Holy cow! I knew those mutts were selling for ridiculous prices but I had no idea. You can get purebreds from a reputable breeder for less than that. Or a nice shelter dog (mutt or purebred) for even less.
I once worked at a clinic with a client that liked to breed “designer dogs” before it was all the rage. I once forgot myself when she said she invented the Cocker-Dachs breed (she was currently inventing the Lhasa-Dachs) and I said “you invented the mutt?”.
I have a co-worker with a dog with an unknown background, it could be a mutt or it could be a Havanese. It is a great dog and it lets her grandkids do anything with it.
I live in a nice sized home and it has a nice sized yard for any sized dog. I do not want a puggle because it is a designer dog or the new “rage”! I have a friend who is a vet and says its a good choice of dog.
ace50421, here’s hoping you find a fine dog friend.
One of my past dogs got me in touch with Dr. Greishaber, a vet/dermatologist specializing in dogs with allergies. I asked him what dogs come to see him most. He said terriers have tendencies toward skin problems. Cocker spaniels will very likely get sebaceous cysts (big, stand-up pimples,) lots of them. He said, “If you get a shar-pei, I guarantee you’ll be seeing me again.”
Some other breeds have tendencies for specific serious health problems. I don’t know most of them, but the AKC website has lots of info. Read up on a breed you’re thinking about.
I was over at a friend’s house and we were partying pretty hard. Being way past driving home I decide to sleep it off at his place so I grab a blanket and crash in his Laz-E-Boy.
The click of the foot rests must have set off some Pavlovian response because I suddenly hear some thundering galloping feet and look up JUST in time to see his Beagle…I swear…NO LESS than 4 feet off the ground just BARRELING into my lap (ears flapping in the wind and all). I mean this dog damn near tipped the chair over backwards when he hit my lap.
So he curls up in my lap, I give him a good scratch and eventually get to sleep. No less than SEVEN HOURS LATER I wake up from my drunken stupor. This dog is STILL sitting there (had my arm over him so know he didn’t go anywhere). SEVEN HOURS, didn’t move. Didn’t hear a PEEP out of him the entire time I was there either.
So what’s a good apartment dog then? I’d love a pet, but I’m alergic to cats. And I don’t have time to walk it every day, so it has gotta be happy inside.
Well, any dog is going to have to be walked every day, a couple times every day, unless you plan to put paper down for it or put a dog litter box on your porch and train it to use that?
If you can’t spend time with the dog every day, and live in an apartment, I would strongly recommend against you getting a dog.
We have a basset hound, and while she’s still young, she’s a member of a very low-energy breed – but they still need time to romp around every day! Seriously, two adults in their 20s are having a hard time keeping up with this dog, and we have a fenced backyard for her to play in.
I don’t know much about pugs (or puggles - they are cute) but my sister in law has a beagle. I have heard them referred to as “a nose on legs” and this is very true. They take a lot of training and are very stubborn. My SIL’s beagle will get mad at her and break housetraining even though there is a dog door right there. And if the dog is outside the fence and gets a scent of something she she is gone! Part of this is because my SIL is not a very effective trainer, but the same methods worked just fine on her basset hound.
And I don’t think people were necessarily implying you were after “a designer dog” or wanted one because they were “the new rage” but were simply horrified that unscrupulous breeders would intentionally breed “mutts”* and have the balls to charge outrageous prices for them.
*Puggles are not a new breed; they are mutts. If you breed two puggles you are most likely not going to get puggles but beaugs - puppies with not necessarily the traits of beagle or pug you are looking for. They don’t breed true. Although “beaugs” is a cute name…
My first Shar-pei had zero skin issues whatsoever, but I wasn’t so lucky with the second. I’ve probably spent a total of $1,200 on his skin issues over the 10.5 years I’ve had him, and I think I got away pretty cheap. I’m just lucky he didn’t have the bad hips. knock wood
Wow way to “accidentally” hit a trend at the height of its popularity. I also cannot believe that a veterinarian would endorse getting a engineered Frankenstein dog when they more than anyone know about the huge problem of overcrowded shelters and homeless animals.
please do not support these people breeding for money just because they stumbled on a super cute pet combo. Any shelter in your area will have a number of dogs that are apartment sized and will be able to answer questions about temperament. Additionally, the adoption fee will be only 100-400 and include routine shots, neutering, and possible other extras such as heart worm medication or bags of dog food.
I adopted my rat terrier/chihuahua, Ignatius, from a no kill shelter in New Orleans and its the best thing I’ve ever done.
