Uniquely Japanese

An article from the New York Times (HERE) and the problem with inbreeding (pets) in Japan. It seems that some breeders are so crooked that the set up puppy mills and sell overly inbred dogs to make a quick profit. Inbred to the extent that some are born without eye noses, or bones that dissolve in their bodies.

From the article:

The breeder told Mr. Sasaki that he had bred a dog with three generations of offspring — in human terms, first with its daughter, then a granddaughter and then a great-granddaughter — until Keika was born. The other four puppies in the litter were so hideously deformed that they were killed right after birth.

Perhaps this is bushido. Or perhaps it is the result of foreign interference. Or, as is explained in this article, it could be connected to the declining birth rate in Japan which has caused the demand for dogs as sort of substitutes for children for some.

And they must be pure. No mixed breeds wanted.

Of course we can excuse this in Japan by pointing out that other countries have some sort of problem with puppy mills too. Therefore, It's OK.