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

When people ask what my dog is I always say she's a mongrel or mutt. Because she is! 3 different breeds. I agree true old money people tend to have gun dogs, spaniels or labs and working types.

My dog was a rescue. I wouldnt have given a fig what breed she was. She needed a home and I had one.

If you truly cannot find a fit at a rescue centre, get on gumtree or pre loved and have a trial run with one someone is getting rid of.

@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

They're not recognised dog breeds, they're all mongrels and cross breeds, probably from puppy farms. Unlicensed and unregistered back street breeders. I wouldn't call them a middle class indicator, to me they're an indication of a person who doesn't give a fuck about the welfare of dogs. A person that only sees some stupid made up name and thinks ooh, I'll get one of those. Tbh I'd say that those"breeds" are chosen by idiots with more money than sense, show off common as muck people.

@midnightstar66 my friends JRT is black and tan too, he races round their house and even has his own favourite movies (The Lion King)

"Poodles, yorkies to start, and I’m fairly sure there are more.

Not everyone wants a silly little dog."

Cockerdoodlecavashihtzawhateverpoos are "silly little dogs". Not Yorkshire Terriers (the clue is in the name) and certainly not Standard Poodles. 🙄

17Lastbonestanding

I can't believe so many grown adults are discussing class like it is a real thing and trying to insult people by suggesting they are working class.

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?

I do seriously judge people who buy dogs like bulldogs and pugs They suffer so many health problems. Breeding them is cruel.

I definately wouldn't equate poo/cross breed with middle class. Most poo crosses that I know tend to be owned by people who care more about image than the health of the dog. I cant see why people would pay £2K plus for a crossbreed with no guarantee of health checks, parentage, breed standard traits. Madness. Middle classes tend to have solid, working stock dogs like setters, labs, etc.

I think the dogs you mentioned are not upper class at all. They hint at going for the easier option dog. Upper classes will have well trained gun / working dogs. They will be taken out on shoots, and have a large estate to roam around in.

(we have a border terrier and a sprocker spaniel. we are not upper class though, and our dogs are not well trained!!)

I don't think its a MC thing but its definitely a thing. There is no real variation where I live now, its all small, blonde, curly haired dogs! I saw a Red Setter the other day and was shocked, can't remember the last time I saw one.

@PattyPan

I do seriously judge people who buy dogs like bulldogs and pugs They suffer so many health problems. Breeding them is cruel.

Agreed. Breeding dogs with such significant breathing issues should be banned. No matter how 'cute' some people think they look.

@PattyPan

I do seriously judge people who buy dogs like bulldogs and pugs They suffer so many health problems. Breeding them is cruel.

I agree, its the same with persian and Scottish fold cats.

I have no idea what breed my dog is, almost certainly partly staffie, partly slight hound, maybe Collie, maybe Jack Russell. She was abandoned in kennels and taken into rescue where she became very stressed and lost a lot of weight. 1 year on from us rescuing her she is a good weight, the friendliest dog you could meet and enjoying life to the full. I don't suppose those who buy a dog for how it looks would be impressed by her, but, like every dog I've ever owned she became the most beautiful creature on the planet to me in just a few days. I'm afraid the snobby people at the school are just encouraging dog breeding, probably encouraging puppy farms and creating problems for the day they discover their cross breed can cause allergies and will moult. It won't be too long before there is a crisis in rescue kennels as the owners discover this type of dog is not quite what they expected and have to re-home.

Everyone here has a Labrador or spaniel (or labradoodle), we live in the countryside so it seems to be the thing to have a gun dog or retriever breed as well as a tweed jacket and posh wellies. Unless you live in a flat or one bed house and hate walking, then you get a French ball dog 🤔.

Some breeds seem to have vanished. We would love a EBT but they are hard to come by.

Look at Bedlington terrier crosses. They are low shedding if you get a rough/broken coated puppy.

