Not all cute and cuddly in land of 'designer dogs,' humane soci...

Adopt a Saluki...they're absolutely awesome.

How about blaming the BUYERS!!! If there was no market for these stupid mixes they wouldn't exist. A dog is not a decoration or "bling". Puppy mills only exist because people buy dogs for the wrong reason.

Every dog that isn't a wolf or coyote is a "designer" breed in some way... Labradors and Goldens designed for swimming and retrieving, Huskies designed for pulling sleds, heck, even dachshunds for hunting in tunnels underground.

The real problem is with irresponsible breeders, regardless of whether they're producing so-called "pure" breeds or "designer" breeds. Puppy mills, over-crowding, abuse, and health are a responsibility for any breeder.

Although, I have to laugh at the notion of a dog that doesn't shed. If you don't want a dog because you can't be troubled to pull the vacuum out every so often, you might not be ready for the responsibility of a dog. Next thing you know, someone will be trying to breed a dog that doesn't poop, either. ;)

Anne wrote:

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You are right - it is wonderful thing to have them in cafes to have one bark at a passing pet. It is wonderful to see one up on a chair/table licking at it. It is wonderful to see wait staff pick up a water dish and replace it only to have them immediately pick up human plates of food to deliver WITHOUT washing their hands. It is wonderful having your crotch sniffed by some stange dog. It is wonderful seeing them scratch and knowing your allergies are now going to go through the roof.

What's your point? I'd rather have my crotch sniffed by some "strange" dog than shake hands with most people.

LAS wrote:

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Maybe I'm making the same point you are, and I'm just misunderstanding your wording, but after a few generations, they do become their own breed- that's how just about every breed out there starts- there's two types of dogs bred together for awhile for whatever reason (they create good looks, good personalities, strong, etc.)
Eventually a c*ckapoo or a labradoodle or whatever is going to develop its own consistent genetic issues and you're going to have the same problems over and over again.
In the cat world, they crossed Asian leopard cats with tabbies to create bengals- at first it was a mutt, but once you start doing it consistently they are their own breed.(And trust me- they come with plenty o' problems!)
I think another misconception people have is that there are no purebreds in shelters- there are tons because people give them up for the health and behavior issues. If you've got your heart set on a purebred, at least find one in a shelter rather than getting anew one and supporting the industry!

LAS, it takes A LOT of work and A LOT of time before these designer mutts could ever be considered a legit breed. a breed is one that breeds true.

you breed a purebred beagle to another purebred beagle and you end up with a litter of purebred beagles that maintain the traits inherent in the breed (excellent sense of smell, often times tri-colored or bi-colored, long droopy ears, hound personality, etc). you breed a purebred pug to another purebred pug and you end up w/ a litter of purebred pugs that maintain the traits of the breed (pushed in face, small and compact, bug eyes, etc). you breed a purebred beagle w/ a purebred pug, you end up w/ a little of dogs that may have about 50% of the traits of a beagle and 50% of the traits of a pug (that 50% is just an example. there are puggles that are more like beagles than pugs, or vice versa). you breed a puggle to another puggle you end up w/ a complete free for all where the resulting dogs may be 25% pug and 75% beagle, or 25% beagle and %75 pug. you end up w/ dogs that not only bear little resemblance to the original breeds, the pug and the beagle, but that oft times bear little resemblance to the puggles themselves!

developing a new breed takes a lot of time and a lot of knowledge. and most importantly, there should be an incentive as to WHY this breed is being developed in the first place! the new breeds should fill a niche not yet completely filled by another breed out there.

nearly all of these designer breeds are being bred by greedy idiots who have no desire o make a stable new breed, but to try out as many different combos until they produce a cute bestseller that they can mass market. the mutts that don't fulfill the cute quota are dumped. these greedy idiots breed the worst examples of both breeds and produce unsound litters that end up costing buyers big bucks in vet bills. even if these dogs don't get sick, they tend to be poor examples of their breeds, a foundation stock no legit developing breed should ever begin with.

Petfinder.com is a wonderful place to find a new friend. If there is a dog breed you want even a mixed "designer dog" they have them listed. It may take some time but a pet shouldn't be an impulse buy anyway. You are saving a life and keeping money out of the greedy puppy millers hands.

We adopted Abby a 5 yo Bichon who is wonderful. No behavior problems, health issues. She is our little love bug.

I currently have a shih-tzu bichon mix and it is absolutely the perfect dog. It's playful, never barks, loyal, very low maintanence and very healthy. Everyone who has meet him agrees and loves his personality. I know a lot of people who have pure breeds along with myself growing up, personally I would never own one again. Shed everywhere, uncontrollable barking, LOTS of genetic disorders and unfriendly dogs from my experience. They are simply unpleasant to be around. You don't get the genetic disorders with mixed breeds. The Zuchon/Shichon breed I own now will be the only one i'll ever own again.

