buying mixes

[tintinabulation]

I'm just informing you, before I ask my question, that I am NOT planning on buying a dog any time soon. I'm just curious.

There is this adorable dog in our neighborhood. She has a very sweet personality, and looks very gorgeous. Today, I saw her owner, and asked what breed she is and everything like that. So I found out that she is a 4 year old mix. I forgot what the mix is called, and which two breeds were mixed, but if I remember, I'll get back to you on those points. So this dog has light hazel eyes, and her head and stomach is white, and her back is tan. She has a long tail, and is herself quite large. She has no personality defects that I know of, and her owner had nothing but praise for her. She is calm, and friendly with people.

I really like her, and I wish I could buy a dog like her when I have the chance (which would probably be in 4 or 5 years..)

So I am wondering if it is wrong to buy a mix, or is it just wrong to breed them?

Now please listen to this... I am not buying a mix right now, so please be nice with your replies. I'm merely curious.

 

[SummerRiot]

Honestly, you never really know what your getting personality and brain wise when you buy a mix. Also depending on the mix though.

I would never breed a dog for a mix. If an accidental breeding occured, I wouldn't except someone to make you pay for the puppy either, or they would be classed as a Backyard Breeder.

NEVER get your dog from a pet store. I suggest, if you want a mix go to the Humane Society! Everytime you buy a dog from a pet store, one is killed at the humane society.

its not "wrong" to buy a mix, but it makes me wonder why someone would "sell" them instead of giving them away.

 

[tintinabulation]

yeah, you're right. I remember the lady saying that she got her dog from a shelter or something.

and oh, I also think I remember her mentioning that the dog is part Samoyed.

so if I get one like that from the Humane Society, nothing would be wrong with doing so?

 

[Saje]

Mixes are great just don't breed them. Go to a rescue. Find your perfect dog. they'll love you forever.

 

[tintinabulation]

Thank you so much for the advice, SummerRiot and Saje! the next time I plan to buy a puppy, I'll definitely keep in mind what you said.

 

[SummerRiot]

Thats awesome yuppers, nothing wrong with mixed breed dogs.. as Saje said, just dont breed them!

The only thing I find about mixes(personal opinion) is that you never really know how smart, how willing, how trainable they are because they are mixed. Say if you had a beagle crossed with a Lab. you run the risk of getting a dog that is a scent oriented and once on a trail, everything else fades out. OR you have the chance of getting a dog that is wanting to listen to your every word Thats my own concern with mixes.. I'd have no problem getting one if I wasn't so into CKC showing though.

Its also all in what you want to do with your dog.

 

[Gempress]

Nothing wrong with mixes! The only mixes I would avoid are "designer" dogs, like maltipoos and puggles, that are being sold for hefty prices. I don't want to support breeders who do that.

I think there's nothing wrong with getting a mutt out of the shelter, or paying a little money for one.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

there is nothing wrong with owning ANY mixed breed dog of any sort. There is nothing wrong with paying for an All American from a shelter or a rescue.

Where it gets dicey is when you buy one from the person who BRED them. THEN you are supporting irresponsible breeding with your dollars, and that, IMO, is wrong.

 

[Fran27]

Well strictly speaking it is wrong to breed and buy them. It's great to adopt them though. The only reason it would be ok to buy one for me is if someone had an oops litter and was selling the puppies for like $50 but already wormed and with their shots. Then you know the person is responsible and isn't trying to make money out of it.

But yes the problems with mixes is that you don't know what you can get, and that it's often impossible to get the particular mix you want in the first place, and even if you do it's almost impossible to get two dogs that are alike.

For example, the rescue I got Tips from has three totally adorable swiss mountain dog (forgot the exact name, like the burmese but short hair)/collie mixes right now. One looks like a big swiss, another like a burmese moutain dog, the third like a white/cream collie (not quite but that's the idea). Bottom line, you'll never find two mutts that look alike.

Just a disclaimer though before someone tells me I don't like mutts, I love them. I love that you never know what they will look like when adult, and when their character surprises you. And I love that two of them are not alike. Tips is one of the weirdest dog I've seen, mostly black but with a grey butt and a black/grey tail, some brown around the ears and the neck, we think he's a border collie/lab mix but we don't know, but he's totally adorable and I love him to death, even if I had no idea what he would be like when I got him at 2 months, all scared and skinny.

