Just wondered what people's opinions here on "breeders" that deliberately breed two large breeds together was? Looking through the free ads papers, there are soooo many advertisements for dogs like DDB x Neo Mastiff, Dane x Bull mastiff and suchlike, and i mean hundreds!!!!!! They sell for almost as much as a pedigree giant breed in some cases, and the crosses do seem to be aimed at people who want a dog only to enhance their image :( the parents don't ever seem to have the relevant health checks done for the breed, it seems to be a case of breeding simply for money!
Saw a post on another forum from someone whose friend is planning to breed his two giant dogs to produce a "new breed"???? And also having known someone that purchased such a dog, and by the time the pup reached four months they just couldn't control it i think it's pretty stupid to breed or buy [because it encourages the "breeder" to keep doing it] dogs like this and i wondered what everyone else here thinks about it.

Annette

I agree with you Annette
If you like a particular breed why not seek out the best pup in that breed rather than crossing it with something else ? You dont know what you are going to produce when breeding ilke this - both in terms of temprament or looks ( or health) . :(
It would be interesting to hear from these sorts of breeders as to WHY they breed like this ( except for the money of course)
lel

Welcome to my Hobby Horse!

Regards, John

lel, sadly I dont think there is another reason ...apart from the fact that they are clearly particularly stupid!

Hi John,

"Is there room on your horse for two....or three hundred"

Karen

Hop up here with me Karen. :)

Ta John, I think I will.

Meet a man and woman a few months ago who live near to my aunt's house in Smethwick B'ham, they were carrying a lovely puppy just 12 weeks old a cross "Mastiff x Rotwellier" Sal my Stafford was about 15weeks old and we were visting everyone getting her used to everything still as you do ;)

Meet them about 2 months later,Sal played with the pup, but he was brilliant I thought, but they said he was trouble, chewing/biting etc. I laughed as you do and said "puppies."

Meet them again last month and no dog, they didn't even stop to speak, asked my aunt and she didn't know but saw them two weeks ago and stopped to ask where the dog was.

The man said "he didn;t stop biting so they gave him away to be a guard dog at a scrap yard!!!!!!!!"

My reply to this is unprintable.The pup would only of been 5-6 months old!

The sadder thing saw them yesterday and they have another puppy.....looks to be about 8-9 weeks old and looks like a RottieX.........how can you win.

Stupid thoughtless people breed and people like those idiots buy dogs they can't or won't be able to handle......when they shouldn't even be allowed to own a stuffed toy.

Karen

It's so sad isn't it. We all know people like that and we all know that the next puppy will go the same way but there are plenty of breeders who just want to get a sale so there will never be a shortage of puppies for these people.

Arr well, as we ride off into the sunset. . . . . . . . . .

Can I get on there too??

My neighbour has a bull mastiff x rottweiler who is 2 years old now, he's a lovely dog, excellent temperament (he needs it) and is what I call a 'for show' dog. Poor thing spends all day every day in the back yard (12x4 feet) apart from when he's let in for a few minutes to show him off to friends or left in the front yard unsupervised(same size, gate's 4ft from front door) to leap, barking at people as they go past fortunately its all bluster but is very scarey for those who don't know him (this is a recent development and the dog is not used to seeing people going past the house).

Recently as a variation this dog was left in the back yard with a bull terrier for company for an afternoon, a lot of mounting went on and I just hope that the bull terrier was not a female as I dread to think what the pups would be like :(

As I write I can hear him trying to scrape a bed out of the bare boards of his kennel :( :( this dog does not deserve such a life.

We've tried talking to the owner a number of times (re. lack of bedding, isolation, lack of exercise etc etc. ) but as my father always used to say 'you can't educate pork, you can only cure it!'

The real pity is that the dog is very responsive to the right treatment and is very trainable, I've trained him over the fence!! which is more than his idiot owner has done!

Is there a reputable rescue near you. If we know of an unhappy dog for example tethered or left in the garden we offer to buy the dog , the owners are usually glad to get rid of it.

Not wanting to critisise but don't they just "buy another" or worse still breed another one or twelve???? when you do buy theirs?

