Mutts vs pure

Breed specific discussion of your favorite breed.

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Shalista
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Mutts vs pure

Post by Shalista »

I keep seeing all these posts about people saying "adopt dont shop" and then i also keep hearing or people getting mutts that are entirly the wrong mix for their family. how do we, as dog lovers and advocates, balance that? One the one hand we dont want to perpetuate the over population of dogs, but on the other hand we want a dog that has the right traits for the family (IE not giving a husky puppy to a homebound senior)

EDIT: personal reason (kind of) that i'm askign the question. i LOVE the temperment of greyhounds, that 50mph couch potato is ALL me. but i could also get a pretty mellow super senior mutt at the shelter. How would someone like me balance that? i at least (sort of) know what im gettign with a grey hound but mutts need homes to.
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
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Re: Mutts vs pure

Post by JudyN »

Do you not have a lot of ex-racing greyhounds in rescues where you are? They seem to be treated as practically disposable over here :(

It's an issue I'm torn on. My heart cries out for a pure-bred saluki, and appearance (e.g. colour/hair length) would be very important (you'd think I'd know better by now to be swayed by good looks :roll: ). But I don't think I could bring myself to buy one from a breeder when there are so many glorious lurchers, including saluki x lurchers, in rescue. And most of them are a darn sight easier than Jasper has been :lol: So for me, when the times comes, I'll be heading for the rescues.

It would probably be different if I had young children, or was drawn to a different breed/type, as I'd have different requirements and there would be different health concerns.

Part of me says that supporting good breeders helps prevent poor breeding of pet dogs, and it's poor breeding that results in the numbers of dogs in rescues and the numbers of dogs suffering from joint or respiratory problems, for example. And part of me says life is too short not to follow your heart on occasion. But on balance, for me, it has to be a rescue... adopting a rescue (having selected the rescue organisation and the dog carefully) won't change the world, but it will change the world for that dog.

If you can adpot from a rescue that fosters out its dogs in the homes of volunteers, you can get the best of both worlds as you are more likely to know what you're getting. Adopt a dog who's been living in kennels and you might not even know if he's house trained.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Shalista
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Re: Mutts vs pure

Post by Shalista »

Yeah, the rescues for greyhounds around here have you fill out an application, then they send the application down south and ship a dog straight from the tracks to you. Idk, the thought of committing to a dog you've never met just kinda... eh.. idk

But it is something i think on a lot. people push shelters and rescues so hard but some of those mixes can be real firecrackers if you aren't careful. where as people who go for pure breds at least make a cursory attempt at researching the breeds temperament. with a mutt it can be hard to guesstimate.

(DISCLAIMER: i am in no way interested in gettign a dog ANY time soon. Bax is pretty set on being an only dog and given that he just had his fourth birthday it may be a while before i could get another dog)
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
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Re: Mutts vs pure

Post by JudyN »

Shalista wrote: Idk, the thought of committing to a dog you've never met just kinda... eh.. idk
I'd be the same - it would be like an arranged marriage where I want to fall in love.

I think the answer will depend on your situation at the time. You may even have children, which makes a whole lot of difference. If you're working full-time, and you adopted a dog with separation anxiety, it's a nightmare for the dog. If you had children and the dog had an iffy temperament, it can be curtains for the dog. The priority, then, should be getting the right dog rather than where it came from.

And it will also depend on what rescues and breeders are operating in your area at that time. So I'd say don't overthink it for now, wait until the time comes and then weigh up your options.

But in the meantime, feel free to daydream about greyhounds, and I'll daydream about salukis :wink:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: Mutts vs pure

Post by Nettle »

As someone who has bred dogs :wink: I say that we should support GOOD breeders. If we don't buy healthy well-reared dogs from people who take the time and trouble to choose the best parents and rear carefully, all we have left are disturbed unhealthy badly-bred badly-reared dogs, and we are supporting puppy farms.

If we get dogs from rescue (and I have done this too, and have seen lovely dogs rehomed from rescue) we stand an excellent chance of getting those same badly-bred badly-reared unhealthy dogs from the puppy farm and with added trauma from their previous owners. This is okay if that is what we are up for, but many a really good potential home has been fobbed off with a dog that is far too difficult for the level of owner experience or entirely wrong for the particular home. I make a living from it, but I'd just as soon not.

Greyhounds are a different issue. they are purpose-bred for a job, and when that job is over, they can be rehomed as pets with comparatively little rehab. Though I am disgusted :evil: at rescues that claim they don't need much exercise, to attract the kind of home where people can't be bothered to walk their dogs. They are one of the greatest of canine athletes, and they'll take as much exercise as we can give them, and love it. Twenty minutes of slouching along on an extending lead for the rest of their lives is far crueller than the much-hinted-at 'cruelties' of the racing industry. there are always bad apples, but most racing greyhounds in UK (I can't speak for elsewhere) have very good care - they would do- they are expensive commodities, like racehorses.

Judy, you deserve to get your saluki when the time comes. Every good home for a dog is a good home for a dog, whether new or multi-second-hand.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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Erica
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Re: Mutts vs pure

Post by Erica »

I'm on the same page as Nettle - I don't think it's one or the other; it's valuable to find a suitable rescue dog, and it's perfectly fine to support good, conscientious breeders. My next dog will probably end up being a project dog from the shelter. But I also plan, in the far-off future, to find good breeders of various dream dog breeds, including more poodles :lol:
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Suzette
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Re: Mutts vs pure

Post by Suzette »

Because I have a purebred (Pembroke Corgi), I get a bit of flack from friends and family who love to wave the "adopt don't shop" banner.

Over the years I have adopted, rescued and bought purebred from great, responsible breeders. I have no guilt for any of my pet choices or how they came to be in my home. Each already existed when I chose them and was in need of a loving home.

Every dog that exists is deserving of a good home, regardless of how they got here. And for those who say buying purebreds promotes breeding into an over-crowded dog world, I think you could easily turn that around and say that adopting/rescuing promotes irresponsible breeding from owners who just let their dogs breed indiscriminately knowing they can simply take the resulting pups to the shelter or put them into a rescues hands to become someone else's problem.

So no perfect answer. I wanted a purebred Corgi after months of careful breed research, so I got a Corgi. My next dog will be a senior from the shelter so he/she can live out their life in a warm, loving home. It's all good.

My two pennies worth... :)
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
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