Pomsky???

[JLSOhio51]

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I'm thinking about speaking out against it, but I'm not a true militant, and I've not a lot of time to take on causes. But maybe one of you wants to take this on????

Like most folks here, I have a problem with all of this "designer dog" crap, and I also don't like that people can be lured into paying high dollar for a simple mixed breed pup. That said, I also don't feel the need to "rage against the machine" (as it were) to stop people from registering their progeny. I mean, just because I don't like it, just because it makes no sense to me, doesn't make it right for me to stop them from developing their registry (absent any illegal activity). If they want to register, it would seem that the registry will die on the vine as people realize that this "designer dog" issue is mostly smoke and mirrors unless and until excepted and ethical breeding practices are employed.

I would think that time would be better spent trying to stop all of the "designer breed" activity at the breeding point, if (and only if) something illegal is taking place in that process. Short of that, I would think that the only logical move would be to lobby for laws regarding such breeding practices to be changed (and we all know the likelihood of that happening anytime soon).

 

[BarbV]

Sorry, I have to hold to my position here.

Unfortunately, there is nothing illegal about breeding any dog to any dog.

So the only way to deal with this to speak out and educate the public that these so called designer dogs are actually mutts.

I have a pet store with a grooming business. People call for grooming and we ask what kind of dog they have....a golden doodle.....Oh well...that could weigh 20 lbs or 80 lbs. And what kind of fur does it have.....well....its kinda curvy, maybe. There is no coat standard for a golden doodle, hate to tell you!

I think we should be proactive in speaking against these sites, because I customers that actually thinking their dog is purebred!!!!

 

[JLSOhio51]

Barb V:

I have no problem with you or your position on this. I also have no issue with the stand you take regarding your business interaction with the "designer breeds". There is no way that you could set standard pricing (or practices) for breeds with traits that are all over the map.

I don't even have a problem with folks speaking out against whatever practices they choose to speak against. But I also believe that (for me), my time would be better spent in other areas. The fact that someone wants to register a breed that I don't feel deserves it, the fact that they feel that they have something special in their eyes or the fact that they paid big money for that privilege aren't things that I feel are worth my efforts.

 

[EJHUNTL]

You know what they about a fool and his money….I think Bernadoodles are really cute but $9500!!!

http://www.swissridgekennels.com/adoption.html

Like it or not, pets are a commodity and the pet industry is worth billions ( see link below) so the designer dog trend is here to stay. Buyer beware!

My guess would be that mutts/designer dogs far outnumber registered dogs and I'm not sure that it's necessarily a bad thing if people know what they are getting. Very often a mutt will have fewer health issues - there are after all breeds that can only deliver by c-section, how ridiculous is that! I've met lots of people who love their mutts just as much as we love our registered doggies. It's all about what you're looking for in a pet and how important having some predictability/standardization is to you.

I don't have any research to back it up but my guess is that if someone is willing to pay $800-$2000 or more for a pet, chances are higher that that pet will get access to good vet care, maybe better food, be neutered or spayed….

http://www.businessedge.ca/archives/article.cfm/pet-power-propels-45-billion-industry-16030

 

[BarbV]

Barb V:

I have no problem with you or your position on this. I also have no issue with the stand you take regarding your business interaction with the "designer breeds". There is no way that you could set standard pricing (or practices) for breeds with traits that are all over the map.

I don't even have a problem with folks speaking out against whatever practices they choose to speak against. But I also believe that (for me), my time would be better spent in other areas. The fact that someone wants to register a breed that I don't feel deserves it, the fact that they feel that they have something special in their eyes or the fact that they paid big money for that privilege aren't things that I feel are worth my efforts.

I find your position unfortunate......did you see my post recently of a so-called toy-Sheltie? This girl came to my store, recently rescued from a puppy mill because she had exceeded her breeding life....at 5 or 6 years old. She and the sires she was bred with were purposefully bred to breed smaller and smaller shelties.

You can only imagine the heath issues that the progeny are living with as a result of indiscriminate breeding. So if if you care, at all, about Shelties as a breed, you must be aware of what is going on outside the normal breeding standards. I think if we all bury our faces in the sand, and pretend it is not happening will ultimately destroy the breed.

