Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about designer breeds, dogs that are “designed” or “bred” to obtain a specific result. An example might be the “Labradoodle”, a supposedly hypo-allergenic dog. You can either go online and buy one for thousands of dollars or you can take a drive down to your local shelter and find one for less than $100.
I’m a big fan of designer breeds. In fact, I have three in my office with me right now – Roscoe is a Beagledor (essentially a 60 lb beagle), Cheiss is a Chaussie (Australian shepherd and chow), and of course Tristan is a Wolote (a very rare, coyote/wolf/shepherd).
The cool thing about designer breeds is you get to name them yourself!
“Designer Breeds”
I watched some people in the park the other day. A woman was watching a beautiful dog chase and successfully catch every ball his owner threw. The dog dove into the lake like a champ, refused to chase the ducks, and was in all – a perfect canine gentleman. She approached the owner, asking what breed the dog was and where she could find one of her own.
The man proudly proclaimed, “Why, he’s an Aussiedor! A rare, very expensive breed. In fact, there are only two breeders in the US that I’m aware of.” He went on to pass along the contact information for his breeder and the woman left, anxious to begin her hunt.
And yet, he’s simply describing a dog that is a mix between an Australian Shepherd and a Labrador. I was at the shelter yesterday where I saw three of them.... Each was adoptable that day for $85, yet she’ll likely pay a breeder over $1,000 if she doesn’t do her homework.
What’s In A Name?
They sound lovely and exotic. And expensive. Here are just a few examples:
Ba-Shar (Basset Hound crossed with a Shar-pei)
Brusselranian (Brussels Griffon crossed with a Pomeranian),
Corillion (Papillon crossed with a Pembroke Welsh Corgi)
Imo-Inu (American Eskimo crossed with a Shiba Inu)
Wee-Chon (Bichon Frise crossed with a Westie)
What kind of designer dog do you have? Leave us a comment and tell us all about it!
There are plenty of purebreds in shelters too. Why single out crossbreds? I think people should be allowed to choose the type of dog dog they think will be right for their family, whether it's a purebred or a cross.
ReplyDeleteThey should also be able to decide whether to choose a dog from a breeder, or to rescue, regardless of the type of dog. I think it's admirable that people rescue dogs from shelters, but it isn't for everyone.
There are plenty of purebreds in shelters too. Why single out crossbreds? I think people should be allowed to choose the type of dog dog they think will be right for their family, whether it's a purebred or a cross.
ReplyDeleteThey should also be able to decide whether to choose a dog from a breeder, or to rescue, regardless of the type of dog. I think it's admirable that people rescue dogs from shelters, but it isn't for everyone.