Dog breeds are now a Middle Class indicator?

[Brightonbabe5]

Or at least in my dcs school (private). We thought it was bad in September with all the new puppies on the school run... Mostly the same breeds poodle crosses (cockapoos, labradoodles) bichon friese crosses (cavachons, cavapoos etc)... Insta tells me Christmas has brought a whole new pack of fluffy things.
I said this during the lockdown that these particular breeds are now a status symbol & the new MC accessory. Although DH claims a land-rover is also needed to transport the fluffy dog. Friends agree they are also as these breeds tend to be non shed & hypoallergenic...
DC also want one in the worst way😢 We're refusing based on the fact that we don't want a dog type that's considered a status symbol in our area & they cost a bloody fortune.... They are irrestible though with gorgeous temperaments but out of our range unfortunately

We paid £300 for a sprocker five years ago. To augment our working springer. who is now 15 so looked at another working dog. £2.5k. for a cross breed. Well no beyond ridiculous. Years ago our lab. got frisky with a boxer and produced boxadors. £10 we asked, gawd knows what they are worth now. during lockdown dog prices went crazy. I dread what will happen to those dogs when life goes back to normal.

My cockapoo is 10 years old. When we got him (for about £600 iirc), there were none around. I'd never even heard of them, apart from a friend in the US who had a labradoodle, but I thought they would be too big, so researched and eventually found out about the spaniel mix. I'm allergic to most dogs (especially my preferred Lab/retriever breed). I certainly didn't do it out of any sort of snobby aspiration. Anyway, he arrived, and was/is unbearably handsome and cute. Every walk we went on, people would stop and ask us what sort of dog he was.
Now, they're everywhere you look.

I disagree polka - I think recognition of the more common crosses would at least allow those dogs some of the (albeit inadequate) protection the KC can offer dogs.

Leaving them out in the cold is to leave them to fend for themselves. It's not in the best interests of the dogs.

It's ridiculous to get a specific dog breed as a status symbol, but there have always been popular breeds, and fads are nothing new.

The intelligent thing to do is try to find a breed that fits well with your lifestyle (active or sedentary), location (will it be a huge dog in a tiny flat? will it be happy with short city walks or does it prefer wide open spaces?), and family (generally good with children and any other pets, if you have one).

Also take into consideration grooming needs and common traits of the breed. Some are happy to sleep most of the day away, but others are balls of energy and need frequent stimulation, and if they don't get it, they can become destructive.

@FreekStar

Get a Jack Russel if outclassing is your thing!

I love my JRT, a big dog in a little body and full of character. There is quite a bit of variation among them as they are not too inbred and they tend to be long lived. No idea of any class connotations neither do I care.

Wow. This is quite an unpleasant thread in many ways.

We adopted a 6 month cockapoo. Where does that put us?

@RincewindsHat

Oops, multiple posts. Anyway, Merriam Webster says mongrels are any cross, so stop being snooty about people describing 'designer' crosses as mongrels. That's what they are! And there's no shame in it.

Unfortunately you are incorrect, and prove my point perfectly. Some just prefer to use the term, but like I said, it's designed to be snobby and offensive when you use it towards a dog who has been deliberately bred for certain traits. There are lots of words that mean certain things, but we don't use them anymore, because they're not appropriate.

There are some really good sources that can explain it to you in further detail, but it's the intention that's the main difference here.

The thing is, whatever dog you choose, someone will judge you for it. So it’s best not to give a shit, really. Buy what you like, that suits your circumstances, train it well and look after it properly. Be happy.

Buy a pure-breed - you’re a snob, they’re all genetically deformed and in need of expensive vet care etc. How on earth did you pay so much? Why didn’t you adopt?

Buy a cross-breed - you’re following fashion, they’re glorified mongrels, you’ve paid a fortune to a backyard breeder. Why didn’t you adopt?

Adopt a mutt in UK - you don’t know its background, you’ll never be able to trust it, how irresponsible when you have children, they’re all breeds with reputations... Why didn’t you buy a puppy from a responsible breeder?

Fail to adopt a mutt from UK and get one from abroad - how very dare you, don’t you know UK rescues are full to bursting, you must be a snob if you’re not willing to adopt a Staffie...

Rehome privately via Gumtree or a friend of a friend - honestly, how very irresponsible of you, you’re encouraging feckless idiots/puppy farming/insert other judgement here.

It’s endless. Just get the best dog that suits your life and treat them well. That’s it, the end. Stop assuming people’s dogs are something to do with status.

@Twerking9to5

Wow. This is quite an unpleasant thread in many ways.

We adopted a 6 month cockapoo. Where does that put us?

good people I would say. My neighbour adopted a three year old cockapoodle. Boy that was hard work at first she had been abused so was vicious with the neighbours, now speyed she is finally a loving dog who gets on with the neighbours.

I can only just begin to understand how bouncy a boxador would be

Well pedigrees can cost £££ plus vet bills etc etc so yes it could certainly be a status symbol.

Personally, as a non dog owner I don't get the snobbery about breeds vs mongrels. To my mind there are nice friendly dogs and bloody annoying dogs and breed is neither here nor there.

And its definitely better from an ethical point of view to get a rescue dog.

Just because he's beautiful...

