Awww! I want to see the Borgi!
I can’t see why you think it’s an unsuitable mix. One of my dogs is a border collie/jack russell mix, and he’s gorgeous. He has the longer legs and floppy ears of a collie, and he’s a lovely friendly dog. He gets on really well with my other dog, too, who’s a jack russell/scots terrier mix.
1st I want to say that with some 300 odd breeds of dog, I really don’t see the reason for experimenting with mixing up things even more. Surely, among all these pure breds, there must be at least one that would suit a potential buyer.
2nd. There’s a common misconception that mutts are healthier than pure bred dogs. It’s true that inbreeding and irresponsible breeders sometimes reinforce bad traits in a breed. But genetics doesn’t guarantee that only the good traits will survive when mixing two different purebreds, it might as well re-enforce the worst parts.
which leads me to my reply to you:
- I’m glad you’re happy with your dogs, and I think you were lucky. JR are very energetic and … um … temperamental… dogs. And borders are the hardest working dogs in the world. I feel so sorry for many BCs who are treated the same way most other dogs are. If you don’t have sheep, figure on spending 4-6 active hours a day with your dog.
Two mix two of the most energetic breeds that exist, one of which is known for its temper and the other for its creativity (especially when bored) is a recipie for disaster. That it turned out fine for you is good and no insult was intended, but when they are given official sounding names and breeders up the price, I’m afraid the dogs are going to suffer, since most buyers won’t know what they’re getting into.
My friend wasn’t selling them for some inflated price, actually. I think she gave them away. But the Jack/Border crosses work cattle right alongside her Borders. They’re just smaller and have wiry hair.
I agree that either of these breeds are typically so extremely active as to defy entertainment. But these are working dogs. They do well on a ranch.
Both of my dogs are rescue dogs, so I just had to pay the fee for neutering and the standard shelter fee. The smaller one [now 15, with a dicky heart, deaf and nearly blind] followed my late husband home one night - he was starved, had been badly treated and was almost hairless. We weren’t sure if it was legal just to keep him, so we took him to the shelter, and they said he’d be put down in 7 days. That last night my husband couldn’t sleep, thinking about him being killed the next day, so he asked me if he could have him for his xmas present. He picked him up the next morning and took him to the vet to get neutered, so that xmas my husband’s present was Arnie’s Xmas balls. I gave him a bag of marbles on Xmas day as a memorial.
I can’t exercise them myself, as I can’t walk more than a few yards most days, but I pay a local schoolkid to take them to the park every day. I know it’s not an ideal situation, but they seem happy and healthy enough.
moi–I’m sure that price list is regional–I see ads in the paper here and they’re far cheaper.
As many posters have said, it’s usually puppy mills who breed these dogs. And it’s even more likely that it’s a puppy mill if they have several breeds of dogs (usually popular ones) in one add.
I saw a pekapoo once and it was the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen. It had a weird coat and the Pekinese underbite. It was rather ill-tempered to. But that’s a sample size of 1.
It’s STILL a nice doggie. And I was happy with the breeder, and would cheerfully recommend her and her doggies.