Pure breed vs Mutts

[Nyoibo]

My great aunt bred Siamese, prize winning ones that went all over the world, she was very careful about who they went to and if they were not going to be used for showing and respobsible breeding it was a requirement of hers that the cat be de-sexed before the new owners picked it up.

[LewisLegion]

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.

Some were. Poodles were also actually originally bred standard, and then miniaturized. Doxies are fierce hunters. Jack Russels and most small terriers were ratters.

However, many toy dogs were bred for nothing more than looks and companionship. The pug, the pekingnese, the lhasa apso, the japanese chin...all bred for no other reason than to look sweet, elegant, 'human baby-like' (round faces, big eyes, short muzzles) and to be cuddly.

[Fryk]

I could never own a pug. Every time I hear them try to breathe, my heart breaks. And you have to clean around their nose just to keep them healthy. I don't understand why the breed got perpetuated as is.

[blas87]

I always feel bad for pitbulls. I think they are ugly dogs, but I know they aren't all as terrible as people make them out to be, and all of those worthless shits out there who thinks it's cool to raise their pitbulls to be gangster fighting dogs deserve to rot in hell being eaten by rabid squirrels.

[BlaqueKatt]

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.

according to breeders that want to make money-sure they're great....and they wouldn't lie at all to sell a product would they....

Savannahs are neat cats...gorgeous

Please read

From Big Cat Rescue:

I get e-mails every day, asking what I think of hybrids as pets. The hybrids in questions are usually Bengal Cats (leopard cat and domestic cross), Chausie or Stone Cougars (jungle cat and domestic cat cross) and Savannah (Serval and domestic cat cross) and Safari Cats (Geoffroy Cat and domestic cat cross).

In a nutshell, it is an irresponsible thing to do and there is no redeeming reason to cross breed these cats nor to support those who do by buying one. It almost never works out for the individual cat and in the rare case that it does, the number of animals that had to suffer in order for this one rare cat to exist is staggering.

Even after 5 generations, that wild personality is a dominant trait and while it is marketed as being just like having a tiny tiger in your home, most people don't know what that really means. They all spray. Male or female, neutered or not, first generation or fifth generation; I have never met one that didn't spray urine all over everything in their path.

I get hate mail from hybrid breeders every time I say anything about the fact that many times domestic cats are killed by the wild cats in the mating process, or that the conditions the breeding cats are often kept in is deplorable, or the physical ailments that many of these neurotic offspring suffer from, or the fact that millions of animals are being killed in shelters every year while people are still supporting the breeders. So many breeders claim that they only breed 4th and 5th generations, but don't seem to get the fact that you can't get a 4th generation without a lot of suffering in the first three. By the time a person breeds enough cats to get to the fourth generation they have created approximately 50 cats who will end up being slaughtered for coats or killed because of their behavior problems. I stand amazed at the number of people who just don't get this and how they manage to pretend that they are not the cause of the suffering if they purchase a fourth generation cat.

[fireheart17]

All three of our cats have been purebred ones, bought from breeders that we checked well before we even put our name down for one of them. Both breeders gave us a pedigree listing and all, as well as a recommendation on what to feed them, use in their litter trays etc.

Unfortunately, the Russian Blue kitties we've bought have had problems, although the vet theorizes that they're more prone to those problems due to their breed rather than a genetic problem from the parents (one had anaemia, the other one has the kitty version of a UTI).

We wouldn't trade either of them for the world however-our Tonk is very affectionate and loves to be a lap cat, while the Russian Blue is very playful and also affectionate.

That being said, I cannot stand designer breeds. What's wrong with the classic breeds?

[LewisLegion]

Even after 5 generations, that wild personality is a dominant trait and while it is marketed as being just like having a tiny tiger in your home, most people don't know what that really means. They all spray. Male or female, neutered or not, first generation or fifth generation; I have never met one that didn't spray urine all over everything in their path.

I've mentioned it before long ago and will mention it again. There is a lot of negative hype for the F generations of hybrid cats that is only partially true. You cannot paint any breed or type of animal with the same brush and say they are 'all' this way or that way. It doesn't work. They may share traits but not all are that way.

