It’s no brainer that dogs are a loved animal. When we think of dogs we think of how cute, cuddly and friendly they are. While humans make these assumptions they have an expectation of their perfect companion. How humans see their dogs affects their care and ultimately how they interact with us. 

Owning a dog comes with a lot of responsibilities which is most of the time not the first priority for new dog owners. Owners tend to pick a “trendy dog” (right now in the U.S. french bulldogs are the top breed) (Haid, 2025) When searching for a dog, people tend to leave out important considerations like lifestyle, breed, temperament, physical and mental needs. A study about ethics and breeding highlights this issue. “…instead of researching and selecting a breed that suits a particular lifestyle, or even considering adoption from shelters and rescue dogs, owners choose pets based on physical appearance.” (Menor-Campos D. J. 2024) This practice increases behaviour and health issues ultimately leading to the consideration of the animal’s wellbeing. If an inexperienced dog owner gets a working dog or a high energy dog, this can be detrimental to the dog’s behaviour and health. One of the most prevalent behaviours dog trainers are facing is reactivity. Which can be the outcome of bad genetics and missed socialization milestones; sometimes due to overpopulation in back yard breeding operations and puppy mills. Reactivity not only affects the dog but the owner. Reactivity affects the mental functioning of the owner and it is absolutely exhausting owning a reactive dog. No matter what type of reactivity it is, owners have to work hard for it to change. You are re-wiring the entire brain structure to respond differently to stimuli. When owners have reactive dogs this can lead to less physical exercise for the dog, this increases boredom in the home. Most reactive dogs tend to be high energy and high anxiety. Dogs who lack physical and mental stimulation can exhibit more negative behaviours like chewing, barking, increased fear and anxiety, and even aggression toward their owners. These dogs can also experience increased health issues. This is why professionals say to do your research when selecting a dog. If you think about a therapy or service dog they always serve a calm demeanor, focused on their handler, and remain calm in most situations. This is because of selective breeding which focuses on temperament and health. It affects how the dogs interact with their humans. Humans rely on these dogs through their daily life and when getting a service dog it is very important to consider the welfare of the dog. A study that focused on medical alert dogs found these drawbacks when owners considered a service dog. “Drawbacks included service dog care, public access and education, lifestyle adjustments, and dog behaviour.” (Rodriguez 2020). Running into these common issues can creat more problems for those with disabilities and a service may not be right fo everyone. 

Different dog breeds seem to shift in popularity from year to year. Most of that influence can be attributed to popular media. In a study researching the impact of media on new dog owners and puppy adoption, they asked vets what they felt on the matter“…clients are bringing in new puppies, saying they were inspired to purchase that specific breed by a post they had seen on Instagram and/or Facebook.” (Anderson) What people don’t realize is that frenches for example, may be cute, and have great benefits. They have health issues that have increased tenfold since their increase in popularity. This is simply because breeders are trying to keep up with the demand. Frenches not only come with a large adoption price tag but a huge surgery bill as well. They are considered brachycephalic (flat faced) and comes with breathing issues, heart issues, and skin issues just for starters. Shelters and rescues see what happens after adoption all the time. When owners set too high a standard for their dog or have too many medical issues the dogs are given up. This increases feelings of anxiety and lack of trust in humans. It not only affects the dog but the human having to rehome the dog.  Humans and their influence are single handedly ruining the health of our own dogs. 

Cited Sources:

Anderson, C. (n.d.). Investigating Media Influence on Canine Breed Popularity and Investigating

Media Influence on Canine Breed Popularity and Increasing Prevalence of Genetic

Linked Disorders Increasing Prevalence of Genetic Linked Disorders. Site. https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/ 

Haid, M. (2025, March 20). Most popular dog breeds of 2024. American Kennel Club.

The Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2024

Menor-Campos D. J. (2024). Ethical Concerns about Fashionable Dog Breeding. Animals : an

    open access journal from MDPI, 14(5), 756. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14050756

Rodriguez, K. E., Bibbo, J., Verdon, S., & O’Haire, M. E. (2020). Mobility and medical

service dogs: a qualitative analysis of expectations and experiences. Disability and

rehabilitation. Assistive technology, 15(5), 499–509https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2019.1587015