"Designer" dogs or just plain old mutts?????

[Riocotesei]

I agree, health testing is very important when breeding for the breed. Also, all my other dogs besides my chihuahuas are fixed..so I consider myself responsible.
Pet stores upset me quite a bit, and I don't understand why they are still allowed to sell puppies. They are basically puppy brokers in my opinion.

 

[Lorettawyandotte]

the deliberate creation of mutts to sell at inflated prices to john Q public just makes me froth at the mouth...there is so much ignorance afoot...I had a French Bulldog that achieved her AKC CH several years ago and was approached by more than one person, who should have been culled at birth, to inqire about breeding her to their mixed breed some kind a bulldog to "see what we get." Holy moly...what we would have gotten was a disaster...I spayed the little girl and she was never bred...Frenchies often have birthing issues with the large head thing going on and I did not want to put her through it...puppies of that breed start at a grand and I have seen some go for as much as 2500, but that was too much like pimping for me...I have had pure breds for the past 25 years and did some showing and breeding...I just had to quit the breeding end of it...too many homeless dogs out there...too many in shelters...too many being killed every day...and then these totally dumb buttheads get into the creation of glorified mutts...makes blood shoot out of my eyes...

I have owned mixed breeds and loved everyone of them but they were not presented to me as designer dogs nor did I pay big bucks for them...the whole thing is just too stupid for words...

 

[Carole AM]

Very interesting topic!

There is every mix imaginable at the swap meets around here, selling for LOTS of money!

We see a lot of designer dogs in our rescue, but we take in puppy mill dogs too. So many have been bred soooo long, they have a lot of health issues. Its great to see the word is getting OUT THERE on puppy millers, and pet-shop puppies. Lets spread the word!

I have links on the subject, if anyone is interested.
Some of the pack:

 

[PattiXmas]

My other pet peeve is the wording of "hybrid". A mixed breed/"designer" cannot be a hybrid. For those of you that didn't know, here is the definition -

hy·brid (hbrd)
n.
1. Genetics The offspring of genetically dissimilar parents or stock, especially the offspring produced by breeding plants or animals of different varieties, species, or races.
2.
a. Something of mixed origin or composition.
b. Something, such as a computer or power plant, having two kinds of components that produce the same or similar results.
3. A word whose elements are derived from different languages.

(It's just another advertising trick these BYB or Millers use. )

Another pet peeve - Paris Hilton and the "others" that think pets are accessories! I think if they were made to pick up the crap their "accessories" leave, they would think otherwise. Instead, they just have their "servants" do it.

 

[Boyd]

Both of my Dog's are rescues. My jack Russell has been with me for 4 or 6 years now, and a boxer/pit or boxer/shepherd mix has been around 3 years or so. Of all the dogs I've ever own, the boxer mix is hands down the calmest and nicest dog out there!

Me and the wife got on pet finder to look up LGD's, and within an hours drive of us we found LOTS of great Pyrenees within an hours drive, but we found soooooooooooooooooo many cute mutts... I guess what prevents us from adopting more dogs is the price though. Most shelters are asking upwards of 150-200$ for the dogs and the re homing fee. Many of them will only home in their county

 

[Rosalind]

Quote:
I know you were asking rhetorically, but the answer is, if you want a purebred dog to be used for breeding purposes who has won at least Best Of Breed and preferably Best In Group at Westminster, then it does, in fact, cost about $10-15,000.

My Pyr comes from a Westminster winner dad, and he was $1000 for pet quality. He could have won some little local shows, but he is small for his breed. We're working on some draft titles instead, and he is extremely good at livestock guarding and management. If he learns to be a little less skittish around odd noises, we might work on his therapy dog title as he's super-friendly. His cousin is the 2009 Westminster Best Of Breed, Impyrial's Love American Style.

My Newfie is distantly related to Josh, who won Best In Show at Westminster in 2004; she is show quality all the way, but the breeder only picks one puppy per litter and there were six in the litter--her brother was deemed more outgoing and friendly. She was $2000, and we're working on training for her water and draft titles.

I cannot fathom paying $10k for a mutt without a titled pedigree, however cute. Maybe if it was cloned from Lassie and grown in a test tube.

