The vaccine that the scientists have developed should be used to save the German Shepherd. The German Shepherd is above all known for its intelligence, and is also loyal, confident, and courageous (American Kennel Club). These dogs have the intelligence to adapt to any situation. They are docile and obedient yet can be aggressive when necessary. Their superior intelligence makes them comparatively easy to train. Due to these character traits, it comes as no surprise that they are one of the top service dogs (Hayner, 2019). Service dogs are used for a wide range of things. To name a few, they assist the blind and the deaf, and they are often used as police dogs.
It is well established that German Shepherds have characteristics that make them a good service dog. The heritability of these characteristics must be taken into consideration. In their study, Wilsson and Sundgren noted a high heritability on average for numerous behavioral characteristics in German Shepherds. Their findings are important because they give us confidence that the descendents of the German Shepherds we save will be able to maintain their integral role in our communities. German shepherds improve the quality of life for many people and play integral roles in keeping our communities safe. The extinction of the German Shepherd would leave big shoes to fill. Although with proper training, other dogs theoretically would be up to the tasks, it makes sense to save the German Shepherd, as they are the gold standard for service dogs.
Sources:
“German Shepherd Dog Dog Breed Information.” American Kennel Club.
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/german-shepherd-dog/
Hayner, LM. (2019). Let’s Meet Some of the Best Service Dog Breeds. Dogster.
https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/best-service-dog-breeds
Wilsson and Sundgren (1996). The use of a behavior test for selection of dogs for service and breeding. II. Heritability for tested parameters and effect of selection based on service dog characteristics. Elsevier. 53 (2-3): 235-241.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159196011756
Recent comments