This is getting exhausting...why the sudden influx of irresponsible breeders as of late?
As for what I think of "Cava-Pekes."
1) I think the name sounds like a cool new catch phrase to use when we dissect and inspect vena cavas in the cadaver lab. Thanks!
2) I think they probably look like every other designer dog. An animal that is cute as a puppy, and then matures into a rather unsound looking pet, that is attractive only in the vaguest sense. If I'm looking for a mix, I'd much rather head to the humane society, and forgo the sales pitch about how they're supposedly healthier than purebred dogs.
Riiiiiight, a first generation cross from two animals that are already unsound, poor representatives of their breeds is going to be healthier than a dog from health-tested purebreds. Purebreds whose breeder likely knows their pedigrees (and any health concerns of the dogs within it), better than their own family tree.
Face it- great breeders would rather quit breeding all together than knowingly give someone a puppy from valuable lines, who would just turn around and use it in a cross-breeding program. I've heard more than one person say that obtaining a puppy from the breeder I went to was akin to trying to adopt a child. And it should be this way for EVERY great breeder.
This doesn't mean I'm completely against breeding mixes, or creating new breeds. I just like to see it done WELL, and there are VERY few people that can.
Alaskan Huskies are a fantastic example of mixed breeding done RIGHT. If you watch the Iditarod, the dogs winning aren't purebred Sibes at all. They're a lightning-fast mix of Siberian, sighthound, and I've even heard of a little BC being thrown in from time to time. But the breeders are incredibly careful. These animals HAVE to be sound- they could not race thousands of miles at high speeds and NOT be. You can BET they aren't falling back on the myth that "hybrid vigor" will take care of the hips. (Especially since a hybrid is a mix between two different SPECIES...not two different breeds of dog). The animals hips ARE tested. Dogs that don't cut it in the racing world are placed in pet homes, but only after very careful evaluations of potential owners. These dogs are not for the average Joe, and their breeders realize that. Just having the purchase price is not enough, as it generally is for anyone mixing breeds for no other reason than that they are cute. (AKA- they make money).
The Silken Windhound is an extraordinarily new breed, created within my lifetime. These people, unlike the breeders of American "Labradoodles" (who have yet to set type in over 40 YEARS of breeding....and here's a hint, it's because they don't WANT to), are doing it right. The creators saw a niche for a medium sized *coated* sighthound, and set to work filling it. The early "experimental" generations were not sold at inflated prices as "Whipzois" or "Borits." People who received these dogs were told that they were mixes. The breeders created a National breed club, a studbook, and set type in an extraordinarily quick manner. They are already holding specialty shows. Furthermore, (and this may seem incidental to some, but I think it has merit), they gave their new breed a name of it's OWN. The names "Labradoodle, " and "Cockapoo," make it hard for anyone to take these dogs seriously.
None of the good breeders I know have made money breeding. Health testing, basic care, show entry fees, care of pregnant bitches and subsequent litters, vet visits, etc. quickly eat up any "profits." Of course it's very easy to make money if you charge an arm and a leg, and then forgo doing anything that would put you in the category of responsible rather than selfish.
