My Thoughts on 'designer dogs'

[kayeandjim00]

I keep seeing people say that it's hard to adopt from a shelter or humane society I know that rescues can be difficult but my experience with our humane society has been a breeze. They have actually recently relaxed their policies. You used to have to bring your current dog if you were adopting a new one to be sure they get along - which I don't think is always the best indicator. If you rented you had to prove you could have an animal before you could adopt - now they don't do that either. If the first shelter you try is too hard go to another. There are several in our area all with good little dogs that need a home so if at first you don't succeed try try again.

 

[punkin]

I think the difficulty level at shelters depends on who you are. We (well my mother really) adopted a pit bull a long time ago (she looked like a pure-bred Am-Staf) and the shelter begged us to take her. They said they got phone calls every day looking for pit bull mixes, but they never adopted one out because the people who wanted them should never be allowed to have them. We came in looking for a good family dog; we had no small children in the house; we consisted of my mother, my DH (fiance at the time) and me and we did not want a pit bull. They convinced us to take her because my mother fell in love with her and they said they would have to put her down otherwise because they didn't get families like us often.

 

[milkabum]

I see no difference between designer breeds and any other kind of dog that is bred for sale. Neither buyer is taking a shelter/rescue dog.

I have allergies and tried for over a year to get a rescue or shelter dog in my area. I was plugged into the rescue sites in two states and was willing to drive. It simply wasn't possible. I needed a small, nonshedding dog that liked children. In the year I was looking, ONE came available - who was not properly socialized and was not good with children.

I ended up buying a Miniature Schnauzer from a breeder. I see no difference between that and if I had bought a Schnoodle from a breeder.

I also have a miniature schnauzer, and we got ours from a breeder. We checked all the shelters but after months of searching we saw an ad in the paper and visited them. We saw our love, Jessie, with his head cocked to the side in the of the room corner

 

[milkabum]

Fair enough. I have one of those dogs myself. She is a 16 year old Schnauzer (?) mix who came from a shelter in Columbus, GA. So far, she has outlived any purebred I've ever owned.

Cute She looks like a collie mix because of the long fur, who knows

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I understand the gist of this thread (I'm involved in Golden rescue) but even full-breed dogs, such as the Golden Retriever, started from someone mixing different breeds to obtain a certain result.

In the Golden's case, it was to perfect a hunting dog with a water resistant coat. (You can read about the GR's original background here: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/dogs-faq/breeds/goldens/)

I don't see any difference in the newer breeds like the Labradoodle, or the Goldendoodle. I always thought it was to create a breed from one set of dogs (Retrievers), who are historically known as great guide/therapy dogs, with another that produces low allergens (the Poodle).

I think there is a serious difference in the "new" breeds and the toy breeds that are treated like canine barbie dolls. To me, it's two different issues - with both carrying the same end result at times - unwanted pets.

IMO, no matter which way you slice it, the problem isn't with the breed, it's with the human's perception of how a dog fits into (or in most cases, doesn't fit) your life. Mix that with unethical, backyard breeders and you've got a serious problem.

 

[Laura]

I understand the gist of this thread (I'm involved in Golden rescue) but even full-breed dogs, such as the Golden Retriever, started from someone mixing different breeds to obtain a certain result.

In the Golden's case, it was to perfect a hunting dog with a water resistant coat. (You can read about the GR's original background here: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/dogs-faq/breeds/goldens/)

I don't see any difference in the newer breeds like the Labradoodle, or the Goldendoodle. I always thought it was to create a breed from one set of dogs (Retrievers), who are historically known as great guide/therapy dogs, with another that produces low allergens (the Poodle).

I think there is a serious difference in the "new" breeds and the toy breeds that are treated like canine barbie dolls. To me, it's two different issues - with both carrying the same end result at times - unwanted pets.

IMO, no matter which way you slice it, the problem isn't with the breed, it's with the human's perception of how a dog fits into (or in most cases, doesn't fit) your life. Mix that with unethical, backyard breeders and you've got a serious problem.

Very well said. It's a great idea to breed low-allergen assistance dogs, but not so great an idea to make a mutt just for a fad.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I found this article on the "dood" designer dogs. Made me really wonder!

http://www.grca.org/pec/doodle.pdf

 

[MickeyMouseGal]

Cute She looks like a collie mix because of the long fur, who knows

Actually, that's a hair cut. She doesn't shed but rather needs to be groomed. If I trim her like a Schnauzer, she looks like a Schnauzer but she is darker in color. She's also fairly small, about 24 pounds. She also gets quite curly if I let her hair get really long. If I had to guess, I would say that she's either Schnauzer-poodle, Terrier-poodle, Terrier-cocker or something like that. Like I said, she's a shelter rescue.
She's a really sweet dog, although not very intelligent! Oh well! I love her and am glad I rescued her!

 

[Aimeedyan]

I don't have any scientific proof, not being a scientist myself, but my cousin was beyond allergic to animals, grass, every darn thing. Being in the room with an animal made her eyes swell up, she could barely breath! But she was fine around poodles. It was at her doctor's suggestion that her mother bought her 2 poodles. As I said, I don't know the science of it, but many kids with allergies and asthma do fine around poodles.
As I stated before, I don't think there's any problem other than people who buy dogs for the wrong reasons. If they would just get educated before they choose a dog there would be NO problem with breeders, strays, etc. A dog is a commitment. You don't get rid of them because you didn't have time to train them correctly or because they got sick or old.

I can't tolerate poodles at all - I have severe asthma and allergies and every poodle I have met caused me to immediately go into an asthma attack. We got a Shih Tzu because of my allergies, thinking that dog coat would be better. Again, my eyes swelled up for a week until I got used to them. We have since added our own designer mutt - courtesy of the local shelter - and he sheds. Within 3 weeks, I was used to him as well and with good precautions and medication, I tolerate him fine. But put me with another dog and you never know!

There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog - yes, some people do better with dogs that don't shed their coat as much but ALL DOGS SHED SOME and not everyone is allergic to just the dander. They might be allergic to the saliva, or the urine, or the hair, or the dander. There is no way to make a dog completely allergy free to all people and all allergies. I'm glad your cousin can tolerate poodles. They can be great dogs, I just can't be around most of them myself.

I'm with you completely on the commitment...

 

[milkabum]

Bump.