Pinkman and Bitsy the Dogs

I appreciate the fact that you are likely a troll, but some people do genuinely hold these beliefs so I’d like to address them. (By the way, when you ask these things “anonymously” but are still logged into your Tumblr account, I can still see your IP address, the blog page you came from, and with Tumblr add ons I can actually see the account you were logged into at the time of the ask. I’m not going to post your name and give you the attention you want, but perhaps think a little more closely about whether or not you’d like the words you send someone attached to your name.)

A double Merle happens when a Merle dog is crossed with a Merle dog. While this can be done on purpose by unscrupulous breeders, it can also happen if a Merle dog comes in contact with another Merle dog without human intervention. This is how Pinkman happened. It an also happen if by the roll of the dice the Merle gene doesn’t show up on one of the parents phenotypically and they are bred with the assumption that the dog does not carry the Merle gene. This is how Bitsy happened.

Double Merle genes DO impact vision and hearing to various degrees, as you can see with my girlies, but there is no evidence that they impact other aspects of the dog’s health. Many of the health issues that can cause discomfort impact a dog’s quality of life falsely attributed to the double Merle genes (heart defects, liver issues, hip dysplasia and a litany of other issues) are genetic issues either within the specific line (which means all puppies in the litter, not just the Merles have a chance of being affected) or are known issues with the breed. I could say that saddle markings in German Shepherds causes hock issues because some dogs with saddles display those problems but just because A and B are present does not mean that A causes B. I’m not sure how to post a link on an ask reply on mobile, but LethalWhites.com has some excellent info and sources (including how “lethal white” is a misnomer borrowed from the horse world. Horses born pure white are not compatible with life and in utero or shortly after birth. Double Merle dogs were often killed at birth but there is nothing inherently fatal about the double Merle genetics.).