We have a beddy X cocker spaniel, but from a working parents so he is a high energy dog, although easy to exercise of there is space for him to go off lead. He is a lovely dog and amazing with DD (3). Look up #cockerton on Instagram.

But also lots of beddy whippets and beddy greyhounds around.

@Enko I love your basset hound - chap in our park has one imaginatively called Fred

Poos and doodles are a class status, they state that you have a lot of time, money and effort to invest in grooming. If I wanted a dog in this category I would get a standard poodle, they are one of the most impressive looking dogs in existence (with a sensible cut).

My time money and effort goes into yomping across hills with my GSP x GWP cross who is the spit of the rather rare GLP. We get approached by a lot of well spoken people asking just what sort of pointer she is.

I really do wish people would understand the term 'Mongrel' before using it, you just look a bit thick using it in this way, and at best snobby.

A Mongrel is a dog no a dog of no definable type or breed and isn't intentionally bred. If a Poodle and a Spaniel have been intentionally bred, no matter the twee name given it's not a mongrel. It's also got quite an offensive connotation so you're both rude, and wrong, and lots of people believe they're using it correctly because there are some 'experts' who use it, but it is designed to be impactful and offensive and suggests that a dog which is not purebreed is inferior, when this simply isn't the case.

For example, I do a lot with Guide Dogs for the Blind, and a large portion of the dogs they breed, are not pure labradors or pure golden retrievers, but a cross between a Labrador and a golden retriever to give the best mix of traits to make suitable guide dogs. They offer more information about the breeds they use, the way they are mixed and why on their website if you're interested www.guidedogs.org.uk/about-us/national-breeding-centre/what-the-national-breeding-centre-does/our-breeds Crossing breeds is a legitimate way to breed dogs with specific traits and done responsibly isn't a problem, and isn't a mongrel either.

Don't judge people for buying a mixed breed dog that will fit into their lifestyle well. Judge the people who are buying dogs with breathing difficulties or who are abandoning their dogs as strays or selling them on for profit when they realise dogs are actually quite hard work. Spend your time worried about that instead, it's more useful than calling people's much loves family pets mongrels.

Personally, I have 3 pure breed snow dogs (not huskies though) who all perfect examples of the breed. Extremely stubborn, stupid and do not listen to a word I say. Not sure what class that makes me though.

One of my mates is a vet. I won't tell you what vets think when people bring in their bulldogs and pugs and shar peis and dachshunds and all the various other inbred dogs that are born to suffer because they can't breathe properly, are crippled by bad backs or are doomed to years of itching because of skin conditions. If you ever get a weird feeling that your vet despises you it may well be because you chose to give money to a breeder who bred animals to suffer.

I'm afraid I do judge those who have pugs and French bulldogs. They're purely for vanity/an accessory and the breeding of them is cruel.

Dog breeds do seem to have waves of popularity with spikes due to television shows and winning at national dog shows.
Many I suspect tend to get what is available at the time.

I love dogs though. I've had a beagle, golden retriever, sheltie, yorkie, silky and have loved them all. Used to show too.

The prices have been insane this year for any pet. 300 to 500 for a kitten, 1000s for a dog. I'm in a lifestyle where I can have a dog again and it'll cost a lot just to get one from a good breeder.

regardless of what people get, I can only hope they are trained, loved, and cared for properly.

Cockerdoodlecavashihtzawhateverpoos are "silly little dogs". Not Yorkshire Terriers (the clue is in the name) and certainly not Standard Poodles. 🙄

YT's were bred by cotton and mill workers in the 19th century, originally from breeds that originated from dogs brought into Yorkshire by Scottish workers.

Standard Poodles were bred for a number of purposes but often used as water retrievers in hunting.

The "poo" mixes appear to have been bred to look cute, so people can have real live Teddy Bears.

...And more recently with Arabian horses, being bred with narrower, concave noses.

This constant obsession with looks being more important than function is criminally insane. It bleeds into everything so is bound to bleed into dog breeds.