I know that the majority of the posters on this site are pedigree-orientated and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.  To be honest I don't have particularly strong views one way or the other when it comes to the pedigree/mongrel debate unless it concerns rididculous "designer" crosses or breeds which IMHO suffer as a result of irresponsible breeding.  I'm almost ashamed to admit that it took me quite a while to realise that this website is primarily concerned with pedigree dogs (surely the clue is in the name :-) ).  Although I now own a pedigree dog, my previous dog was a GSD/whippet whom I loved equally so I really do sit on the fence about this issue and I can see pros and cons for both sides of the debate.

However I didn't begin this post with the intention of starting an argument.  I merely wanted to have a soppy moment about one of my patients.  I don't think I'm flouting any privacy laws to say that I first saw this dog as a 12 week old puppy about a year ago.  He's a Battersea rescue and has really landed on his feet as his owners are two of the nicest people I've ever met.  I think they were a little surprised as they had originally wanted a small to medium dog and at 12 weeks Wilfred (what a great name) was already the same size as my 14kg whippet!  Goodness only knows what his parentage is as he has lab/collie/GSD/flat coat/Dane/pointer characteristics!

Luckily his owners, although surprised, were more than happy to adjust to a larger dog.  As he's been very healthy I hadn't seen him again until last week when he came in for his first booster and I genuinely think that he's one of the most adorable dogs I've ever seen!  Not only does he have the sweetest personality, he seems to have inherited the best bits from all the breeds he's decesnded from.  I was having a fairly crap day but the minute he arrived I instantly cheered up, mainly due to the fact that he has the silliest tail I've ever seen.  It's about 3 feet long and seems to move completely independently from the rest of him!  I was laughing with his owners about the fact that they have had to completely give up putting anything on their coffee table.

If only all mongrels turned out like him.  Although this is a happy story afterwards I did think about how fortunate it is that the owners were able to adapt to a dog which grew up to be nothing like the dog they were expecting.  I was surprised that a rescue home, which must see hundreds of puppies, could get it so wrong.  Obviously any crossbreed is a bit of a gamble but even to me it was obvious that that 12 week old pup wasn't going to be a small dog.  His ears alone probably weighed about half a kilo!

Anyway this post is a little disjointed but I would be interested to hear if anyone has had any experiences.  It would be dreadful if an owner ended up having to rehome a dog simply because they had been given false information by so-called professionals.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

M-C

I think many of us have had or known mongrels and cross breeds in the past just as nice, what no-one here agres with is deliberately producing them, as this is irresponsible.

I'm one of the first to condemn deliberate cross-breeding of dogs - but that has never stopped us having rescue dogs - of all shapes and sizes:D

We have one now:  she is approximately six months of age, and was abandoned/found with another three puppies locally, five days befoe Christmas.   At the time, apart from little splodges of white in various places on their coats, they could have been taken for labradors.  Now, Missie (short for Mistletoe - she has a white toe :rolleyes:) is taller, longer and leaner than our 2-year old pure bred labrador bitch   She is deeper chested and her feet are bigger than those of our mature aussie males.

She is obviously the result of a cross between a labrador and a long dog - she's a lovely girl, very biddable, and plays happily with labs, aussies and yorkies (when she goes back to the kennels that took her in, she plays with their small terrier cross, then flops asleep, using him as her pillow:D).   

My point is this, we knew what we would be taking on - an unknown quantity, as did the people who took in her rescued litter-mates (all the homes personally vetted by the rescue kennels) - but what about the people who took on the others out of that litter?   Our suspiscion is that these, at around 12 weeks, were the puppies that wouldn't sell, because of their white bits - the others were probably sold as labradors.

There is always room in our hearts for a rescue :)

Margot

He sounds gorgeous and a very lucky boy!!  I too started with crossbreeds, though, unfortunately they have all passed over to the bridge.

Sarah.

My first dog was/is a crossbreed, her name is Holly. I was 8 years old when we got her, and my parents thought the best way to get a dog was out of an advert in the local paper. She's thought to be a cross between a Border Collie/Jack Russell/Lurcher, but the only breed we're sure about is the Jack Russell (her mum was obviously a Jack Russell cross).