Dogs are dogs. They're part of your family. It really shouldn't matter if they are mixed or pure breed.

Maria wrote:

That's assuming the pound will let you adopt a pet! I work a 30 hour work week, less if I can get away with it, so that I can pay the bills, eat etc. Much like most of the free world. Working is a ecesity, not a luxury. Yet, I can not adopt because I work. So if I didn't work, I could adopt because someone would be home all day with the dog, but if I didn't work, how would I feed it? Or myself for that reason. I would never buy a dog from a breeder. I have an ethical issue with that, but it sure isn't easy to adopt.

Many shelters ARE willing to adopt to people who work. I'm gone 11.5 hours/day, but a pet sitter walks my adopted dog. I also walk her before and after work. try pawschicago.org - they are amazing.

My wife bought our Yorkie-Poo from a dependable breeder, against my wishes. He is the best dog I have ever had! I would get another in a heartbeat!

Reality wrote:

How about blaming the BUYERS!!! If there was no market for these stupid mixes they wouldn't exist. A dog is not a decoration or "bling". Puppy mills only exist because people buy dogs for the wrong reason.

"Stupid mixes"? ALL dogs we're buying now were "stupid mixes" once. Unless you own 100% coyote, YOU'RE dog is a stupid mix, bred for certain genetic traits some time ago.

Cyclone wrote:

I have to laugh at the notion of a dog that doesn't shed. If you don't want a dog because you can't be troubled to pull the vacuum out every so often, you might not be ready for the responsibility of a dog. Next thing you know, someone will be trying to breed a dog that doesn't poop, either. ;)

Actually they do make those type of dogs.....they're called STUFFED ANIMALS! Probably a great choice for some of these people.

Cyclone wrote:

Every dog that isn't a wolf or coyote is a "designer" breed in some way... Labradors and Goldens designed for swimming and retrieving, Huskies designed for pulling sleds, heck, even dachshunds for hunting in tunnels underground.
The real problem is with irresponsible breeders, regardless of whether they're producing so-called "pure" breeds or "designer" breeds. Puppy mills, over-crowding, abuse, and health are a responsibility for any breeder.
Although, I have to laugh at the notion of a dog that doesn't shed. If you don't want a dog because you can't be troubled to pull the vacuum out every so often, you might not be ready for the responsibility of a dog. Next thing you know, someone will be trying to breed a dog that doesn't poop, either. ;)

Our dog doesn't shed at all, and yes, it's great... and if you could breed one that didn't poop, I'd be first in line.

I love French Bulldogs.

Crafty b wrote:

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There are PLENTY of reasons not to go to a Shelter for a family pet. We tried shelters before buying our c0ckapoo from a breeder.
Here's what we found)
1) 50% pit bulls... 30% other aggressive breeds.
2) Miserable looking dogs living in abject squalor that would give any living animal mental and physical health issues. I'm not heartless... I DID feel empathy for the dogs... but I have two small children and a tight budget. I don't have the time and money to invest in a dog that might need professional training and lots of vetirinary care.
3) Adult dogs. All adults. Which is scary to me. I had a 6-month old at the time and a two year old that will unknowingly annoy a dog at times. An adult dog has developed whatever traits it has. I can train and socialize an 8-week old puppy with little fear of my kids getting mauled. No guarantees bringing home an adult dog that weighs more than both of my kids.
4) Overworked staff that repeatedly showed they cared more for the dogs than the people that came for them.
This is important. I know staffing a shelter isn't exactly a high-paying career and these people are saints for canines... but at the last shelter we went to, we were close to taking home a c0cker spaniel that seemed very sweet, was cute, all that... until it snapped for no reason whatsoever and tried to chew my son's face off. It had pure insanity in its eyes in that moment.... and the Shelter employee STILL TRIED TO CONVINCE US TO TAKE THE DOG!!! Mind you, I was also holding a 6-month old that that dog would easily maul or kill if it got a hold of her in a fit of insanity!
Uh-uh... sorry. I feel for the dogs, but for many, many families, it just isn't worth the risk. The questions are too great. I'm sure there are wonderful dogs at these shelters, but there's also a lot of them that are the dog-version of human felons. I'll take a puppy from a breeder that I can raise myself.

