[Thread trimmed to save space and my sanity.]
The thing is, only a select number of breeders are guilty of qualzucht, not breeders in general. That was my problem with the original post: that it used a tiny number of the worst examples of qualzucht as a means of condemning all breeders everywhere. The reality of the matter is that many dog breeds have remained virtually the same in appearance over the last 100+ years, and breeding to extreme deformity is not the norm for most breeds, even in conformation lines. Look at the following breeds, for example:
[Scottish Deerhound - 1879 & modern]
[English Setter - 1879 & modern]
[Saint Bernard - 1890 & modern]
[Dalmatian - 1890 & modern]
[Greyhound - 1890 & modern]
[Newfoundland - 1890 & modern]
[Irish Water Spaniel - 1891 & modern]
[Skye Terrier - 1891 & modern]
[Old English Sheepdog - 1893 & modern]
[Chesapeake Bay Retriever - 1895 & modern]
[Flat-coated Retriever - 1895 & modern]
[Curly-coated Retriever - 1897 & modern]
[Field Spaniel - 1897 & modern]
[Harrier - 1897 & modern]
[Irish Setter - 1897 & modern]
[Irish Wolfhound - 1897 & modern]
[Whippet - 1897 & modern]
[Gordon Setter - 1897 & modern]
[Xoloitzcuintle - 1897 & modern]
[English Pointer - 1897 & modern]
[Otterhound - 1899 & modern]
[Dandie Dinmont Terrier - 1901 & modern]
[Schipperke - 1903 & modern]
[Foxhound - 1904 & modern]
[Tibetan Spaniel - 1905 & modern]
[Cairn Terrier - 1910 & modern]
[Yorkshire Terrier - 1910 & modern]
I think it’s reasonable to say that the majority of dog breeds have not changed significantly in structure over the last century. Many of those that appear different are only superficially so, due to improved grooming techniques. A number of breeds have been improved structurally (the modern varieties have straighter backs, better rear angulation etc.). It is only a select group of extreme conformation breeders that contribute to qualzucht. Condemning all breeders, including responsible ones, due to this would be throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Pointing out abuse is good, but if it’s done in a hyperbolic, wildly inaccurate manner, what’s the point? That’s essentially what extreme AR groups like PETA do all the time. They run ads smearing breeders, blaming them for killing shelter dogs, and then turn around and kill 96% of all dogs surrendered to them (the highest kill rate of any “rescue” in the US).