WHAT GOES INTO A MIX?

Mutts, mixed breeds, "designer dogs," puggles, schnoodles, labradoodles, yorkiepoo, you name it. I refer to all of these dogs as mixes, it makes no difference if someone attempted to mix breeds, it was an accident or the resulting dog has been in the soup pot for generations; they are all mixes. I love dogs which is yes a blanket statement and one that I can proclaim with confidence. A dog is a dog and no matter what combination of genes they get they are all dogs.

Althought they are all dogs when you get a mix or are thinking about a mix it is best to figure out what could possibly be in the mix so that you can be inform about each of the breeds that went into making your dog. I met a magnificent mix the other day, first I've ever seen. It was not an intentional breeding but boy it produced a fabulous combination of the two. What a hunk of a dog.

The very popular "designer dogs," of today are nothing but a money making business. If you read my post from yesterday you will see why. Unscrupulous people pump out a huge array of breed combinations in hopes of convincing you that this is "the dog." Anyone pumping out puppies for money is to me someone to stay clear of.

Sadly many breeds are miss labeled at shelters; they do their best but sometimes it is so far off I think they just take a look and say whatever happens to pop into their head. I have met people that think they have a spaniel mix only to find out when I see it that it is actually a Japanese Chin (actual breed). Another family told me they had a Saint Bernard mix when clearly it was an Akita mix. Two very different dogs; with very different temperament traits.

Some dogs like one I met at a dog park a while back have no detectable traits; they are what I call a street dog. There has been much research done on what happens to dogs when they interbreed for many generations. What they discovered is that they tend to resort back to a wild dog look. Medium in size, shorter coat, ears become erect, tail curls up and they are marked somewhat like a German Shepherd mix.

When I met the dog at the park I told his guardians that he looked like a tall street dog from Mexico. They then told me they got him off the streets in Mexico and that infact he was tall for a street dog. He looked like a Dingo with a black saddle and his behavior was right on. He was a calm; no nonsense kind of guy.

I love to guess what is in a dog; sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm completely wrong. But meeting any dog breed or mix makes my day.