to wonder who would pay £495 for a mongrel dog

[LilyDaisyPoppyRose]

www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/114130606/shugalier-pups-shitzuxpugxcavalier.html

Oh sorry it's not a mongrel, its a shugalier silly me.

A fool and his money are soon parted.

the line that people put a hefty price tag on puppies to stop them being taken for dog fighting is just bollocks really. the reality is that there are only two reasons why there are crossbreeds for sale:

1. the breeders are puppy farmers who are breeding these dogs for the money. A litter of six cavachon puppies for instance which are being sold for around £450 round here will make a nice little earner if you breed a few litters in their lifetime.

1. the "breeder" is someone who clearly wasn't responsible enough to have their bitch neutered and have bred from her either because they couldn't be bothered to keep her in when in season, or because they just "wanted one litter of pups from her."

Either way there is no good reason for these crossbreeds to be given a name or be commanding the kinds of prices they are. Cockerpoos for instance sell for around £750 here and labradoodles for up to £1500

I don't deny that these dogs are adorably cute. My aunt has a rescue cavachon and she is adorable. But the reality is that every time someone pays these over inflated prices for what are essentially mongrels you are helping to create a chain of supply and demand which invariably leads to the existence of more backyard breeders and puppy farms.

Admittedly there are numerous bad breeders of pedigree puppies out there, but there are also decent breeders who are breeding for the good of the breed. there are no reputable breeders of crossbreeds out there, because they are not a breed...

I really want to see the health reports on these pups and what genetic defects were looked for.

I don't think it's fair to say people with pedigree dogs are snobby. I know I'm not.
I chose to get a pedigree lab because The breeder was the loveliest woman and really cared for those dogs, didn't just want to make money^^ like many other 'backyard breeders'. Plus I wanted to use him as a working dog and that's what he was bred for. Although we just do it for fun and he's very much part of the family.
My brother for example went to a shelter and got a dog some sort of cross don't even know what but he's a lovely dog and I don't think my dog is better because he's pedigree. I'm not a dog snob.

Makes no difference what type of dog and what was paid for it. Each to their own. Plenty of thoroughbreds are riddled with health problems so bleating about health problems with cross breeds is a red herring.

What is wrong is selfish bastards exploiting the animals for profit. Just as likely to get a pure bred breeder doing this as anyone else.

Although frankly there are so many dogs now in shelters I don't know that breeding shouldn't be much more tightly controlled in terms of base numbers - maybe a limit to a certain number of litters per year per registered breeder or something? Together with compulsory home checks for anyone getting a dog from anywhere. Our dog was stuck in a shelter for over a year before we got him - apparently not uncommon .

People part with their cash when they like a particular look of dog its as simple as that. If you don't want to, then don't. The naming is a bit bonkers once you get past 2 breeds but still. I do like the look of cockerpoos and labradoodles. Everyone knows what they are now and paying a few hundred for a crossbreed seems ok when you can pay up to £1000 and more for a pedigree.

Buying on preloved on the other hand is a no no for me and its a shame more people don't consider a rescue dog, even when they want a puppy, there are still lots needing homes. They are not free. Most charge about £200 to make sure the prospective owners are genuine and to cover costs and keep the rescue going.

A poodle x cockerpoo litter popped up on my Facebook. 'Ready for xmas, £900'

I had no words.

Can I just point out to all those people saying go to a rescue, well they don't just give those dogs away either and they can reject you on the most ridiculous reasons. Last time I went to find a dog One rejected us because we live in a town centre (we had a big secure garden and there's a huge park 5 minutes walk away), one because we both worked (well yes but one of us worked shifts and the other flexi time, the dog would be alone 2 hours max) and one because my ex had teenage step kids (who came round once a week)

It ended up being easier to buy a cross breed puppy. And no I didn't pay stupid money for him but he is worth every penny!

Pedigree, crossbreed or mongrel - doesn't matter anyway, as you could get any of these from rescue. As others say, the issue is the fact that people parting with higher amounts of money for a crossbreed are driving the demand and perpetuating puppy farms.

