DOGS: Breeders, Rescue, or Mutts.

Walking Man

Walking Man

BANNED
Joined
May 28, 2003
Messages
9,606
St. James wrote in another thread:
"If you are looking for an adult dog search out the animal rescue groups in your area. Breed won't matter as much as a nice animal that likes kids and will obey you, plus you will save a life." Which got me thinking.
.
One of my best friends recently had to put down his Rottweiler of less that 3 years due to bone cancer. This is something that Rottweilers are recently suffering from as a breed. Which leads me to ask about your feelings about purebred dogs in general? Of course there are advantages; guaranteed behavior, size, looks. But the disadvantages, which vary from breed to breed can be serious health problems and shortened life span.
Which also brings me to what St. James wrote: Are you really better off going with a purebred animal that you have rescued? because you have no idea what inherent problems that breed may bring or is buying one with a health guarantee from a breeder a better option? (which is usually only a guarantee of one year)
Personally, my feeling surrounding this subject are quite mixed, so I'd like to hear from you guys. Thanks.
 
Before I had my three white sheps, I did a lot of research on the various breeds. I must admit that I did focus a great deal on life span. Like most dog owners, I become extremely attached to my pets and want them around as long as possible. Of course, that didn't stop me from trying to get a Great Pyrenees (10 year life span) from the local rescue group. Unfortunately, they jerked me around for three months, and I finally gave up. The woman running the show was sick, she insisted on coming out and doing a home visit, but she couldn't leave the house. She scheduled two home visit appointments for other group members to check out our house, neither of them showed up, or called in advance, or called to apologize. We had both taken off from work both times to meet with those people. I was sooo pissed off. After three months and being stood up twice, the woman still insisted on a home visit.

Anyhow, my white sheps have significantly less health problems than the regular german shepherd as a result of totally different, and less frequent, breeding. I guess past discrimination of the breed worked in their favor. :p :D

The reality is that it's all a bit of a crap shoot on life expectancy. I think that in the end you should try to get a breed, or mut, that you truly love. The advantages of choosing a breed is that you can pick and choose between personalities, grooming needs, etc. Of course, you can do the same thing by going down to your local animal shelter and simply checking them out. Some breeders are good because they are trying to breed out some of the problems associated with the different breeds. Breed a healthy dog with another healthy one and the offspring are more likely to be healthy.

I've had dogs that vets have described as inferior because my mother bought them from the local pet shop. One such dog was there throughout most of my childhood. He rode on the bicycle with me (he put each leg over the bar [boy's bike]-his balls hung to one side. :eek: ) He chased us until we picked him up and put him on the bike. He went down our slide into our swimming pool. He even got thrown from the top of our slide into the pool. That was my evil brothers work. :rolleyes: He survived through it all, stayed loyal, and loved us until the end. He lived for 15 years. Yeah, he was inferior.
 
I have one of each currently, a yellow lab mix from the pound and a purebred Collie from New Mexico Collie rescue. When the mutt's days days are over, I'll be replacing with another mutt. And when the Collie's time is up, I'm definitely applying for another from the rescue.

Lifespan is generally determined by the dog's size. Larger breeds have shorter lifespans, and I imagine it's the same with large mixed-breed dogs.

-Bob
 
I think that if you research the type of dog you want and actively put this information to use, you should be fine. For instance, I know that Standard Poodles have somewhat "delicate" digestive systems and they should be fed small meals throughout the day (which I believe is true for all animals, including people) but I know there are a lot of people who only feed their dogs one large meal once a day. That is never good, in my opinion (and many other people's opinion!)

I'm also very careful about what I feed her. I feed her "Science Diet" (a little more than one cup) both in the morning and at night, and during the day I give her "organic" doggy "cookies" that I buy from a local pet shop, plus small rawhide chews, just because she loves them and it doesn't seem to hurt her. She's the image of perfect poodle health. :D

Don't ever feed a dog grapes, raisons or onions, and there are a few others that I can't remember but I have listed in my kitchen. I will give her small amounts of "leftovers", but only meat or rice or other things that I know won't make her sick. (My own diet is pretty bland, so she actually gets more variety than I do, lol...)

