Pure breed vs Mutts

[Cat]

So I am watching one of my favorite shows, Cats 101, and my usual dilemma came up. I would rather adopt a cat from a shelter, and not sure how I feel about new breeds being created.

Then again, I love cat shows, and I love seeing these breeds and learning about their characteristics and genetics. So I may a hypocrite in that I want to go to shows, but will adopt shelter kitties, and I am very hypocritical, since I want to find a Maine Coon in shelter.

I have nothing against *good* breeders, since I know a customer who is looking for a specific kitty will not hit a shelter, but seek out good breeder. And I have owned a pure bred Scottish Fold before.

(I also want to know what breed(s) Riley is....he's either Oriental or part Siamese)

How does everyone else feel about the pure breed vs mutt debate? I can see bother sides, but I think that is just because I am a crazy cat lady.

Sorry for the rambling, but I'm sick and the coffee hasn't kicked in.

[bunnyboy]

Truthfully I'm against purebreeds for one reason alone, yeah you may know some of what you're getting, but truth be told mutts tend to have less genetic defects (due to the fact that to pure breed there has to be quite a bit of inbreeding) take for example when I had dogs and loved dogs, I had my Blue Heeler-Lab-possibly bull mastiff mix mutt and he was pretty even tempered, healthy (only had to take him in for shots) and was good around both new people and familiar people, the one person I knew who had a Dachshund who was pure bred was much less even tempered, seemed to hate anyone that wasn't his people, and disliked his people, and had a host of health problems.

Cats it's difficult to judge since they have more genetic diversity within their breeds, however I think it's insane some of the prices breeders ask, especially for thing like Siamese or Maine Coon, yeah I'm pretty indifferent when it comes to it, but dogs, I'd go with a shelter mutt, and truth be told probably cats as well, hell I support shelters and wish these stupid celbritards and their imitators would actually adopt rather than find breeders.

And don't even get me started on designer breeds, so you crossed a pug and a poodle, nice, it's a mutt and not WORTH the eleventy thousand dollars you ask.

[LewisLegion]

I go either way. I like mutts. I adopt shelter dogs (I mean, how can you resist those poor faces). I also like certain purebreeds and will adopt them from rescue. If I wanted a purebred for a specific reason (like a dobie for Shutzhund or a bernese for draft work) I would go to a very reputable breeder to ensure, for example, hip soundness in the draft dog and temperment for the dobie.

I honestly don't think there's a difference in the genetic health of purebreeds versus mutts. A purebred from a good breeder who's genetic line has been traced stringently for generations should be very healthy. A mutt can be healthier but at the same time it could inherit MORE genetic defects from both sides of the coin...for example, a labradoodle could be healthy but it could also inherit bad hips from the lab side and bad eyesight from the poodle side.

By the way, hybrid vigor regarding mutts does not exist under the definition of that word. Hybrid vigor happens when you cross SPECIES. A dog and a dog makes a dog, not a hybrid. A coyote and a dog would be a hybrid.

And I absolutely HATE the designer dog phenomenon. They're not breeds. They're mutts with a higher price tag, that's all.

[Cat]

Oh yeah....I am not a fan of designer dogs...so far this (as far as I know) hasn't hit the feline word...but it's matter of time (I mean, I joke about crossing an American Curl with a Scottish Fold)

Dogs 101 is doing a show on the designer dogs this sat....I think I'll skip that one.

[kiwi]

Truthfully I'm against purebreeds for one reason alone, yeah you may know some of what you're getting, but truth be told mutts tend to have less genetic defects

That is only if you buy a pure breed from a lousy immoral breeder. There are pure breed lines that are very strictly controlled and they do not over breed nor do they interbreed to an unsafe level. Things like genetic defeats are taken very seriously by decent breeders.

I have no problem whatsoever with mixed breed dogs, but I choose to only own a GSD of the German working line. I have waited 4 years for one and will finally be able to get one next year when we have the proper fenced yard for it and the lifestyle that will enable the BF and myself to care for it properly.

I hate that puppy mills and their disgusting practices have tarred all pure breeds with the same brush.

[Stormraven]

Our last three cats (two of which are still alive) have all been shelter cats. And when it comes time, we'll look at more shelter cats.

Partly because we can't afford purebreed but also because we like the idea of finding cats that need our help.

If we could afford it, there are one or two pure breeds we might look into, but I don't see us changing our current practice.

[LewisLegion]

Cats are a bit of a different story to me. There are so many more cats that are on the streets or in the shelters than dogs. Because of that, I think cat breeding of ANY kind should be kept down to a minimum. Yes, there should be a few good breeders of each seperate breed to maintain their lines (many of which stretch back thousands of years) but I believe people should always adopt at least ONE cat, purebred or moggie, before purchasing any purebred cat from a breeder.

I've had a dozen cats, easily. Only ONE I ever bought from a breeder. Every single one of the others has been a rescue.

[MaggieTheCat]

I really really want to get a Savannah cat someday. Probably not an F1 or F2 (first or second generation) since they can cost thousands of dollars. I just think they're beautiful and from what I've read, they have wonderful temperaments. However, I also think we will probably adopt rescue kitties when we get a bigger place and can have more cats. We want lots of cats (probably 4 or 5 at least) and we certainly don't need all purebred cats.

My parents recently got some "Australian Labradoodles" (cross between a Labrador and a poodle,) once of which is miniature. How you get a miniature when you're crossing a lab and a (I assume) standard poodle, I have no idea. Anyway, they are not very healthy. They had ear mites and yeast infections when we got them and one of them has demodex mange. The breeder they bought from was horrible. They didn't even go to see her facility, which was their first problem. But we figured out real quick that the dogs were housed in some sort of barn with lots of other animals. They stank, bad. And I'm assuming there was inbreeding going on, especially to get the "miniature" breed. Those kinds of breeders should be shut down for good.