I have had experience with several bengals in my life, including no fewer than three of the F generations (F2s and F3s). NONE sprayed. Not a single one. I had a shelter moggie that sprayed like a fountain even after he was fixed. My F3 bengal never once sprayed, nor did his sister.

Of all the cats I've owned the bengals were the MOST docile. The same spraying moggie would tear your face off if you tried to fiddle with his feet or clip his nails. The bengal never so much as scratched accidentally, even when clipped, given shots, and having medication forced down his throat. His sister is the same.

My bengal was best friends with a small breed puppy and would wrestle with the dog, and allow the puppy to take him by the nape and pull him around the floor and would come back for more, never once hissing or shooting his claws. I'm convinced he didn't know he even had claws.

Yes, he was different than most domestic cats. He had a different voice and gave different vocalizations than you would expect from a 'normal' cat. He had different behaviors and was the only cat I knew that learned how to open a fridge and a freezer, and could chew THROUGH metal cans.

No, I don't particularly think every joe schmoe out there should get one nor do I think they should have been bred in the beginning in particular, but they are here as a breed NOW and despite protests I don't see them going anywhere. But to paint every single one of them with the same brush and say they are ALL of a certain temperment or behavior set despite what I and every single person I know who owns bengals has seen and experienced is just panic-mongering. It's the same as saying all calicos are vicious or all siamese spray constantly.

[tabbyblack13]

I have never gotten a dog or cat from a breeder. My favorite dogs were two German Shepard mixes that someone abandon near my house. The cats my family have had were taken in from family friends or found around the house. We have always had good luck with strays and pound animals. I can understand if you need to have a certain breed to keep your allergies in check or you need to have the animal do a certain tasks. What some people forget is that there are breed rescues that you can get a certain breed.

As for mixing wild and domesticated animals (in both dogs and cats) it varies from animal to animal. I don't like it personally because there are already a large variety of domesticated animals. Why mix wild DNA in there too?

[joe hx]

I don't know about cats, but about 80% of dog breeds didn't exist 100-150 years ago. That means that almost all dog breeds were hybrids at some point. Once a breeder successfuly got the traits in a dog, he then linebreed the animal - linebreeding is inbreeding for several generations until the desired trait is obvious.

The first german shepherd was breed in 1880. You can see a picture of her and her pups on the wikipedia article about german shepherds. ALL PURE BREED GERMAN SHEPHERDS ARE DESCENDED FROM THIS ONE LITTER. That means, just as Adam and Eve's children must have, the second generation must have breed with their siblings. Then the next would be with their cousins... Perhaps there were uncle/neice/mom/son etc. The memory of a german breeding such a fine animal partly encouraged Adolf Hitler (go Godwin), and he had a pet german shepherd during the war (Bessie? can't remember her name.)

In my opinion, shelter dogs or free dogs that are "accidents" are the only companion dogs I'll ever aquire. I can understand getting a certain breed of dog for working purposes, such as police dogs, guard dogs, seeing eye dogs, etc.

[Savannah]

Poodles were bred to go after waterfowl. Their curly hair was meant to be extra protection for cold water or some such.

Yes, it was for warmth when retrieving birds. And that silly-looking poodle cut? The thick fur on the chest kept the internal organs warm while the pom-poms on the legs kept the joints warm and loose. Having the rest shaved off cut down on drag and energy needed for swimming. It's surprising how some of the crazy ways dogs look got started.

I always feel bad for pitbulls. I think they are ugly dogs, but I know they aren't all as terrible as people make them out to be, and all of those worthless shits out there who thinks it's cool to raise their pitbulls to be gangster fighting dogs deserve to rot in hell being eaten by rabid squirrels.

So true! (Well, except for them being ugly. I think they're the cutest things ever.) I'd like to point out that "pitbull", as it is commonly used, is a group consisting of American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and American Pit Bull Terriers, and there are a large number of dogs labeled pitbulls that are mutts. /dog breed nitpick

Unfortunately the media likes to label any aggressive dog as a pitbulls, which adds to their (undeserved) bad rap. They are incredibly friendly dogs, when bred and raised properly.

