I have a pet peeve. Ok, multiple. But one of my biggest is the deliberate breeding of mixed breed dogs. Now, I don't have anything against mixed breed dogs. Best dog I ever had was a mix. And I will likely have one again. I also realize that most or all breeds of dogs we have today are some mixture of ancestral breeds put together to create a certain type of dog that eventually became a new breed. The difference is that most of those breeds were created to do something-hunt, herd, retrieve, guard, pull sleds, whatever. The "breeds" people are creating today in large part don't do anything specific. By and large most of the "designer" dogs created today are just pets. And yes, I realize some of the current breeds we have now are also just lap dogs but we have plenty of those and hopefully breeders who are working to correct all the health problems that run rampant in some of those breeds
These designer dogs are literally no different than all the mixed breed dogs in the shelter. So I absolutely fail to understand why people continue to purchase them. I can see a person going to a reputable breeder and paying large sums of money for a healthy dog who was bred to perform some task. If you need a working dog of some sort-herding, hunting, whatever then that's reasonable. But why on earth would you pay big bucks for a yorkie-poo? What is it exactly that you are paying for? It's not health I'm guessing. I'm obviously no breeder but I would think that any quality breeder of any breed would not be crossing their quality dogs with other breeds. So that means all the indiscriminate breeders and puppy mills are producing mixed breed puppies with the same problems as their purebred parents (luxating patellas, underbites, hernias and so on). And they can't be paying for a certain look because there is no standard for a mixed breed dog. Again these are largely mixed breed lap dogs dozens of which can be found at the local shelter.
I don't know if people just don't realize this or don't care, but either way buying one of these dogs continues to support puppy producers who are contributing to the pet overpopulation. At least in my opinion.
I also don't understand when a litter of whatever-poos or some similar cross comes in to have their tails docked. I am very close to refusing to dock tails of any breed but absolutely won't dock the tail of any mixed breed dog for a non-medical reason.
That's all for now. Thanks for listening!
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13 comments:
You should ask them what the "breed standard" is for that particular "breed."
I think that the particular feature that they are breeding for is a cute name. (though I have to admit, I alwasy thought a Collie/Lhasa Apso cross would be a good idea.... a Collapso. A dog that folds up small for people on the go). No?
Too funny Lori
As the owner of two Morkies (half maltese/half yorkie), I could not agree more. I have preached what you are saying for a long time but never said it as eloquently as you've managed to do. It compromises the standards of a pure bred and for no real purpose. My two were given to us to be trained as therapy dogs but neither have the temperment to do so. They have both had multiple health problems. I love them to pieces and wouldn't give them up for the world (although in hind site, I probably wouldn't have gotten them in the first place). Having spent a lot of time volunteering in a local shelter, I know first hand that the breeders of these types dogs are the first to hand them off when they no longer serve their financial purposes.
Well said. I think many people believe that if they get a poodle they're getting a "cleaner" dog. One that won't shed or are somehow hypo-allergenic. Probably one of the worst reasons for getting a dog I can think of, especially since its probably not the case with most of the poodle mixes.
What kills me is how many of those damn doodles end up in shelters. Most are dumb as posts, impossible to train and pee all over the house. Granted, this is often a by-product of the idiots who bought them. Doodles are created by breeding crap poodles to crappy other dogs. They are the bottom of the breeding barrel. Anyone who buys one is a moron. Thankfully they do tend to get adopted quickly from our shelter!
Yeah for not docking tails. Dogs speak with their tails and there's no good reason with the exception of injury to remove them.
Probably most people who call themselves reliable breeders don't do all the health screenings available to them before breeding. The backyard breeder and miller certainly don't do testing.
Mistakes happen, but there's no reason for breeding mixed breeds with all the dogs already available.
HEY, you said it all!!! What is funny is when they advertise in the pennysaver that they are purebred yorkiepoo or some such "breed" like really???? and who is impressed by that???? and when was the last time you saw something like that with the parents with any health tests? sorry, dont get me started, we have a lot of puppy mills in our area...
I guess I'm not the only one with this pet peeve! And thanks to Boondocks for your honest opinion as an owner!
Totally agree with you! This has always bothered me. You write about it much more clearly than I was able to.
Oh no you are not the only one.. I love mixed breed dogs and shelters are loaded with them why spend BIG bucks on one. I see people with Labradoodles telling their dog is registered and is an F1B... sure whatever.. registered with the CKC Continental Kennel Club maybe..
I totally agree with you, which is, funnily enough, why I support the original breeding of Labradoodles. They were, in fact, bred with a specific purpose- to make service dogs possible for people who have allergies to dogs. The original Australian breeders were being responsible and doing health screenings and then only breeding dogs that met the requirements they were looking for.
Sadly (it seems odd to say this) Labradoodles are freaky cute and caught on among people who cared more about their dog making a fashion statement than just having a pet
Thank-you Nicki. I had an acquaintance who bought a "labradoodle" for some ungodly amount. Was so excited that he could "register" his dog, since both parents were AKC registered....just another way to scam people...want a mixed breed puppy, go to the Humane Society.
There are few things that annoy me more than the doodle epidemic. If I had a dollar for every client who's become irate when the invoice for their Cockapoo's Enalapril lists a "Cocker Spaniel/Poodle" mix, why, I'd probably be able to afford a top-dollar Yorkie-Poo of my very own. It's not in the breed list folks, because it's not a breed.
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