Hi all
First of all I am a regular poster but have had to use an alternative name to post as I'm a bit concerned about being tracked down with my regular username!! (incognito lol)

I got so sick and tired of the number of ads in the dogs for sale column on a our small local website, for 'designer' cross bred puppies with price tags up to £800, even being sold as pedigree hybrids (?) and joe public seeming to snap up these 'rare' new breeds, that instead of just cussing at the computer screen I posted the following article just to warn people, I don't know, perhaps to educate themselves before parting with their cash:

Please be aware of people selling cross breed puppies on the this site as 'designer' or 'hybrid' (dictionary definition of hybrid : the offspring produced by crossing two individuals of unlike genetic constitution sorry, two dogs are not unlike in their genetics) breeds giving them made-up names to make them seem more desirable.These dogs are cross breeds, pure and simple. These dogs may not grow up to look like either parent, and the combination of two very different temperaments, skin and coat types can be very risky. Cross-breeds are not healthier than pedigree's. When purchasing a puppy it is usual to see the mother (dam) and you should make sure the puppies parents have been health tested, appropriate for the breed (highly unlikely for 'designer puppies') if not to protect the future health of your dog, then for your wallet! Vets bills can run into thousands very easily. Cross bred puppies should not be sold for large amounts of money.. (pedigree pups will usually be sold for more as the breeders have bothered to carry out expensive health checks and testing, not to mention used an expensive health tested stud dog because that was the BEST for their girl) if they are commanding hundreds of pounds for the puppy then it could indicate the litter was bred purely for financial gain with little regard for the welfare of the puppies or their parents. If you care about the welfare of your future puppy, please make sure you use the best way of purchasing one i.e a reputable breeder. Rescue centres are full of cross breeds waiting for homes for a nominal fee. If you are willing to spend hundreds of pounds on a cross breed then all I will say is a fool and his money are easily parted. Thanks for reading.

I was really pleased to have received lots of supportive emails and phone calls from like-minded peeps and also a couple from people who honestly didn't realise the puppy they had booked was NOT a pedigree at all. BUT I also received a small minority of emails from rude people who were downright nasty.. I'm assuming they maybe have the pups in question for sale (one definately, as he accused me of attempting to ruin his livelihood :-( ) but also a couple from people who were absolute in their "cross breeds are well healfier than pedigrees" and I was talking out of my a***!! Charming!

I'm asking the posters on here, was my article fair? Or have I come across as a pedigree snob.. which certainly wasn't my intention (yes I own pedigree show dogs, but have also rescued/fostered pedigrees and crossbreeds)

My only concern was and is to try and help stop the huge number of puppies being churned out to line the greedy pockets of unscrupulous people..

(To add insult to injury, the website in question removed my ad before its expiry time >:( )

Looking forward to seeing what you think xxxx

As the ads by the other folk are the web sites bread and butter spending more per annum than you it is hardly surprising that your ad was pulled before it had run it's course. Did you get any money back? Like another popular web site used by the puppy farmers and bybs, they refuse to allow ads by breed clubs or ads like yours, but then they are tied into another commercial register.

Having said that well done you for trying. If only another person we could name had looked at that site instead of encouraging them.

I think what you siad was absolutley fair. But i doubt it will have much affect on the buyers of these dogs, however it is interesting that you only pointed out the problems of these 'designer breeds'. Surely the public needs to be aware of responsible breeding amongst ALL DOGS regardless of breed.
There are just as many BYB and PF breeding pedigree dogs as there are breeding these 'designer breeds'.
These breeders continure because there is a demand from the public, and untill the public become more clued up about what they are buying i doubt the situation will get better any time soon.

Well done for doing what you did though.

