Paying £100's for mongrels

[dimondjedi9]

All I have seen on Facebook is adverts selling so called ‘designer’ puppies for ridiculous amounts of money.
All these Jackerpoos, cockerpoo, yorkieshit etc are basically mongrels, it amazes me why people would pay £700+ for a mongrel.
The definition of mongrel is:
Any animal resulting from the crossing of different breeds or types.
We rescued our little Westie from travellers, she had been bred and bred until she became of no use, the amount of different puppies they were selling was unreal, crossing them with everything.
Surely the worry will be that if these dogs keep being inbred all the time then the true breed will disappear, Facebook should ban the selling of any animal, especially on the run up to xmas!

SheGotOffThePlane Why is a LlhasaxPoodle your only chance of owning a dog?

I am genuinely interested as to why such a cross would be less likely to cause an allergic reaction then a Llhasa Apso or a Poodle given that they are both non shedding breeds.

I thought you had said that Guide Dogs have given up using crossbreeds DJBaggySmalls when actually most of their dogs are crossbreeds.

randomer
Why do people choose to be dog breeders
Enthusiasts choose to be dog breeds because they have a breed that they want to still be around in the future.
Or they work their dogs and need specific qualities; shepherds for example.

Back yard breeders and puppy farmers breed because people who dont know any better buy their puppies.

@shegotofftheplane - if your allergies are so bad why not go for a straight poodle? A when you cross a hypoallergenic poodle with a non hypoallergenic llhasa you actually increase your chance of being allergic to the offspring, as you’re introducing undesirable genes to a dog that is already what you want.

It never makes sense to me that people use the allergy reason for poodle crosses. If you wanted a small dog you wouldn’t cross a chihuahua with a great dane and expect the offspring to be smaller than the chihuahua?

NumberEightyOne This is part of the problem, people dont understand the terminology. I explained that they have given up trying to develop the crossbreed 'labradoodle' into a breed.
A 'breed' isn't snobs being annoying, its a description of genetics.

A 'labradoodle' is a cross between 2 breeds. It is not a breed in its own right. You get a labradoodle by crossing a labrador and a poodle.
You cannot cross 2 labradoodles and get labradoodles.

It was partly a response to a previous poster who claimed thats how you get a new breed, by crossing 2 breeds.
It isnt.

I fostered a breeding bitch from a highly regarded KC registered breeder who looked like they cared about the future of the breed. They didn't. They bred the girl into the ground. Despicable people.

Going off the subject slightly I have seen lots of posts on Facebook from people saying that they can no longer keep their dog due to having a baby or not being able to train the dog, it really makes me cross and sad because that poor animal could end up in the hands of god knows who, on our local facebay I counted 8 posts like that and when you suggest taking the dog to a rescue centre they are more interested in getting money for the animal rather than getting it rehomed properly. I love my animals, we paid £30 for our cat and she is a blue tortoise shell, I should imagine if the person we got her from knew what sort of colour she would turn in to they would’ve charged a lot more. I definitely believe that no puppies or kittens should be sold after September so they cannot be bought as xmas presents, animals are for life but by February the rescues are bursting at the seams!

NumberEightyOne You can report them to the KC, there are limits on how often and how late you can breed each bitch.

Yes I know that DJ.

My crossbreed is incredibly healthy. She is a happy dog and full of vitality despite nearly being nine. When I compare to dsis's pure breed lab from a highly respected KC registered breeder, there's no contest. My ddog is by far healthier. Having said that ddog's doppelganger who lives nearby has been plagued with health issues. It's luck of the drawer I think.

If the dog's parents weren't tested, then yes, it's the luck of the draw. To ensure that 'luck', find a breeder (cross or pedigree, whatever) that properly health tests, see DJBaggysmalls' post above ^^

Every time someone tells me they’ve got a pedigree dog or cat, I think of this cartoon. I’ve never had a pedigree cat and never had a cat as a kitten.

But Sabine, my chosen breed rarely appears in rescue. My nearest rescue has staffies, more staffies and some random crosses, all small. I want a medium sized dog that can pick up a big pheasant, for example. The breed I like has a breed rescue: virtually all of the dogs have issues and are being re-homed for a reason and must be the only dog in a home. I like multiple dogs.

Not everyone can have a rescue, I'd be declined for various reasons, even though the dog is never left for more than a few hours.

Rather than insist on everyone getting a rescue, how about we make breeding indiscriminately illegal? Or shut down the puppy farms?

Why is paying pounds to get the cat you want worse than paying to get the dog you want?

Our scruffy little mongrel is exactly that - a scruffy little mongrel. I get stopped almost daily by people asking if he is a ... suggesting all sorts of names. They get so offended when I say he is a scruffy little mongrel. Like he cares. All I know is he is a fantastic looking dog with a lovely nature.

Anyway I bought him from a breeder who had done everything right. After adding up her costs she probably only made £100 per pup profit. I certainly don't begrudge her that. Even though we have had comments like the op's ahhh why would you pay that for a mongrel - they used to give them away.

We see loads of designer breeds out there and none get as much fuss as our little fella. But each to their own - we chose ours cos we loved his face - hopefully that is what all dog owners do buy a dog THEY like the look of not to impress anyone.

Rescues are full of crossbreeds, unwanted ones.