 

[tintinabulation]

thank you for your advice!

I would certainly never breed mixes... nor would I breed dogs of any kind. puppy birth isn't really something I'd like to witness, to be honest with you.

one thing I noticed from your posts is that I might not be able to find the exact mutt. I don't think it's a designer dog, because this is the first time I saw something like it.

 

[Madaline]

Nothing wrong with mixes! The only mixes I would avoid are "designer" dogs, like maltipoos and puggles, that are being sold for hefty prices. I don't want to support breeders who do that.

I think there's nothing wrong with getting a mutt out of the shelter, or paying a little money for one.

Well I love my Maltipoo, I would have paid $1,000.00 for her and I plan on getting another one when she is a few years old. They dont have small little dogs in the pound where I live and that is the kind of dog I want, I dont want a great big dog. If they are paying hefty prices for these little "designer dogs" they are way less lightly to get rid of them than if they do even go and pay $100.00 for a pound puppy and decide they dont like that dog. I know there are alot of dogs in shelters etc, I think they should come up with better requirements on owning a dog. Maybe having to require a licence before you actually get a dog not waiting till it is 6 months old like it is now. Im sure there is something that can be done about all these poor dogs other than comdeming owners who just want a nice little dog. As I said my sister inlaw looked in the pound for months but there was nothing, she ended up buying a maltipoo

 

[SummerRiot]

I agree with Gempress on this one. There are always small dogs in the pounds, they just go very quickly because they are in demand. I used to volunteer at our local shelter and we'd get small ones in and by the end of the week they'd be gone. Sometimes within a few days(if their health and everything cleared).

She is saying that there are always actual purebred breeders that breed smaller dogs like Bichons, Llaso Apsos, Chis, Dachunds etc.

We aren't "bashing" the fact that you decided to get a "designer" breed of dog.
Its just a personal opinion.

 

[Fran27]

Well I love my Maltipoo, I would have paid $1,000.00 for her and I plan on getting another one when she is a few years old. They dont have small little dogs in the pound where I live and that is the kind of dog I want, I dont want a great big dog. If they are paying hefty prices for these little "designer dogs" they are way less lightly to get rid of them than if they do even go and pay $100.00 for a pound puppy and decide they dont like that dog. I know there are alot of dogs in shelters etc, I think they should come up with better requirements on owning a dog. Maybe having to require a licence before you actually get a dog not waiting till it is 6 months old like it is now. Im sure there is something that can be done about all these poor dogs other than comdeming owners who just want a nice little dog. As I said my sister inlaw looked in the pound for months but there was nothing, she ended up buying a maltipoo

As I said in another thread, it's because people are not willing to do a few concessions that so many dogs are still in shelters... I'm sure there are lots of medium size dogs there, but noooo people want their small dogs. And rescues, have you looked at rescues?

But do you really not care about encouraging people to breed more mutts that you're going to get another? I would understand getting a purebred from a good breeder, but willingly buying another mutt, you just don't care about the dogs in shelters do you, that you're purposely want to encourage a breeder to breed more mutts?

This is a sad world.

 

[BlackDog]

As I said in another thread, it's because people are not willing to do a few concessions that so many dogs are still in shelters... I'm sure there are lots of medium size dogs there, but noooo people want their small dogs. And rescues, have you looked at rescues?

But do you really not care about encouraging people to breed more mutts that you're going to get another? I would understand getting a purebred from a good breeder, but willingly buying another mutt, you just don't care about the dogs in shelters do you, that you're purposely want to encourage a breeder to breed more mutts?

This is a sad world.

I agree with Fraz27. Saying there are no small dogs in shelters, rescues, and humane societys around you is like saying you can't find pets in a pet store. As long as their is a demand for small dogs there will always be a supply. And because they is a supply there will always be people that want to give up their dog. I think the problem that that you wanted something other than what they had to offer at acople shelters in your area. What about rescues and humane societys out of your area. Many rescues will ship or meet you half way if you make it throw the screening process.