> however it is interesting that you only pointed out the problems of these 'designer breeds'. Surely the public needs to be aware of responsible breeding amongst ALL DOGS regardless of breed. There are just as many BYB and PF breeding pedigree dogs as there are breeding these 'designer breeds'

Absolutely. Completely agree with you and I wish I'd added more in that vein. Although it is VERY rare to find actual pedigree pups on this site and the couple that have advertised on there I know and are good, decent breeders who rarely have to advertise a puppy for sale. Most of the litters advertised (probably 80 - 90%) are 'designer' crosses :-(

But yes I agree, educating Joe Public is the key, if only PDE had put the focus on BYB and puppy farms *sigh* :-(

*edited to add I was so cross when I originally wrote the ad I probably didn't think or write as well as I could have.. *rolls eyes*

Well done you, hopefully your ad was seen by at least some people considering getting a 'Designer puppy' and were put off getting one after reading your ad. If more people ganged up on these so called breeders and put them out of 'business' perhaps the message will eventually get accorss to the public about this ridiculous idea crossbreeds are healthier etc..

As Polly and Springador say these ads are the websites bread and butter money - how many thousands of ads in this vein are there on these sites.  

It is a sad state of affairs when a crossbreed fetches more money than a pedigree (from a reputable breeder who has put in place all the necessary health checks).   As to the fact that they are purported to be healthier, no-where can I see any statistics to back these ridiculous claims.   It is the reputable breeders who are the ones with their pedigree dogs who have filled in the questionaires for Health Survey's including the Kennel Club Health Survey, in an effort to keep track of any condition/disease that may affect their chosen breed, and in an effort to try and find a way to lessen the incidence of any condition that their chosen breed may suffer from.   They are the ones also who have raised great sums of money to enable the Veterinary Teaching Hospitals to be able to investigate certain conditions, and who have also raised even yet more sums of money and donated these sums to Veterinary Hospitals to enable them to be in a position to purchase greatly expensive pieces of equipment which are then used to treat all dogs, pedigree and crossbred.   These will be the same people who have also given so much of their time, for free, whether running eye clinics, being on dog show committees, on breed committees, running stands at DD etc., all in an effort to make the life of dogs better - they just seem to come in for a bashing from a very vociferous minority.

In my opinion all those who encourage indiscriminate breeding should look at their own house very carefully and put that in order before they start to criticise those who are at least trying to improve the lot of dogs, whether it be from health checks, or breeding only from a bitch when absolutely necessary (i.e. not for monetary gain, but trying to improve the breed).

Well done to you for trying to educate puppy buyers that they are not getting something better by buying a designer bred crossbreed with a fancy name - possibly they may well be buying a dog that has the health problems of both breeds, what happens then when they breed this fancy crossbreed to another fancy crossbreed (also with hidden health problems) will not take long for these problems to manifest themselvs.

I've written posts similar to yours on other forums,and i always make sure to add "That I have nothing against crossbreed dogs,I am only against unscrupulous 'breeders' who designs breeds to cash out" or words to that affect.Because the first thing people think is "snobby pedigree owner".

agree. I've nothing against genuine mongrel dogs but they don't exist anymore. well not round here they don't.
when we lost our old weimaraner i looked about considering a rescure mongrel youngster. quickly discovered only mongrels round here are fighting breed x guard breed first generation cross with money grabbing owner thinking could make loads of money off with zero effort or health checks.  not exactly the heinz 57 style accidental litter i had in mind. true mongrel mix ups do i think have a fair amount of hybrid vigor but they are not same as crossing two badly bred bad examples of two pedigree dogs.

Thanks for all your replies everyone. I agree with you wiemed, you just don't see the old heinz 57 mongrel type dogs anymore. The local rescue centre here is full to bursting of first crosses such as GSDxrotts, and staffie x types.

Sad state of affairs, which is why I wanted to say something, if I have made just one person stop and think, maybe do some research, then it will have been worth being sworn at by the sellers!

:-)

Agree with your piece totally but there's no 'educating' some people. Someone in our family (privately & expensively educated) had a jack/chi for xmas cost £500. Daughter/owner is planning to buy a bitch as well............ & you know the rest. I do despair sometimes.

I don't understand why people would buy a cross as I'm sure in many of the rescues throughout the uk you could find any combination of crosses you could even imagine.

You have done a good deed and educated some fools, let's hope they put there money to better uses. I used to post a similar ad on epupz a few years ago but they took that off too.