin. This is why breed standards like the Border Collie one state that "white must not predominate". A dog with white markings over the ears are more likely to be deaf and any unpigmented skin is more likely to get skin cancer so selling dogs that are extremely lacking in skin pigment to me is very irresponsible, especially in short coated breeds.

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I have a dog (not a boxer) with a white head which includes white ears. She has perfect hearing. She competes and is very successful in obedience and agility, as well as being a wonderful ambassador for her breed. Thank God her breeder didn't get rid of her before she had a chance is all I can say.

Edited by wuffles
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Well then you get people who decide its a great idea to breed white boxers only...yes true...they have a web page.. :mad

Yes I would believeit, but stupid people do stupid things anyway regardless, with breeding dogs, just have to look at the totally mismatched crosses that "Stupid people" have bred.

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I have a dog (not a boxer) with a white head which includes white ears. She has perfect hearing. She competes and is very successful in obedience and agility, as well as being a wonderful ambassador for her breed. Thank God her breeder didn't get rid of her before she had a chance is all I can say.

If she has perfect hearing it means that she has some pigment (colour) in her inner ears. Without that pigmentation, parts of the inner ear would be unable to function, and she would be deaf.

Depending on the breed, the patterns of unpigmented areas can vary. In my breed (greyhound) you do get dogs that appear to be all white. But on close inspection most of the white ones have very faint pigment spots on the ear skin, and so deafness is rare in the breed. Other breeds have different distribution of pigments that result in a different variety of colours and so deafness can be much more common.

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I have a dog (not a boxer) with a white head which includes white ears. She has perfect hearing. She competes and is very successful in obedience and agility, as well as being a wonderful ambassador for her breed. Thank God her breeder didn't get rid of her before she had a chance is all I can say.

If she has perfect hearing it means that she has some pigment (colour) in her inner ears. Without that pigmentation, parts of the inner ear would be unable to function, and she would be deaf.

Depending on the breed, the patterns of unpigmented areas can vary. In my breed (greyhound) you do get dogs that appear to be all white. But on close inspection most of the white ones have very faint pigment spots on the ear skin, and so deafness is rare in the breed. Other breeds have different distribution of pigments that result in a different variety of colours and so deafness can be much more common.

Yes, I understand the mechanism. But I believe that most white boxers are not deaf and therefore do have some pigmentation.

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Just wondering if the white ones get cancer. Would anybody know?

Pigment acts as a sunscreen against the UV rays that can cause cancer. The less pigment in the animal or human, and the more UV rays absorbed, the more they are prone to developing skin cancer.

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