[Cat]

Savannahs are neat cats...gorgeous

[Wingates_Hellsing]

I (or more specifically my family) now have two shelter dogs. One of whom is pushing 16 years of age (15 3/4 and counting). Both of 'em are absolutely ridiculously adorable and awesome... wouldn't trade 'em for the world.

I just don't get where the whole Purebred > non-Purebred thing comes from... they're all cats/dogs, aren't they?

P.S. Local shelter had three purebred husky siblings (brothers I think) in for a while a few weeks ago... pure awesomeness

I'd go shelter, cuz mixed breeds need love too

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I don't care anything about breeds. Shelter dogs and only shelter dogs.

To me, it seems very, very wrong to continue to breed dogs (and cats) when there are hundreds of thousands of these animals dying in shelters, abandonment, and slow starvation.

These are living creatures.

I realize there are some wonderful breeds out there and the huge diversity of them is wonderful and fascinating. But I just can't get past the overwhelming waste of the lives of so many beautiful animals that we already have living here among us.

EDIT: and just in case anyone here knows what my last dog was, I should probably mention that while he was a breed, he was not a great specimen of one, which is probably why he was in a position to be rescued in the first place. I didn't get him because he was an Eskie. I rescued him from an abusive owner and he ended up keeping me. If he'd been a mutt, the story would be the exact same.

[DesignFox]

I understand perfectly why people may want a specific breed of dog or cat, and why they would go to a breeder for one.

My family is prime example. My parents wanted a dog, but everyone in the house is allergic to most animals. We had to find a breed of dog that didn't inflame our sinuses to the point that we couldn't care for it. (we had that unfortunate situation with two rabbits and had to give them a new home- long story short)

At any rate. My mom and dad did TONS of research before choosing a breed, and TONS more before choosing a breeder (they scoped out facilities, checked the animals records, etc). We now have two wonderful little bichons.

Don't know if we would have found them from a shelter.

I'm all for adopting where and when possible. But I also understand people's wants/needs for a purebred. I don't think GOOD breeders should be punished or shut down because of the bad ones, and I don't think families should be made to feel guilty for wanting/getting a specific type of animal from them.

If my allergies didn't prevent it, (and I was a bit more secure financially) I'd honestly probably have adopted all sorts of critters by now. I love animals!

[LewisLegion]

I just don't get where the whole Purebred > non-Purebred thing comes from... they're all cats/dogs, aren't they?

To me, it seems very, very wrong to continue to breed dogs (and cats) when there are hundreds of thousands of these animals dying in shelters, abandonment, and slow starvation.

Way back in the day, when dogs were first domesticated, that's all they were...dogs. They probably resembled dingos or the Asian Wild Dog. Over time, as the bond between dogs and people got closer and as people began to be agricultural they began to breed dogs with specific traits...dogs that herd, dogs that fight, dogs that hunt, big intimidating dogs for guardwork, small cuddly dogs for companionship. This is where the first groups and breeds of dogs started (contrary to a famous argument by designer dog breeders...no, all breeds weren't made by crossing breeds to begin with. The original breeds were made by nothing more than selective trait breeding).

Each breed originally had a purpose, even if that purpose was nothing more than to sit on the lap of royalty and look elegant and cute.

The problem is, today still...many of those breeds still work in their purpose. People still rely on herding dogs for their cattle and sheep. Law enforcement still relies on dogs like dobies, german shepherds, and belgian breeds for their work...dogs that have been bred over hundreds of years for this one niche and purpose. People still rely on the bigger breeds like Bernese for draft-work (though here in the US that's mostly become a sport or a novelty). Newfies still do water rescue. Saints still do snow rescue. Golden and Labrador retrievers have been well suited to the assistance/guide dog niche.

So the idea of stopping breeding altogether or eliminating the purebreds is unrealistic (if a noble idea). If purebreds were eliminated we'd eventually end up with dogs all intermingling until they were right back to being dingos, with the temperment of domesticated dingos, eliminating their suitablity for 90% of the work which dogs STILL do today.

But yes, it is very very wrong to continue to carelessly and irresponsibly breed dogs and cats nowadays when so many are in shelters. A good responsible breeder who is doing it for a breed is least likely to have ANY of the animals they produce end up in shelters. Because they screen owners up the yin yang, follow up on their progeny, and INSIST that for any reason, the dog/cat is returned to them if the owners can no longer care for it.

Most dogs/cats you find in shelters are cases of backyard breeding, careless stupidity of owners not fixing their pets and letting them wander, owners losing interest in that 'free' kitten or puppy they got when it was cute, and uneducated folk who think you have to get rid of a pet when you move/get pregnant because 'that's just what you do'.

I firmly believe that all breeding saved by licensed breeders who have to follow stringent guidelines by law should be stopped. Until then, all we can do is adopt when we can, spay and neuter, and educate.

[blas87]

Actually, a lot of inbreeding with cats happens on farms. You should see some of the cats at my one uncle's farm.......

That aside, my family has never paid for an animal.

We got all of our pets from someone who was giving away puppies or kittens.

We kind of acquired Baby, because her mother abandoned her under the neighbor's porch.

I should mention, at my old house, we lived nearby a feedmill, and there were just tons and tons of stray cats. There were always kittens around, but they were feral. That's part of the reason we think it's still really hard to get Baby to behave.

[Fryk]

Actually, the small breeds were originally not bred for companionship, but for small game hunting. Weiner dogs, for example were bred to flush rabbit out of rabbit holes. Poodles were bred to go after waterfowl. Their curly hair was meant to be extra protection for cold water or some such.