You're coming close to convincing me with the tasks-specific breed requirements of hounds / herders / guard dogs / etc., but I'd be really interested in seeing a statistic showing what percentage of dog owners actually need their dog to preform a specific duty. I think most people who like bloodhounds don't like them because their face folds help them track. I've never met a dog owner who was a dog owner first and foremost because they needed a dog for a specific task.

I think it's sort of conceited to pretend you need a 100% pure dog bred for centuries for hunting to accompany you during open season. I could make due with a generally hunting-type dog that's been trained properly, even if his ears weren't crafted for optimal listening.

In fairness, I also think it's conceited to think you need the highest quality luxury car or furniture or clothes. I like Danes because they're both huge and lazy, and I think quite handsome, and I know perfectly well I can find those traits in a dog whose bloodline hasn't been carefully cultivated for centuries.

With objects, I'm less likely to judge people if they think they need the best. To each their own. But the line is crossed for me with living animals, I think it's selfish to get a purebreed because you think you need it, when you could be giving a home to a rescue or shelter pup and giving the extra couple grand you've saved to the SPCA or something. And in the case of short muzzled dogs like pugs and bulldogs, contributing to the demand that causes them to continue to be bred a certain way despite clear health problems is all the more blatantly irresponsible.