Just saying.

 

[JLSOhio51]

I find your position unfortunate......did you see my post recently of a so-called toy-Sheltie? This girl came to my store, recently rescued from a puppy mill because she had exceeded her breeding life....at 5 or 6 years old. She and the sires she was bred with were purposefully bred to breed smaller and smaller shelties.

You can only imagine the heath issues that the progeny are living with as a result of indiscriminate breeding. So if if you care, at all, about Shelties as a breed, you must be aware of what is going on outside the normal breeding standards. I think if we all bury our faces in the sand, and pretend it is not happening will ultimately destroy the breed.

Just saying.

Yes Barb, I did see your other post AND I see that issue totally separate from what we are discussing now. Also, "purported" issues and issues "you can only imagine" were not a part of this discussion. We can drag any conversation out to the nth degree, but what was on board here is the audacity of someone to breed two purebred dogs and register them while calling the offspring purebred dogs.

What I find "unfortunate" is someone (who doesn't know me) deciding that I am "burying my face in the sand" or suggesting that I "don't care" because I don't agree with a particular point of view.

 

[Lightplum]

I can honestly say I sat down read this thread got to page 3 and said wth was the original post about the thread got off on a tangent about mini shelties some how?!?

Bottom line is at some point in time including shelties were a made up breed...did it tick people off you betcha. Does it take alot of leg work for your breed to become recognized within the AKC? YUP! Mini aussies are a "new" breed and lets not ask the aussie people how they feel about it, they cant even decide on a single registry for their breed.

People are going to call mutts/mixed breed what ever they like if it makes them feel better and able to justify to themselves why they just shelled out $2000 for a mutt. Until people are educated and unwilling to shell out $$$ on the mutt/mixed breed they are getting this will continue on...

 

[JessicaR]

What is the problem with breeding mixed breeds? As long as those breeding them follow the same practices as reputable breeders, what is wrong with it? I am not trying to start something here but...Breeds started out as a mixture of dog breeds to get the desired traits. Now I know that unfortunately most of people that breed mix breeds are just looking for a quick buck but... I can say the same about a lot of the purebred breeders out there. In the grand scale of things very few breeders are reputable, and the ones that are can not keep up with the demand of buyers. So in turn people go to back yard breeders and pet stores, which of course keeps them in business longer.


I will be the first to admit I love my purebred dogs, they are great, but I also grew up with mixed breed dogs. The best dog I ever owned was a mix breed (chow, shepherd, wolf) He was never vaccinated (parents didn't believe in it) or fixed, he lived a long life, with very little health problems, and was fed junk food (ol roy) and table scraps. So who am I to say to someone that they shouldn't buy a mix breed if that's what they really want?

 

[Tabitha]

JessicaR, I must say, I completely disagree with you. If someone what's a mix breed GO TO A SHELTER! There are PLENTY of rescue dogs there that NEED homes. I'm sorry but I just can't rationalize anything you just said. Not one bit of it makes since to me as a responsible pet owner.

 

[Jess041]

But Tabitha.. that's how a majority of today's breeds have come up. They all started as dogs were selectively bred to do certain jobs or look a certain way. Remember, a Sheltie didn't start out as a Sheltie. There are several breeds in the mix and it wasn't recognized as a breed until a little over 100 years ago. So 100+ years ago, there might have been naysayers who looked down upon those who helped create the breed we know and love today. There might have been Rough Collie breeders who were like, "how dare they breed our beloved collie to that mutt!" (might be exaggerating here lol).

The issue I have with designer breeds is that sometimes people are only in it for the money, and not for the dog's welfare or making a better dog. There are breeders who really care and are doing genetic testing to make a better dog. Whether their goals are for hypoallergenic, a better athlete in agility or flyball, or a better hunter, there are people out there who do it the "right way". It's the people who say, "I have a poodle here that is cute, and a yorkie here that is cute, lets breed them!" that I have issues with. They just want to make money with no regard to genetics or quality of the parents. But we also have breeders doing that with purebred dogs too.. so...