@NoSquirrels

The thing is, whatever dog you choose, someone will judge you for it. So it’s best not to give a shit, really. Buy what you like, that suits your circumstances, train it well and look after it properly. Be happy.

Buy a pure-breed - you’re a snob, they’re all genetically deformed and in need of expensive vet care etc. How on earth did you pay so much? Why didn’t you adopt?

Buy a cross-breed - you’re following fashion, they’re glorified mongrels, you’ve paid a fortune to a backyard breeder. Why didn’t you adopt?

Adopt a mutt in UK - you don’t know its background, you’ll never be able to trust it, how irresponsible when you have children, they’re all breeds with reputations... Why didn’t you buy a puppy from a responsible breeder?

Fail to adopt a mutt from UK and get one from abroad - how very dare you, don’t you know UK rescues are full to bursting, you must be a snob if you’re not willing to adopt a Staffie...

Rehome privately via Gumtree or a friend of a friend - honestly, how very irresponsible of you, you’re encouraging feckless idiots/puppy farming/insert other judgement here.

It’s endless. Just get the best dog that suits your life and treat them well. That’s it, the end. Stop assuming people’s dogs are something to do with status.

This is perfect!

Whatever dog you've got or how you got them, love them, train them, treat them well and make sure you're ready to commit to them, no matter what issues you might encounter along the way. You made a commitment, and you're their whole world.

If you don't like someone else's dog, it's probably best you keep your thoughts to yourself, because I'm sure they love them.

I would say 'poo' crosses are especially middle-class - you're probably just seeing lots of them on the school run because there are lots of them bloody everywhere. I live in a fairly non-descript corner of Essex and you can't move for poo-x dogs around here. Awful - poor things are totally over-bred and there's some nasty genetic defects being bred in. Know if several apricot cockerpoos with epilepsy, can't be a coincidence.

I don't like most small dogs much, except as companions for the old and unfit, so we have a working Lab (our third). We don't shoot and no estate, just a garden, though we live in the country and walk about 8k daily for exercise. Sadly nobody has told the dog that she's a pet, so she spends her life searching out pheasants for us to shoot.

I've seen gorgeous doodles and cross-breeds, but my definition of a mongrel is the product of a random, unplanned mating.

Where does the standard poodle fit in to this? Asking for a friend 🤣

You're right; this is quite an unpleasant, judge-y thread. They always are, to be honest. That's why I now stay well away from the Doghouse section.
My dog is a beautiful, healthy, lovely-natured and a much-loved member of our family. Frankly it's no one else's business why we chose him, how much we paid (even though I've just shared that) or what class we are.

@justasking111 that does sound tough!! I have to say, ours is pretty hard work but we’ve really put the hours in (and money to train) and love him lots. He’s not perfect, but we know what his issues are and can work round them mostly. It’s not nice to think of people potentially looking down their noses at us because of our dog, but hey ho 😁.

Are you seriously going to argue that class is not a thing in Britain and is an entirely theoretical concept which has no effect on people's lives?

It certainly has no bearing on my life. I'm truly astounded at the ridiculous obsession with class on this forum. This thread is another example of how ridiculously desperate some people are to be perceived as 'middle class'. Buy whatever breed of dog fits best with your lifestyle and stop obsessing about what other people think of you.

I think this is a bit mean spirited. I have a dog, not one of the breeds mentioned in the op. And he’s 2yo so from before corona times. So I am not defensive from that POV.

Anyway a family getting a cockapoo (let’s say) will love the dog and the dog will presumably have a very nice life. And the Range Rovers - I don’t care what cars other people drive. I don’t have a Range Rover. But I don’t know why I’d be bothered about someone else driving one.

And whilst you’re criticising people op, I have a criticism for you to consider: Instagram - the paradise of narcissists. Do you want me to judge you for using Instagram, just as you are judging people’s dog/car choices?

@CallmeAngelGabriel you’re absolutely right. I too stay away from The Doghouse section these days

@EttaG

Genuinely posh people buy their dogs from proper breeders who show the dogs and breed responsibly. They don’t buy crosses which weren’t bred by a professional and don’t have show winning parents. Personally I’ve always had Shih Tzus, which have become annoyingly trendy and lower class in recent years, but when I first started keeping them in the 1980s they were very exclusive and you never saw them.

We are on the waiting list for a Shiddy pup and I'm so excited! Fingers crossed he/she will be coming home in a April

@RazzleDazz1e in the 1920s my upper working class great grandparents had a poodle. Not sure if this helps 🤷‍♀️🤣

Working class people also often buy those breeds. I personally don't think they're cute at all. Rather have a lab.

I live on the edge of a small city in a rural county. I took my dog to the vet for boosters today. Whilst waiting - outside, COVID secure innit - I saw 1) an English Bull Terrier (gorgeous) 2) a Standard Poodle puppy (adorable) 3) a Yorkshire Terrier 3) 4) 5) variety of spaniels 6) lurcher.

On the way home through the park we met 1) a Dalmatian puppy (and saw another grown one later) 2) 3) poodle-crosses with 4) black Lab-type cross and a few more terrier-type small dogs including a gorgeous Westie.

If we’d headed the other way instead, into the fields, there would have been more Labs, spaniels, pointers and terriers, based on usual encounters.

All of them were lovely. I made no assumptions about any of the owners (other than being glad the puppies weren’t mine, despite cuteness!)