I hope this helped at least a little. :)

~ashes
 
I like mutts and we have had a few over the years. I also like black labs because that's what we had when I was growing up, but I don't think any of them were purebreds.

The one we have now we thought was a mutt because he was an unwanted "giveaway" and he looked so "mutty" but it turned out he was a purebred Tibetan terrier. He's a good little guy though and we wouldn't trade him for anything.

Anyway, my philosophy is to go for the mutts because otherwise they may be put to sleep, plus they usually have good health due to more-or-less natural breeding, and they're usually FREE. (Money can't buy you love, but you can get some for free if you get a mutt.) :D

Our "mutt":
Max.jpg
 
Hi Ashes. We feed our "crew" only one big meal a day and they seem to thrive on it. Everyone is healthy, energetic, intelligent and happy. They get treats several times a day, also, made from the same stuff as their dog food (Innova-great ingredient list. Check it out).

I'm no expert on this subject, but I've got an opinion based on my experience, so I'll offer it up. We have four dogs that came from breeders and two that came from the Animal Shelter. Of the four breeder dogs we have had mixed luck as far as health problems are concerned. One of our Australian Shepherds is very healthy and intelligent, a great dog by anyone's standards. He came from parents that were bred for doing stock work (ie: Sheep herding). The primary considerations being bred for were intelligence, breed specific traits (ie: working with stock) and health. Looks were not a consideration, although he's a good looking dog, and niether was size, etc. Our Border Collie came from the same type of genetic stock and she also is very intelligent and healthy; great dog in all respects.

Now, our Shelties were bred to be cute, loveable little lap dogs. They are intelligent, very friendly and playful, and we love them a lot. But, health must have been a secondary consideration, because they get sick at the drop of a hat. Pancreatitis is a major concern. They can't tolerate much variation in their diet at all. I almost killed one once by giving her some juice from a steak. :eek: I believe we have this problem because the breeder was concentrating too much on the size of her dogs. She wanted to make an almost toy breed of Shelty and we have health problems because of it. So, watch out for anyone who's breeding efforts concentrate too much on looks or size or beauty, for instance. Health should be a primary consideration.

I want to add something here that has nothing to do with health, really. But, the two dogs we have that came from the shelter are different from our other dogs. Something happens to a dog on a deep psychological level when it's been lost or abandoned and ends up at the Shelter. Many people I speak to will second this observation of mine, also, so it's not just me. When a dog has been lost or abandoned, it is an obviously traumatic experience. And more deeply than you can imagine, an adopted dog will appreciate being taken home from the Shelter and made part of your family. They will love you more, appreciate you more and try to please you more. This is no illusion. They are different than our "raised from pups" dogs. Of course, you don't get to pick for health and such, so if that's a major concern, think twice. But, with proper screening by you and a good vet you can get a healthy Shelter dog who will love you more than you can imagine.

One of our Shelter dogs, an Australian Shepherd, we believe was just lost. He's very healthy and strong, intelligent, too. The other shelter dog, a Shelty/Border Collie mix, has a variety of health and behavior issues. But, we love him and take as good care of him as possible and he's turned out to be a pretty good little dog. He was a lot of work, though. He shows a lot of signs of having been a badly abused dog, though, so we really wanted to give him a second chance at a happy life. It's hard to explain, but I've learned quite a lot from having him around. Patience is one thing... :)


There are important points to consider wherever you get your dog. Hope my experience is some help. Best of luck with your new friend. :) :) :)
 
ADBF,

I enjoyed reading your post. It sounds like you have a lovely family, people and dogs alike. :)
 
jsmatos said:
ADBF,

I enjoyed reading your post. It sounds like you have a lovely family, people and dogs alike. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks jsmatos. :) I read your post in another thread concerning what you fear most and I was amazed that those are the things I fear most, also. Especially what will happen to my best friends if something happens to me and my wife. Will anyone else love them enough? I also fear having one get lost to never be found again. So, we take all precautions against any of the above happening and are as careful as possible. :) We don't have children, but I think that our bond with our dogs is almost as strong.

