Purebred, crossbreed or mixed
breed?
No matter what anyone says, the
final decision is yours
MetPet.com Staff Writer
 Do you want a specific breed
of dog that you've seen and admired? Do you think mixed breeds are more disease
resistant and psychologically stable than purebreds? Do you think purebreds are a
status symbol? Is it more politically correct to adopt mixed breeds?
Everyone has opinions on this
subject but ultimately the only opinion that matters is yours. Therefore, any choice
that you make is ultimately the right one. Here are some concepts to mull over that
can help you arrive at a decision you can live with.
Purebreds
Breeds are a human invention created for reasons both good and not so good. Some
breeds were created for specific jobs while others were created for amusement. Some
breeds are only a few decades old while others are ancient. Whatever their origins,
most breeds no longer do the jobs for which they were intended.
Breeds are essentially an
agreement by a group of people to accept a group of features as a "standard".
They form clubs, elect judges, put on shows and select individual dogs to represent
the standard. The clubs are collected into a registry which keeps permanent records
and promotes the standard.
Breeds are not static, the
standards can change over time as fashion dictates. There are currently more than
400 generally recognized breeds of dogs in the world. Of these, only about 140 are
recognized by the AKC in the US and only a few dozen of these are widely recognized by the
public.
There is no real reason that
someone could not declare an individual mixed breed dog as a single generation
"breed" that (unless cloned) would come and go in one generation. The dog
show would be poorly attended but that dog would win every prize!
Crossbreeds
This type of dog is a rarity since it is only one generation and is frequently a mistake
on the part of the owners of the parents. A crossbreed is the offspring of two
purebred dogs of different breeds. A dog that is one quarter German Shepherd, one
quarter Cocker Spaniel and one half Corgi is a mixed breed.
Predictability
Adopting a purebred puppy from a good breeder provides some predictability. You have
reasonable assurance that a Dalmatian puppy will not end up having red hair and a curly
tail. You have reasonable assurance that a Golden Retriever will be good with people
and can be taught to fetch tennis balls.
No matter what anyone says, a
mixed breed puppy with small paws may grow to be the size of your sofa. A crossbreed
can be something in between with some predictability and some randomness.
The right thing to do
Adopting a purebred can encourage overbreeding by creating demand for yet unborn puppies.
Adopting a mixed breed can encourage overbreeding by creating homes for yet unborn
puppies.
Cost and time
A purebred puppy can cost anywhere from $300 to over $1000 depending on the demand and
supply of the breed in your area. In addition, it can take 6 months from the time
you decide to adopt to the time you bring your puppy home.
A mixed breed puppy is likely
to cost less and may even be free from your neighbor. After the difference in
acquisition cost, however, both puppies will cost essentially the same over their
lifetime. You may also spend weeks going through every shelter or classified ad
looking for just the right mixed breed puppy to bring home.
Hybrid vigor
Mixed breed dogs in general are probably somewhat healthier than purebreds.
With mixed breeds, uncommon recessive genes that can lead to various disorders and
diseases, are likely to be supressed. However, your particular dog may not fit this
pattern and may develop any number of problems.
Basically, the decision is
yours alone. Whether you choose to adopt the most extreme of purebreds or the most
natural of mixed breeds, as long as you are happy with your decision, it is the correct
one.
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