The impact of films on dog breed popularity

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140910152512.htm

This has been a big beef of mine for some time, so I find the results of this study very interesting!

Link for the entire study:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0106565

I think there has undoubtedly been an affect by films on the popularity of certain breeds over the years. In fairly recent years 101 Dalmations was a case in point. In my childhood Rin-Tin-Tin was, I am quite sure, responsible for the rash of Alsations (as they were called then) we saw then.

Hand on heart, I can't swear that I wasn't influenced myself. In the mid-'70s Dobermanns were brought to my attention through being featured in films of the time, I think in particular "The Dobermann Gang" which I saw on TV, and thought "what fantastic beautiful dogs". And eventually got one, and then another.

The bug-bear of course is irresponsible people cashing in on a current craze and breeding any old dog to any old dog just for a quick quid.

I think that's what it comes down to - irresponsibility. The same thing happened to turtles when the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie came out. Responsible breeders and pet shop keepers refused to sell turtles to teenagers!

Oh I'd forgotten the Ninja Turtles!

Resulted in bitey terrapins being a plague in many a village pond.

Sadly, yes. There are quite a few invasive species of turtle and terrapin now, mainly due to movie/film crazes.