Meme cryptocurrency, Dogecoin has won a number of crypto enthusiasts to its side since the start of the year. Notably, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk has been the linchpin behind the meteoric growth of the meme token, as he led it to attain a new high during a bull run in May. While this may have been a good thing for the token regarded as having no tangible use case, it has raised concerns for the Shiba Inu dog breed after which Dogecoin is themed.
According to reports, the interest in Dogecoin has had a domino effect on the demand for the Shiba Inu dog breed. However, experts fear for a likely Shiba Inu abuse that may result from this. As they noted, if ethical breeders are unable to meet the requests for the dog breed, which they are being inundated with, unprofessional and unlicensed breeders are likely to breed these dogs at their backyards in a bid to meet these requests. A major concern is that the Shiba Inu is not just any kind of dog breed owing to certain peculiarities.
Due Protocols Not Observed, Shiba Expert Argues
Jeri Burnside, a prominent member of some Shiba Inu associations in America, fronted some other concerns that the rising interest is likely to have on the dog breed. These concerns include; no vetting process to ensure that puppies are going to good homes, absence of health screening for litters bred at backyard puppy mills, and also lack of temperament screening as inexperienced breeders scramble to meet the demand surge.
These risks are likely worsened due to the game hunting qualities of Shiba as they are sometimes bred with wolf genetics. Burnside added that most Shiba Inu dogs cannot be trusted 100% when they are off the leash. As such, they could pose life-threatening risks to other dogs at dog parks. They are not a breed for everyone, Burnside argued.
Shiba Inu dogs are intelligent, independent and cunning, such that not just anybody can keep them as pets. In addition, they suffer a plethora of health challenges, the majority of which border on eye-sight. More often than not, these dogs develop glaucoma, which could also lead to blindness.
Experts Observe Increase in Abandonment Rate
Jeri Burnside did not fail to note that since most Shiba Inu dog owners do not have a foreknowledge of these challenges, this has led to an increase in the rate of abandonment, abuse and mistreatment. The responsibility of rehabilitating these mistreated and abandoned dogs then falls to volunteers and Shiba rescue homes lacking adequate resources to cater to the dogs.
As of press time, Dogecoin is trading at the $0.27 mark after declining by 1% on the day. It has remained at the zone since the previous week, but it is a significant increase on the all-time low of $0.19. Doge’s closed at a high of $0.33, which is now the resistance zone for the token. Still, its August high is more than 50% short of its May ATH of $0.73.
