Where can I get a mutt/cross breed puppy from?

[Freddiefox]

Not looking for a rescue, l’ve tried. It’s too hard. Unless they are from abroad and I’m not keen.

I’m looking for a mutt, just a big standard medium sized pup. Not a cross breed poo/doodle type, or a pompchi or anything like that. Just a mixed breed.

Any ideas where I might be able to get one?

Thanks

Bog - not big

@JustNippingToWaitrose

We tried for 5 months. Like you, we just wanted a dog. Not a pedigree, just a dog. We gave up in the end.

Oh no!! We started looking just before lock down, and then stopped due to lockdown and the price, just starting to think about starting to look again. Not having much luck

Why is rescue too hard?
You will be unlikely to find anyone selling mutts. They can make more money selling pedigree or popular mixed.
Be very wary of anyone selling pups anyway. Decent breeders are few and far between.

Yes decent breeders are definitely few and far between.....even some of the ‘licensed breeders’ are seriously dodgy and haven’t had proper inspections due to covid. (Speak from experience) You could try some of the rescue charities that specialise in specific dogs. E.g. retriever rescue or spaniel rescue? They often have dogs from bereavements, so well loved dogs needing loving homes.

Why have you discounted overseas rescue?

Even the mutts are parcelled up as cross breeds right now and sold for thousands. I'd give it a few months til people are fully back at work and demand drops and try again.

You don’t get mutts anymore , anything x with anything x anything gets given a fancy name and an equally fancy price tag . Unless you get lucky with a pup or older pup in a rescue it’s a matter of buying and pedigrees are often cheaper than the so called designer x breeds .

I don’t think you should automatically dismiss all overseas rescue to be honest, if a mutt is whst you want.

@BBOA licensed most definitely doesn’t mean reputable.
Many years ago people didn’t neuter their pets and let their dogs roam. Hence mutts. Thankfully people neuter and dogs don’t foam any more.

Why have you given up on rescue shelters? There are plenty of dogs (all breeds and sizes) at our local Dogs Trust.

Getting a rescue is pretty much impossible at the moment.

I’d just get a nice pedigree puppy from a reputable breeder.

We couldn't afford the puppy prices but knew we could give a dog a loving home, so we got a rescue from abroad. Local rescues wouldn't let us adopt because my dd was too young (5). He was fostered local to us though so we could meet him and they could see if he would be a good fit. He was about 9m old when we got him and toilet trained. He's an absolutely lovely tempered dog and has settled in with us so well.

We got our mutt from a Romanian rescue when she was 3 months old. She is brilliant and has been easy to train. Why aren't you keen on rescuing from overseas? I can understand not getting a fully grown dog who is used to life on the streets but with a puppy who was rescued when absolutely tiny I can't see why it would matter.

Maybe post on social media or ask around? We got our purebred pup through a friend, for a third of the crazy going rate. There will be genuine people who value a good home for their pup over cash price.

If you live rurally, you may find that local gamekeepers or farmers have something similar to what you're after. They often have a deliberately bred or accidental litter of mixed working parentage - typically a bit of terrier, bit of spaniel, maybe some labrador or collie They will be bred to be hardy workers though, so will likely be pretty energetic and need lots of exercise. You would have to explain that you're after a pet dog and they might be able to show you one that seems calmer than the rest.

@TheVolturi unfortunately those genuine people often don’t know enough to do the appropriate health testing on parents pre breeding.

There's not many 'Heinz 57 varieties' dogs out there any more. In large part, they were the result of uncontrolled breeding - unneutered animals allowed to roam the neighbourhood. Let's not forget that this was also an era when overpopulation of kittens (and I presume puppies?) was frequently solved by drowning the whole litter, so not exactly a golden age.

The only Heinz 57 dogs out there that I meet in the park always turn out to have been adopted from abroad, where dogs are still unneutered, roaming and shagging at will.

Why are you so keen on a Heinz 57 specifically?

I would spend less time focussing on the breed itself, and more time focussing on what you need from a dog (e.g. child friendly, cat friendly, dog friendly), what you can offer (e.g. exercise levels, grooming) and anything you really can't stand the thought of (e.g. dogs that slobber everywhere). The perfect dog is probably out there for you somewhere - it's just not in the Heinz 57 package you were envisaging.