Going back to the original post, I think there is a bit of a misconception when purebred vs. mutt comes up. Shelter dog (or cat, but I know more about dogs) does not mean mutt. Most of the dogs I see at my shelter are either purebred or predominantly one breed. It's very rare to get one that is a mystery. So you can easily get a purebred and still rescue a shelter dog. My opinion: if you want a puppy, go to a breeder because you can't always tell if a shelter puppy will have major problems down the road (and there are always other people willing to adopt the puppy because it's cute). If you want an adult (and you probably do; they're much less work), go to a shelter. You can save a dog and get a pretty good idea how that dog will act for the rest of its life, as well as be more likely to find any health problems before you get the dog home.

It's not in any way hypocritical to like shows but adopt from a shelter; going to shows lets you see how it should be done! I don't have any problems with responsible breeders. They're going to be having one or two litters a year and those puppies/kittens are going to be very healthy and well behaved, and won't end up in shelters. My problem is entirely with people who are in it for profit or just for fun. I remember reading a comment that there are easily testable disorders (I think Von Willebrand's was the example) that should have been bred out already but still exist in breeds thanks to incompetent/greedy breeders.

[bunnyboy]

Iguess my whole thing is truthfully purebreeds are very rarely needed in a modern western urban culture we seem to have, yes sheep ddogs and such are still needed, but when was the last time anyone in America with a Dachshund used it for it's original purpose (no their tenacity and surprising bite for such a small dog, and long thing body with strong lower leg muscles wer not to make them cute, these things were bred to go into a Badger's den and if not kill then maim the damn things.) Only out in the rural areas do you really see dogs do what they were bred for, German Shepherds Herding, or the old bloodhound looking for truffles in non-urban France (like a pig, but you don't have to worry about them eating it) I think that's the other big reason I'm meh about purebreds. I really could give two shits less what my dog/cat's breeding line was...

or to put it another way, A Mal from a shelter without all that AKC crap that really is looking for a home is more important in my eyes than the AKC breeder Mal that I could wave around as an expensive and rather large extension to my already expensive and large collection of penis extensions.

[KabeRinnaul]

However, many toy dogs were bred for nothing more than looks and companionship. The pug, the pekingnese, the lhasa apso, the japanese chin...all bred for no other reason than to look sweet, elegant, 'human baby-like' (round faces, big eyes, short muzzles) and to be cuddly.

Lhasa apsos were actually guard dogs. We had one, and she was good evidence for that - one of the sweetest animals I've ever known if she knew you. But if you were in our yard and she didn't know who you were, you had to be careful if you wanted to keep your ankles. Oddly, she was much more forgiving of women than men. She never liked my cousin no matter how much he was around her - though she was a lot worse with his sister, who'd always tease him.

Half asleep, about 7 or 8 years old, I think.

She died around 2000 after developing a problem in her throat - we're still not entirely sure what it was.

Now we just have my sister's pomeranian around. Now this breed I can accept as having been for nothing but being tiny, hyperactive decorations.

[mishakal908]

I've mentioned it before long ago and will mention it again. There is a lot of negative hype for the F generations of hybrid cats that is only partially true. You cannot paint any breed or type of animal with the same brush and say they are 'all' this way or that way. It doesn't work. They may share traits but not all are that way.

I also have a Bengal in addition to a stray and an Exotic (cross between a Persian and an American shorthair http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/exotic.html ). I did quite a bit of research (good and bad) on Bengals before I decided to purchase one. While I really like the coat that Bengals have, I love their personalities and the particular quirks that come with the breed. My Bengal fits in great with my other two cats and has added quite a bit of entertainment to my household.

I’ve had medical issues with all my cats (strays and breeds alike). But I have had more major medical issues with my strays. The first stray I adopted recently had to have minor brain surgery for an ear issue ($$$$) and the second stray I adopted died of cancer when she was three (unusual for a cat that age).

After my one stray passed I decided to start doing research on any future pets I was going to purchase because I didn't want to go through the pain again of losing a pet so young. While I know that all animals can have unexpected issue occur at least, in my mind, I could do some research into the breed and the person I was purchasing them from to cut down on some of the possible issues.

While I personally have decided that I will probably not adopt pets anymore; I do donate to no kill animal shelters and encourage other people to adopt. There are pros and cons to both adopting and purchasing a breed. I think it all depends on the person and their preferences.

[LewisLegion]

I stand corrected on the Llhasas

And yes, I believe Poms are also one breed specifically made for companionship.