[simonsarris]

Well, that's true of a lot of dog breeds, especially ones with very long or very short noses. Massive reproductive issues and would not survive in the wild.

French bulldogs have to be almost exclusively birthed by C-section, because their heads are so big, and the females typically need to be inseminated by artificial insemination, because the males have a very hard time mounting females.

But they're very popular and widespread.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Bulldog#Health

[lazerwalker]

Yes, but dogs are domesticated animals we enjoy keeping as pets, not untamed wild animals we're discussing releasing into natural environments.

[chimeracoder]

Also, while some dog breeds are indeed endangered (or newly extinct) on the verge of extinction[1], many are dramatically overpopulated beyond sustainable proportions.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahltan_Bear_Dog [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Extinct_dog_breeds

[SoftwareMaven]

But nobody is saying "We are breeding these wolves that have been led down a genetic path that makes them unable to survive without man's help to save the wolves in the wild". It is also highly unlikely that any dog breeding programs are taking any resources away from wolf conservation, but that is exactly what is happening in the white tiger case.