They are nicer and more lovable then pure breeds. Usually they are smarter. And it seem like pure breeds would be kinda of like people from Arkansaw kind of freakish from all of the imbreeding.
And besides from Bill Murray’s speech in “Stripes” aren’t(us)Americans Mutts.
From what I’ve seen they tend to be less fragile healthwise.
My favourites are the ones with a recognisable border collie parentage, like mine are they have a sense of fun but they can be mischievous.I rememeber coming home one day to find the pair of them covered in stickers from a roll they had rooted out, looking very pleased with themselves.
The big pure-breds like Irish wolfhound seem to have relatively short lives.
Dalmations seem to be smaller than years ago and nothing like as strong and tough.
I love Retrievers, Labs and large Spanials though.
There’s a principle I learned in Genetics called “hybrid vigor” which explains why mutts tend to be stronger & healthier than purebreds. So many purebred pets these days are the products of EXTREMELY shallow gene pools, & are subject to lots of congenital maladies.
Plus a lot of the traits that are thought of as desirable in purebreds are really not all that aesthetically pleasing. My BFs parents have a purebred Persian cat with a grotesquely flat face. His eyes are set eerily far apart. Because of his weird nose configuration, he sounds like Darth Vader when he breathes & gets frequent respiratory infections. Like, who thought it was a good idea to breed animals that look like this? My cat is just an alley cat from the Humane Society, but he’s a lot better-looking.
Wildest Bill, you have finally hit upon the one point in which you and I are in total agreement.
My mutt’s name is Daisy-Bob. We got her from a shelter. She’s a terrer-mix, salt and pepper and very shaggy. She is undoubtedly the best dog in the world - very smart, easily trained and affectionate like all get out.
BTW, Peta Tzunami’s animal cruelty thread broke my freakin’ heart yesterday. The first thing I did when I got home was hug my dog.
With all the negative attention to cruel puppy farms and the disorders of certain purebreds (neurological damage and bone problems) I’m shocked that there is even a desire for purebreeds anymore. For some reason people assume that animals “from the pound” are damaged goods or ugly. I can assure you when we went to the ASPCA to adopt a cat we were astounded by all the simply beautiful creatures there, dogs and cats both.
mmmm. I have to disagree with many of you. While, mutts (or mixed-breeds as I like to call them) are wonderful. you do have to look at the downside. Most are first or second generation mutts. If you breed two purel-breds with health problems the mutt will most likely have all the health problems of the parents. The actual truth is that mutts have as many or more than pure breds. However, since there is no one keeping track of, in fact it’s impossible to, all the problems with mutts. People get the idea that there is no problem. With a mutt you are also unsure of the general temperment of the dog. I have had an American Bulldog. A wonderfull wonderfull loving amazing beautiful dog. However, they can also be aggresive. If you are not trained in how to deal with it, they will be dangerous. If you get a mutt that has an agressive dog in it, there is no telling what it’s temperment will be like. You could be raising somehthing that you can not handle. With purebreds, you know the health and possible health problems of the dog, you know it’s parents history, on and on. With mutts that is impossible. It could have some genetic defect that you had no idea about. There is a reason why guide dogs and police dogs are always purebred.
Anyway, enough of my rant. I’ve met some wonderful wonderful mixed-breeds. Probably the nicest one was a Rottie-lab mix. Very sweet.
I think it depends on why you want a dog. If you want a pet without a specific “job,” or you don’t have a lot of specific things you’re looking for, then a pound puppy is a great option. But if you want a dog for hunting, some kind of dog sport like agility, or if you want to compete in obedience, getting a dog from a responsible breeder or from breed rescue is probably the best way to go. Allergies are a consideration as well for some people.
I got my dog from a breeder. I wanted a puppy because I didn’t want my cats (who are pound kitties) to freak out, and I wanted a dog with a specific kind of temperament. I also wanted a dog from parents who had been screened for various problems (hip dysplasia, eye problems, etc.) I was also considering showing (which I ended up not doing) and obedience trials (never did that either, but we got a CGC, anyway).
I will probably get my next dog from breed rescue - I don’t think I want the hassle of getting a puppy again. Either a greyhound or a Rhodesian Ridgeback. But that won’t be for a while (I hope) since my Norwegian Elkhound is only 6.