Maelstrop the ENTIRE point is that you don’t go looking for a pedigree. A dog is an animal, not a designer accessory. You go along to a rescue centre and choose from the many dogs there, rather than paying a breeder hundreds for a puppy with god knows what physical problems bred into it!

@serin I genuinely have no idea why, but I am incredibly allergic to my friend's pure breed lhasa, as well as other non shedding dogs. Other breeds, that technically I shouldn't be allergic to, I can't even be in the same room as. My little cross breed is, and I am not exaggerating at all, the ONLY dog that I've ever been able to spend any time in close proximity to.
Once I received a soft toy in a pack of presents from Australia that had b single dog hair on it. Ten minutes later I had to be on antihistamines and looking out my inhalers
I agree that a lot of breeders are utterly exploiting the current trend for poodle crosses though.

I'd much rather adopt a scraggly little scrap from a dog's home than any of the made up breeds that seem to be doing the rounds at the moment.
I cannot wait. I've chosen the day I'll do it. (Day after I retire, got about 20 years to go yet...)
I love a little terrier of dubious parentage!

What is wrong with a pure bred poodle?

I don’t want a bloody poodle. I wanted a larger dog. But I’m too ill to train a soppy dog, who is into everything and wants to tease, steal things for fun and do stupid stuff. I know you don’t agree with my statement that cockapoos are easy to train. But they are normally highly intelligent, which helps with training.

I had a very soppy lab, who loved life and was pretty impossible to train, the most loving thing ever but not blessed in the brains department. He wouldn’t have made a guide dog that’s for sure! Possibly after my experience with him, my views on what is and isn’t easy to train are skewed.

We once stayed friends, who had a golden retriever and the wife complained their dog was impossible. She obeyed me to a tee because I was assertive with the dog. That dog would have been a piece of cake for me to have as my current dog. But I need something I can easily pick up, won’t pull on the lead etc. So this dog suits my needs.

Buying a mongrel (crossbreed if you are being snobbish about it) doesn’t eliminate health problems - you dog could inherit the best traits from the parents breeds but also the worst.
It’s not creating a new breed as there is no careful selection involved - your average labradoodle can have a coat anywhere from tight and curly like a poodle to a wavy version of the Labradors double coat.

I own (working) gundog Labradors. I am massively pro-pedigree for this breed (and others for similar reasons) because it means things like hip and elbow scores are more easily traceable and responsible breeders will look to eliminate it. (I acknowledge that there are BYB for almost every breed). I will happily pay out the cash for a dog from proven lines (I’m years off getting another dog and I still know exactly which kennel I want it from already).

I have no problem with mongrels, it’s the pedigree prices and the lies some “breeders” come out with (one cockapoo owner told me her dog had two pedigree, which was how she was justifying the high price tag) really rip my knitting.

I also have no problem with people who Rescue, but I wish some of the more evangelical types would realise that there can be a good reason for folk needing/wanting a pedigree.

Sabine rescuing is not that simple. I’ve seen threads in the Doghouse forum where people have WANTED to rescue but are frustrated by the long and complicated process. You need to go through a thorough vetting procedure. You may love a particular dog but they may not deem it suitable as you have young kids. Some dogs come with a horrific background and would not be ideal for a first time owner. You don’t just walk in, pick one and leave.

We have a crossbreed/mongrel

Lurchers have been around for a long time, they are often crossbred to add some terrier cleverness to the greyhound/whippet speed. And it goes back centuries, to peasants wanting a good hunting dog, but not being allowed to own greyhounds.

Some people still like them today, a their soft gentle nature means they make great pets.

But it can be a fashion thing too. Our girl was a crossbreed-crossbreed litter, and ended up looking almost entirely black greyhound (despite her parents being only 25% greyhound) and the rest of the litter being grey and fluffy and looking deerhound.

It shows that when you breed crossbreed with crossbreed, the results are more unpredictable.

Our dog ended up as a reject (for her looks, black greyhounds are very unpopular) and was returned to the breeder. We were lucky to come across her.

Still, to me, lurchers are a fabulous crossbreed/mongrel kind of dog. Cross breeding certain dogs makes sense, imo. Lurchers in general tend to be very healthy and not overbred.

d much rather adopt a scraggly little scrap from a dog's home than any of the made up breeds that seem to be doing the rounds at the moment.
I cannot wait. I've chosen the day I'll do it. (Day after I retire, got about 20 years to go yet...)
I love a little terrier of dubious parentage

This was my plan too. I was finally ready about two years ago. I went to every local rescue, liked every facebook page. I was applying for at least two dogs a week- you have to apply for every dog separately. My criteria was anything up to whippet size, and under 5, not a staffy (they are gorgeous dogs, but too strong for me. I was prepared to travel anywhere.

I got lots of emails and phone calls asking me to come and meet the dog. I got equally as many the day after saying, sorry, but someone else came to meet it and it’s been reserverd, or the foster carer has decided to keep it.

Over a year later and i’d not actually got as far as meeting a dog, and it’s not as if i was further up a waiting list. It seemed to be either you knew someone who worked at a shelter and gave you a heads up, or you had to be able to drop everything and be meeting and reserving the dog 30 minutes after you got the phone call.

I gave up and went to a breeder. I don’t regret it one bit as i know the breed well and he is everything i need/want in a dog.

Mugs paying ££££ for mongrels really infuriate me, thousands of mongrels being killed in rescue centres. Every time someone buys a puppy they’re condemning a healthy dog to death somewhere else.