Purebred Dogs As a Status Symbol

I rarely see mutts in Winnetka. Almost every dog I see is purebred, and before the village decided that it is unacceptable to let dogs play in the park across the street, I would see various dog breeds running around at any given time. Golden Retrievers and Labradors are especially plentiful in the area.

So majestic. So aristocratic. Wow.

I've always wondered why so many people buy purebred dogs despite their tendency towards inbred diseases. Bernese Mountain Dogs, for example, are particularly prone to cancer, and yet one of my close friends had no qualms about buying three in a row. 

Not only are purebreds prone to illnesses, but they also cost a fortune. Some of the more popular breeds can cost >$1000, not including medical costs and the inevitable damage to electrical cords. 

The only explanation I can think of for the popularity of purebred dogs in rich neighborhoods is that they serve as a status symbol. If you can afford a purebred dog, then you're most likely well-to-do. When someone sees someone else with the same type of dog as them, they become part of this imaginary club and feel an immediate kinship. When I learned that one of my friends has a King Cocker Spaniel, I immediately blurted out, "No way, I have a Welsh Springer Spaniel!" and we proceeded to gush about our privleged pets.

This idea of purebreds as a status symbol even appears in The Great Gatsby. The late Myrtle had no knowledge of dog breeds, so when she and Tom stopped on the side of the road to look at some puppies, she made the social blunder of asking for a 'police dog' and then accepting a mutt, identified as an airedale by the seller, which "undoubtedly [had] an airedale concerned in it somewhere though its feet were startlingly white" (32). Evidently, Myrtle would never have made it in Winnetka.

Do you think that purebred dogs are a sign of class?