 

[scbatz33]

Quote:


This drives me INSANE!!! I can't stand when I see some person - usually a woman with her dog in a purse. It's not a Barbie doll. It 's a living, breathing animal!!! OMG! I could rant all day about this. Last time I was in Blockbuster some guy saunters in with a Jack Russel. HELLO!?! This is a movie rental store NOT a pet shop. I told the gal behind the counter that I was gonna bring in my 60 lb chow mix - since apparently dogs are allowed in the store now.

You know, I love my dogs. They are a part of my family 100%. But I don't take them to the grocery store, the gas station, Lowe's, Wal-mart, etc (yes I've seen little dogs IN every one of those places). There is a time and place. The part that kills me the most is these are usually people with those little yappy breeds wandering around in public shopping places. You'd never see large breed owners dressing up their dogs in ridiculous clothing and putting them in strollers then pushing them through the appliance isle at Home Depot.

And you know what? I have never seen some one with one of those little dogs out WALKING their little accessory - you know with a leash and the DOG on the ground, using it's own legs to move.

Dogs are NOT accessories, they are not toys or dolls to be dressed up and paraded out in public like trophies. I don't care if it weighs 2 lbs or 200 lbs, it's STILL A DOG!!! You want to take your dog "shopping" go to Petsmart or better yet, take the dog somewhere IT wants to go - like the park. Let the thing be a DOG!!!!

Ok, think I'm done now......

 

[Goat_Walker]

Im sorry, Im the kind of person who as a kid stayed up late reading the breed books. I cant even look at these "designers" when i walk into a pet store. They make me want to barf when I see this gorgeous husky going for the smae price as a "puggle"

 

[scbatz33]

Quote:
My boxer mix (abandoned at 3 mo, wandering in our neighborhood) is the most hyper dog I have ever known! I told my husband we should have named her Ridlin instead of Daisy!!! She chases the chickens, bugs the tar out of the cats and barks like crazy at the horses if she thinks you aren't watching her.

Our chow/shep mix and our rotti (both strays off the street that we took in) - total relaxation and calm. Our new baby - Mongo, bandog(paid a nice chunk of change for) - just as calm and laid back as you could ever ask for, totally brilliant. They don't care about the live stock, they just want to hang out.

 

[onthespot]

A dog is a dog is a dog. People will be no more "responsible" or "irresponsible" with their animals if they are papered or not. Handing someone papers does not make them a good pet owner. Screening buyers improves your puppy's chances of having a good life, but beyond that you have no control once your puppy leaves your place, regardless of what contract you have them sign. Breeders, you know this is true in your heart, honestly. I breed poodles and I have a single maltese girl which I breed for maltipoos. All parents are CERF tested clear. Puppies are home raised in my home, socialized, played with, exposed to the normal comings and goings of a busy household. The are current on their shots and worming. They get vigorous outside play. Their toenails are trimmed regularly. They are happy kids at my house, and they leave that way to homes that to my best of my knowledge are good, loving, knowledgeable dog homes that are for the most part previous dog owners. They don't leave until they are ready and fully weaned and able to go on their own, mentally and physically. Critics say "you never know what it is going to grow up into if it is a mix" but I disagree. Here is an example of a malitipoo. Father is a toy poodle, mother is a maltese. Some things I KNOW this puppy will grow up as. Friendly. Non-shedding, small, around ten pounds. She will not have flea allergies. Her patellas are good. She does not have a sensitive digestion. She has no brachicephallic nasal passage problems. She is not going to be able to jump even low fences or baby gates. She will get a soft coat with moderate curls that is matt resistant. She will be guaranteed to one year of age from congenital defect that materially affects quality of life of the dog. She will sell for $500. She will not get kennel cough or parvo or distemper when she goes home. She will not have fleas or worms when she goes home. You can't get that from a shelter, not from a single one anywhere. I promise not to show up to the buyer's house and do stalker type surprise repeat home visits. I agree to take the puppy back if for any reason they are no longer able to keep it. What else could you ask for a nice puppy at a nice price to a nice home. What is outrageous about that?
Here is one of those horrifying, abominable "designer dogs", aka Daisy.