What we really need is a government with balls enough to ban puppy farming and make it an imprisonable offence. And strictly control and licence breeders - making it as desirable as possible for people to get their pups or dogs from rescues. And of course, ban the sale of livestock of any kind on sites like Preloved. If we want to government with balls - it's not this one. They save their crusading spirit and effort for attacking the disabled and working poor. And puppy farmers are probably big down the golf club.

The spaniel looks wary and the house is filthy. Shame on those idiots.

I find the whole 'breed standard' thing slightly creepy.

Absolutely! The pedigree dogs bred now, are just grotesque. I once saw a breeder on television sneering at a picture of a dog (a Bassett hound) which had been a champion some time last century. His dogs were just characatures of the breed.

Incidentally, Labradoodles were first bred as guide dogs for those with allergies. They were not a success for that purpose, and the original breeder now regrets what he began.

oh and they aren't giving anything away with the four weeks insurance either, this is provided free of charge by the large insurance companies and you can get this from some vets at the first vaccination/health check. I would expect any puppy i bought to have had its first vaccination and vet check if i were paying that sort of money.

I wish more people would take on dogs from rescue centres.

I always feel a real animal lover would try to do this, rather than buy a puppy to order.

I have young DC, so am deemed unsuitable by several rescues near me.
I work part time, a dog would be home alone for three hours 3 times a week. The centres who were happy to place suitable dogs with children didn't want their dogs left alone for that long.

So instead we looked for a breeder who had done all the health checks for yay many generations, but also one we found to have the same moral agenda as we do.

unfortunately rescue centres make it far too difficult for people to take on a rescue dog, plus most people want a puppy they can train rather than an older dog whose behaviour is most likely unpredictable.

I'm not in the market for a dog as mine are of the pre-trained guide dog variety but if I was I wouldn't take on a rescue as I've heard too many horror stories of rescue dogs which turn out to be aggressive either towards humans or dogs, and which end up coming with traits the rescue centre hadn't told the perspective owner about.

I remember in the 70's, as a kid, seeing and hearing of people being absolutely mortified that their dog had been 'got at' (back when strays and free roaming dogs were acceptable) and was pregnant with mongrels 9the good old Heinz 57!!).

they were giving them away free or for, at the most a fiver, and many many litters were drowned in weighted sacks, because people just couldnt get rid of them.

nowadays people are clamouring to pay for a mongrel, because people give it a fancy designer name.....reminds me of the emperors new clothes...people believe just what you feed them....despite whats right in front of their faces!

I helped fundraise for a rescue called Many tears in South Wales, because they take in many dogs and pups from puppy farms, who have had hideous lives. I cant go on the website these days as I just want to take all of the sad little mites home with me...I have 4 already :O

A quick note to those saying some pedigree dog owners are as bad as the back yard breeders - there are certain rules that the Kennel Club insists on for any puppy to be given a pedigree.

These include a bitch not being bred before or after a certain age (not before a year old, and not after 8) and a maximum of 4 registered litters from any bitch. This prevents the worst abuses of puppy farms where a bitch is bred from her first heat every time until she physically can't breed any more.

I think the saddest thing is they're being sold right before Christmas. Just in time for some wee girl to open on Christmas morning and be bored by New Year...

www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/breed/restrictions.aspx?id=2058

KC rules for breeding (dam).

So all that happens (for some breeders) is they breed crosses between pedigree whelpings and the KC are none the wiser - you don't register the cross pups or the pregnancy.

A nice little earner which extends the product life of the bitch.

I grew up with rescue dogs. My first dogs as a child were two Jamaican street dogs my mother had rescued back in the 1960s and shipped to New England. We also had feral cats that my mother battled to round up every year for vaccinations. Any future dog we may own will definitely be a rescue dog, but right now we have a cocker spaniel /poodle cross. He cost £750 and was worth every penny. It's a very long story, but this cross was the only type of dog I could guarantee my (then) 9 year old daughter would not be petrified of and she's now smitten with all dogs. I would have happily paid double for that result.