The trend these days seem to be that families have a “Poo” or a “Doodle”for their pet. What is a “Poo”?? ….and what the heck is a “Doodle”??

Whether its a Malti-poo, Yorkie-poo, Bichon-poo, Schnauzer-poo, Labradoodle or Goldendoodle, the fact remains…that these families paid a lot of money for a mutt, mongrel or mixed breed dog. Sadly, in the USA alone, we euthanize 3-4 million dogs in animal shelters every year with only 25% of them being purebred dogs! Thats almost 3 million mixed breed dogs being euthanized every year!  If someone is in the market for a mixed breed dog, wouldnt it benefit society to RESCUE them from the shelters? Shelter adoption fee’s can range from $20-100 and often times have puppies! Occasionally, an accidental breeding may take place. This is due to owners who refuse to or have never altered (spay or neuter) their family pet.

What is the reason people feel the need to mix together pure bred dogs that have been selectively bred and preserved for centuries? The excuses I hear are always the same. The breeders tell you that you will have a healthier dog, a hypo-allergenic dog, or a “Hybrid” dog.  Some owners may say that it was an accident or that they wanted to allow their children the gift of witnessing birth. Some folks actually think that they should breed their dogs because they came with AKC papers or, heaven forbid, to “make up what they spent on their family pet”. Do these breeders study pedigree’s and genetics? Do they allow their dam to whelp by themselves because “she is a dog”? Are they educated in their breed health issues and how to avoid them to the best of their ability? Are the puppies healthy, vaccinated and properly socialized? Are they going to discuss breed characteristics with you and only sell to properly suited homes or do they just accept anyone willing to plunk down some cash?

The bottom line is that we cant possibly know what breed of dog you have when novices play doggy cocktail and throw some newfangled name on their mixed breed puppies. There is no way the breeder or future owner will know what to expect with regards to coat quality, shedability and temperament or health.

Many breeds have been around for Centuries and most breeds that people have tried to develop recently have failed. A purebred must have adults that adhere to the breed standards and also produce puppies that meet those standards before it can be considered a  new breed. (Consider the Mi-ki, which is said to be that of Maltese, Papillon and Japanese Chin….sometimes the Mi-Ki looks like a Papillon and other times it looks like a mixed of the other breeds!)

Some folks have told me that they couldn’t resist the lady in the parking lot with the cute puppies in the box, often times going on to describe the high vet bills or how they purchased from someone on Craigslist only to find the puppies had parvo and they later watched a sad and terrible death of their new baby.

Breeders of Mixed breeds, Hybrid dogs, Exotic Mixes or “Poo’s”, will always have a new sales pitch to get you to buy into their careless breeding.

Please be careful and expect your breeder to be your mentor, to guide you through the growth and development & training of your new family pet.