Should breeding be more heavily regulated?

Animal breeding is the practice of mating selected animals to enhance desirable traits in future generations. This practice began over 10,000 years ago with the domestication of species like dogs, goats, and cattle. Pioneers like Robert Bakewell advanced breeding by selecting animals with preferred characteristics. A breed refers to a group of animals sharing distinct, heritable traits, such as appearance or behavior, that distinguish them from others within the same species. Selective breeding involves choosing parent animals with specific desirable characteristics to produce offspring that exhibit those traits. When closely related animals mate, it's termed inbreeding; this practice aims to preserve or enhance certain qualities but can increase the risk of genetic issues due to reduced diversity. Conversely, crossbreeding is the mating of animals from different breeds to combine desirable traits from both, often resulting in offspring with enhanced characteristics or hybrid vigor.