Cocker spaniels are notorious for being snappy and biting children. I truly hope your cockapoo doesn't have that characteristic. Many shelters are starting to go cageless and make animals' surroundings much more comfortable. Dogs of ALL ages can be trained. The shelter where I volunteer encourages training by offering a $75 refund of the adoption fee if training is completed wihtin four months. Please get more information about shelters before you start discrediting them and contributing to the horrific animal overpopulation problem.

oh LAS, I forgot to mention, developing a new breed in the cat world is MUCH easier than doing so in the dog world. w/ dogs, you are dealing w/ breeds that have been specially bred for hundreds of years, whereas specific cat breeds haven't been around as long. to make it overly simplistic, it's like mixing paints: you can create some nice new colors mixing basic colors like red, yellow, blue, and white, but try getting pleasing results mixing orange, green, pink, purple, and brown together. it's a simple, not quite accurate analogy, but hopefully it gets the point across.

even in your example, you bring up a good point. there are tons of dog breeders out there breeding certain dog breeds like german shepherds back to wolves, either to produce a new breed or to strengthen a breed's gene. the wild genes are still pure and haven't been polluted by inbreeding yet, so the results are better

Crafty b wrote:

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There are PLENTY of reasons not to go to a Shelter for a family pet. We tried shelters before buying our c0ckapoo from a breeder.
Here's what we found)
1) 50% pit bulls... 30% other aggressive breeds.
2) Miserable looking dogs living in abject squalor that would give any living animal mental and physical health issues. I'm not heartless... I DID feel empathy for the dogs... but I have two small children and a tight budget. I don't have the time and money to invest in a dog that might need professional training and lots of vetirinary care.
3) Adult dogs. All adults. Which is scary to me. I had a 6-month old at the time and a two year old that will unknowingly annoy a dog at times. An adult dog has developed whatever traits it has. I can train and socialize an 8-week old puppy with little fear of my kids getting mauled. No guarantees bringing home an adult dog that weighs more than both of my kids.
4) Overworked staff that repeatedly showed they cared more for the dogs than the people that came for them.
This is important. I know staffing a shelter isn't exactly a high-paying career and these people are saints for canines... but at the last shelter we went to, we were close to taking home a c0cker spaniel that seemed very sweet, was cute, all that... until it snapped for no reason whatsoever and tried to chew my son's face off. It had pure insanity in its eyes in that moment.... and the Shelter employee STILL TRIED TO CONVINCE US TO TAKE THE DOG!!! Mind you, I was also holding a 6-month old that that dog would easily maul or kill if it got a hold of her in a fit of insanity!
Uh-uh... sorry. I feel for the dogs, but for many, many families, it just isn't worth the risk. The questions are too great. I'm sure there are wonderful dogs at these shelters, but there's also a lot of them that are the dog-version of human felons. I'll take a puppy from a breeder that I can raise myself.

Thats exactly how I feel. I love walking thru a shelter and wish I can save one. But I have a Midwest Lab Rescue now and I'm dealing with a dog with problems. Midwest told me to put him to sleep. I have a 2 yr old in my house and will not take in someone else's problem again. Now I feel I want to buy from a reputable breeder. I got burned from a shelter.

Margie wrote:

Our little ****-a-poo, adopted in 2000 from a pet store that I guess, looking back, must have been a front for a puppy mill, is wonderful and completely free of disease and congenital problems.
We needed a small pet and were willing to pay for a small pet. We looked at every pound and shelter for miles around and found nothing but pit bulls.
If irresponsible pit bull owners would stop breeding dogs that no one wants, there would be plenty of room for the kind of family pets people actually want to find when they go to the pound.
All pit bulls should be castrated at birth. Only gangsta psychos want them.

Hey - I'm an educated successful professional in the real estate / finance industry and I own a well-bred 60 lb. female red nosed pit named Lulu. She is harmless to people (well bred pits have been created to kill animals, not people - human aggressive pits were originally killed - that is, until the gangsta psychos started getting them). However, she does not like the little untrained, ankle biting 'yip yip' snuggle poo dogs that so many people have. My dog listens to my commands (she understands Swedish, English, and hand signals) and sits, up comes 'yip yip', all growling and snapping, and somehow, its my fault their dog misbehaves because I have a pit. The little rascals dog petey was a pit. Pits were used in recruiting posters. Teddy Roosevelt had a pit.......Please lose the negative image that has been fostered due to a few losers - my dog is a champ.

I'm going to have to start my own 'designer dog''breed'. A bulldog shih-tzu mix. I dub thee 'bull $ hit'!

Margie wrote:

Our little ****-a-poo, adopted in 2000 from a pet store that I guess, looking back, must have been a front for a puppy mill, is wonderful and completely free of disease and congenital problems.
We needed a small pet and were willing to pay for a small pet. We looked at every pound and shelter for miles around and found nothing but pit bulls.
If irresponsible pit bull owners would stop breeding dogs that no one wants, there would be plenty of room for the kind of family pets people actually want to find when they go to the pound.
All pit bulls should be castrated at birth. Only gangsta psychos want them.

Margie,
You make me sick! How can you say that about one of God's creatures! Please get help, you are a horrible person!!

Stina wrote:

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Pee streams running off of buildings??? For real? How does that happen? Gorss!

Most dog owners do not curb their dogs. they have them pee at the base of buildings, which slope to the street for rain run off, hence the pee streams across the sidewalk for everyone to step in or over...and it smells and stains teh buildings.