your wrong youngr51 about alot. Purebred and mixed breeds end up in shelters, yes. However, if breeding was done correctly and responsibly then there wouldn't be as many shelter dogs. People wouldn't feel the need to get rid of their purebred with a temperament or health problem because these problems would not be so evident with everyone breeding properly (health testing, temperament testing, titles, up to/exceeding standards of the breed, etc).
Mixes would still be around, but not as the "designer dogs" they are now. There probably wouldn't be as many dogs in shelters...PERIOD...if designer mutts weren't being bred.
Why mix 2 breeds together? With all the designer doodles, puggles, etc there is no REAL reason. They are not being mixed to "better a breed" or "improve upon" some aspect or another. They aren't "hypoallergenic" or "no shed". There is no such thing as "hybrid vigor" that will get rid of the genetic health problems of the 2 breeds involved. They are not being bred for a "new sport" or "new use". So, what's the point?
Mixes do not need to cost $1500 + even if the parents were health tested, titled, etc. Mixes can't be registered with a reputable kennel club, they can't be shown because there is no conformation standards for them to follow and the "papers" these other "clubs" are offering amount to nothing more than knowing the parents lineage.
Any "mixed breed" breeder or bad purebred breeder (byb's) deserve to be shut down. A mixed breed breeder is doing nothing but creating more mutts and a bad (byb) purebred breeder is hurting the breed (no health checks, bad temperament, dog agressive, poor conformation, etc).