 

[casablanca1]

I love a fracas. Disregarding for a moment the moral worth of people who buy cockapoos, isn't it really the fault of rescues/shelters if people who want a small dog persist in paying more money to breeders? Their message is failing if they can't reach a new audience. The morality issue shouldn't be enough to dissuade people (look at Walmart's sales and moral worth), but the price tag should. Those designer puppies are expensive. What are shelters and rescues doing wrong?

 

[PFC1]

and oh, I also think I remember her mentioning that the dog is part Samoyed.

If she got it from the shelter, she probably has no way to really know that it is part Samoyed. People at the shelters like to take their best guess, but unless they actually know the parents, they are only speculating what the breed is.

Many times, the people at the shelter have no clue about what a particular breed of dog looks like, or are intentionally misrepresenting breeds to make the dog more attractive to perspective owners. I don't know how many times that people I have met at the park have told me that the dog they adopted was a Bernese mix, but their dog will have absolutely no Bernese traits, other than the dog has a bit of black and tan color. I think that they may even sometimes intentionally lie so that people won't think they are adopting a rottie or a dobbie mix.

My point in all this is just adopt a dog that as an individual shows traits that are a good fit for you. Don't get hung up on an idea that you want to adopt a Samoyed mix, or some other particular mix, because what ever you adopt may not be what you think it is.

 

[PFC1]

For example, the rescue I got Tips from has three totally adorable swiss mountain dog (forgot the exact name, like the burmese but short hair)/collie mixes right now. One looks like a big swiss, another like a burmese moutain dog, the third like a white/cream collie (not quite but that's the idea).

FWIW, they are Bernese. They are named for Berne, Switzerland, as opposed to Burma (a former territory of India), where the pythons come from.

 

[BlackDog]

FWIW, they are Bernese. They are named for Berne, Switzerland, as opposed to Burma (a former territory of India), where the pythons come from.

No, she talking about the greater swiss mountain which is different from the bernese mountain dog. Both of which are recognized by the AKC, but there are two other popular swiss breeds the were developed in swiss that the AKC doesn't recognized because they just aren't that popular here in the US.

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
http://www.akc.org/breeds/greater_swiss_mountain_dog/index.cfm

http://www.gsmdca.org/

Bernese Mountain Dog
http://www.akc.org/breeds/bernese_mountain_dog/index.cfm

The other 2 swiss breeds are the Appenzeller and Entlebucher
Appenzeller
http://www.appenzeller.org/
Entlebucher
http://www.nemda.org/

 

[Fran27]

I love a fracas. Disregarding for a moment the moral worth of people who buy cockapoos, isn't it really the fault of rescues/shelters if people who want a small dog persist in paying more money to breeders? Their message is failing if they can't reach a new audience. The morality issue shouldn't be enough to dissuade people (look at Walmart's sales and moral worth), but the price tag should. Those designer puppies are expensive. What are shelters and rescues doing wrong?

It's a good question. My guess is that people mostly want puppies, and don't know where to find puppies in other places than petstores or breeders, and as most breeders are just in for the money and have puppies available at all times, it's where they go.

But it is true that there are not many small dogs in shelters, but I think it's mostly because they get adopted right away. I think small dogs are just more popular.

But there are lots of small dogs in rescues. Where they fail in my opinion is that their requirements are just too annoying, mostly the ones about not adopting to families that have children, or families where there isn't anyone at home 8 hours a day. So people who work and have a job and want a small dog tend to buy them from the wrong places, because it's easier.

I do think that rescues are way too picky. I know they have good reasons, but in the end it doesn't help the dogs. But I also think that people in general are too picky, when they are totally focussed on getting a small dog and don't even consider bigger ones. Overall, I think people are more to blame.

 

[Fran27]

FWIW, they are Bernese. They are named for Berne, Switzerland, as opposed to Burma (a former territory of India), where the pythons come from.

The rescue says they are bernese/collie but it's not possible, as one of them has short hair and looks a lot like a greater swiss. So I think they are a greater swiss mountain dog/collie mix. Although it seems they are recognized by the AKC now.

Here is the link to the AKC page : http://www.akc.org/breeds/greater_swiss_mountain_dog/index.cfm

To compare, bernese mountain dog:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/bernese_mountain_dog/index.cfm