A lot of people are down on the merle color pattern, because if two dogs that have the gene for merle are bred together, the puppies can have hearing or vision problems.
Although merle is dominant over most colors, it is not dominant over a few colors, so it would be possible (in some breeds) for a breeder to mate two dogs, but not know that they could produce a defective puppy.
I’ve heard people at dog shows flame up over new colors (any that they don’t breed yet), so I tend to not get too worked up about it, like I do over people breeding dogs when they know that the dogs have, or carry, major health or temperament problems.
Many dog show people who I have spoken to over the years, think that it is just fine to breed dogs with inherited diseases – provided that some of the puppies might be show winners.
What can I say? People can be really stupid and selfish.
The dog in these photos is a Catahoula.
Doghome 