She's very pretty - she has won many "prettiest bitch" prizes at companion shows! She also does well in "best condition" and now "best veteran" :p
She is sable and white with a black mask - which has now turned grey around her muzzle, but she still has lovely black eyebrows and "eyeliner".
She has a lot of problems with nervousness which is probably because her mum was very nervous too, and also because she wasn't socialised very well :rolleyes:
I know it was a big gamble to get Holly and I don't really agree with deliberate crossbreeding. But I was just a little kid, my parents should have known better :P

You can see pictures of her in the link in my profile :)

Hi Mary-Caroline.

The majority of our dogs over the past thirty years have been young adult rescues of only guessable ancestry.  Because of their age there's no surprise about the size - but the rest of it?! 

I think the 'Forest Gump' approach to life is the best in this situation: what looks like a Strawberry Cream many turn out to be nougat - but they both have their charms. And I suppose to me that is their charm.

Like you it took me quite a while to twig this was a pedigree site (doh!) but apart from a fierce protectiveness of breed standards and an utter - and understandable - contempt for 'designer' crosses there is no snobbery and much good advice. 

(I think even the most dedicated breeder on here actually has a soft spot for mongrels but don't tell anyone I said so.)

  

Hi everyone,
Of course a crossbreed can be a lovely dog. We locally have a cross JRxSpaniel-type dog, witch must be the cutest dog I've ever seen. But. We also have this GSDxLab bitch. She can't trot! Something went really wrong in her construction, she can walk and "hop", like a rabbit. That's all, no trot, no gallop. Her sisters are owned by the same man, the other two have the same traits, but not as bad. Normally, and sadly, I think theese three otherwise nice girls, would have been pts. and forgotten a long time ago 
Those are the ones noone ever talks about, but who really show the hazards of cross breeding. Badly constructed dogs, that if they live, may suffer lifelong pain in back or hips, because of the extreeme differencies in their parents conformation.
Not having a go at anyone of the abowe posters. Of course all dogs are lovely. It's just so sad it's always the nice and healthy one's people see and talk about :-(
Karen

I met a lovely BC sized cross breed puppy yesterday. Her owners lost their 20+ year old X breed earlier this year & rescued another unwanted puppy as their home is never complete without a dog. She is absolutely gorgeous Golden brown with black tips to the coat & so cuddly.

I have not problem with X breeds of this type an obvious 57 varieties who has fallen on her feet as her owners will be retiring completing from work in a couple of years(they run a pottery in the village two minutes away from their home)so she will be spoilt rotten & why not

I only have problems with designer X breeds bred for money

Apart from Irish setters (when I lived with parents) and the leos I have now, all the dogs before and in between have been crosses, some were strays taken in,  others from people who, for their own reasons, gave them up. I have now two pedigree dogs and one who is not ;) and to me they are all champdogs ;)
Like others, I only get annoyed when its deliberately done for money and fashion :(

Our oldest is the most gorgeous, intelligent crosbreed (he was a Battersea stray). If I could reproduce him, I'd never have another type of dog :D He's the GSD type if you want to see a piccie of him - my web-page is in my profile for a limited time only :D

Daisy

They are both lovely Daisy :)

Was that him looking like a lanky wolfcub as a pup?  Interesting how the tan and the dark saddle came through later.

No - sorry - my web page isn't really for general view :D The 'wolf-cub' is a friend's husky pup :D :D We only got Bramble when he was about 2 so don't have any puppy pics. Bramble is only in the first few piccies, some with Tara (the Aussie). There's also a friend's Toller pup as well. I really need to update and tidy it up :D

Daisy

Lucky dog and thank goodness for big hearted people. Two of the best dogs I've ever know were my sister's rescue great dane X ridgebacks. They were littermates and she ended up with both as no one wanted two dogs that size and they adored each other. They were beautiful, had fantastic natures and we loved them very much. If it came from a rescue I would have a cross breed in a heartbeat.

I used to have a rescue crossbreed (well I've had more, but this girl was so special), Sheba, she was approximately 10 when I got her, and we're fairly sure she was Golden x Rough Collie. Oh what a dog, I still miss her so much 10 years on, she was one in a million, wonderful and SO pretty. (Did have bad HD though.) She only lived for 18 months but she made such an impression on me.