Karen

Quite frankly, I don't want their cast offs! All that does is allows them to avoid their responsibilities. I'd far rather try to find some way of making it impossible for them to ever get another.

Regards, John

How dare you refer to an uncared-for animal as a castoff. We are not discussing an inanimate object here. If an animal is suffering at the hands of uneducated owners who refuse to listen then the only way open to us, apart from stealing, is to offer money. If you feel there is an alternative approach then write to Elliot Morley suggesting changes to the new Animal Welfare Bill or try convincing RSPCA of the need to alter the dividing line between neglect and cruelty.

Mayhem...you & I would see it as an unwanted uncared for animal but sadly those sort of owners truly believe, in this day & age of "throw-away" society, that its a cast off (ie unwanted second hand dog.) I agree with John on this. :(

Me too i'm afraid - far too people do indeed see an animal as an object :( By offering them money [although i do recognise it's a good thing to get that particular dog out of the situation], it's an incentive to pass on the older, more difficult dog in favour of yet another cute puppy. Until the novelty of that one wears off as well....

Annette

Mayhem.
What else would you call something which someone has cast off? By taking these dogs on (And there is no way you can take on all these dogs) you are contributing to the problem by making it easy for these people to change dogs at will.

This thread is not about people who have fallen on hard times and want to rehome their beloved pet, it is about people casting off dogs they have so little interest in to train or do any of the socialising which a caring person would consider just basic puppy care. In most cases, and I can name a couple of people like it, the puppy is allowed to run riot until they decide the no longer want it. By that time it is a hooligan!

These people are not in a lot of cases uneducated in fact one I know is very highly educated. What they are is uncaring.

As far as suggesting changes to the Animal Welfare Bill is concerned, that has been done, but the politicians of the day are not interested in the views of the public on any subject!!! RSPCA? They are far to busy playing politics!

That is why I dare to call them cast-offs!

John

Poor thing :(

Dill, I notice you are in Wales , please could you let me know where.

Mayhem,
As I mentioned earlier we have had all sorts of discussions with this neighbour, these include whether he is tired of the dog or not and the fact is that he isn't tired of the dog, if he didn't have this one then he would get another one which would be in the same situation as this. Sadly as the dog is fed, watered and has shelter and isn't 'abused' on a daily basis no-one is interested. At least this dog has the temperament to 'cope' with his situation in that he is a quiet calm dog (he was a quiet calm pup too, even before he lived outside) Unfortunately the owner believes that this is the way to keep a dog - he believes that I spoil mine because he lives in the house with the family. We are wary of pressing the point too forcefully because this person is not the normal type, he's volatile and can be extremely aggressive and violent. We try to educate him when we can but its a very slow process.

Mayhem,
As I mentioned earlier we have had all sorts of discussions with this neighbour, these include whether he is tired of the dog or not and the fact is that he isn't tired of the dog, if he didn't have this one then he would get another one which would be in the same situation as this. Sadly as the dog is fed, watered and has shelter and isn't 'abused' on a daily basis no-one is interested. At least this dog has the temperament to 'cope' with his situation in that he is a quiet calm dog (he was a quiet calm pup too, even before he lived outside) Unfortunately the owner believes that this is the way to keep a dog - he believes that I spoil mine because he lives in the house with the family. We are wary of pressing the point too forcefully because this person is not the normal type, he's volatile and can be extremely aggressive and violent. We try to educate him when we can but its a very slow process.

Unfortunately this is the type of person this type of 'x-breed' all too often attracts, someone who wants a dog to enhance his image (what I call small p**** syndrome)

Hi,

I agree with you all. I rescued a dog; George is a cross DalmationxBassett. He is lovely but he has bad joints. He has the body of the Dalmation but heavier like a Bassett. He has Bassett shaped legs but they are a bit thinner and he has spots. Everyone thinks he's adorable and we love him to bits. Having said that, I think he is the result of someone playing at designer dogs. When he gets older, we are expecting big vet bills.

Annie

"...Unfortunately this is the type of person this type of 'x-breed' all too often attracts, someone who wants a dog to enhance his image (what I call small p**** syndrome)..."

That is so true!! It's also unfortunately true of a lot of people that go for certain breeds. Gives other dog owners a bad reputation!!! :(

Annette