Walking Man. Sorry for the off-subject post. But, it is about dogs. :D
 
I'm a mutt type of person (they found me before they were sent to the pound) but have had 2 purebred Scotties. Here's a rundown of their types & lifespans or time I enjoyed their company...

Pepper (25 lb Cocker Spaniel) - 4 years (out an open door - never found him)
Smoky (30 lb mutt) - 10 years
Poochie (30 lb Beagle mix) - 12 years (got loose & hit by car - put down)
Heather (22 lb Scottie) - 13 years (cancer)
Bonnie (22 lb Scottie) - 12 years (cancer)
Angus (30 lb mutt) - 2 1/2 years (he was an oldtimer when I took him in)
Clyde (45 lb Dalmation/Pointer/? mix) - 10 years and going strong
Max (20 lb small, white Schnauser) - he's about 5; adopted by another family & still going strong

One thing I have noticed is that all the strays I have taken in are males - just thought I'd throw that out there for what it's worth. All the mutts were skinny & looking for a friend. None had any health problems other than ear mites, fleas or ticks. Worse case of fleas I saw was with one of the Scotties! :eek:
 
I've had mostly mutts but currently have a Shepard\St. Bernard mix and a purebreed Rhodesian Ridgeback. My mutts, including a Chow\Lab cross and the Shep mix have had significantly more health problems than my RR, but the RR is only 3 years old. My Chow was 7 when he got cancer and my Shepard has had skin problems, tumors, etc. ever since he was young. (he's now 10)

I'd generally go with a mutt from the pound, but the RR is quite a sweetie and might look into getting a rescue dog. You do have to be careful, some of the rescues have been abused, but then you almost never know about a pound puppy.
 
our border collie was a freebie from a farm... their purebred border collie got playful with the neighbour's beagle... didn't matter to us though.

They gave 3 pups away, and the 4th one went to a breeder who bought the other 7 for $400 each. close enough to purebred for her tastes.

7yrs later, ours is still healthy though a little heavy(22kg), and well loved. Get her running and she paces me. Need to get a new pic of her.

jazz_fly.jpg


Dish gets filled in the morning and when we sit down for supper... go through about 20 rawhide sticks a week, great treat for them.
 
VampyreWolf said:
our border collie was a freebie from a farm... their purebred border collie got playful with the neighbour's beagle... didn't matter to us though.

They gave 3 pups away, and the 4th one went to a breeder who bought the other 7 for $400 each. close enough to purebred for her tastes.

7yrs later, ours is still healthy though a little heavy(22kg), and well loved. Get her running and she paces me. Need to get a new pic of her.

jazz_fly.jpg


Dish gets filled in the morning and when we sit down for supper... go through about 20 rawhide sticks a week, great treat for them.
Click to expand...


VW!!! Your Border Collie EDC's a Spyderco Dragonfly???? Amazing. I can't even get mine to flip it open one handed.. :D I mean, one pawed. :rolleyes:
 
My greayhound is a slut. But has a nice personality.
IM000591.jpg


I had a "papered" Great Dane . Nice dog but always health problems. The new Greyhound is a 6year old ex-racer. Great manners and speaks English too.
 
I'd onlyt get a pure bred if there where some chracteristics of the breed you had to have, oh and breeders lie, some more, some less. You have to talk to the owners the breedr sold to.
 
DaveH said:
You have to talk to the owners the breedr sold to.
Click to expand...
That's easier said than done isn't it?, especially if a breeder doesn't really want you talk to them. One possible strategy to check on the credibility of the breeder would be go to dog shows and ask his collegues about their reputation.
 
My Rottweiller has an AKC champion bloodline and we got her from a small local rescue group, and our shepard mix is a mutt from the ASPCA that was about to be put down after two other owners before us decided not to keep her.

They are two of the best dogs I have ever had. There are just so many good dogs that have been abandoned, it does not make any sense to me to not adopt one those.

Breeders have their place, puppy mills aside, but not for me.
 
It has been a long time since I gave anyone food for thought :D

Just to clarify I'm not a proponent of "pure breed" in dogs or anything else. Our puppy is a German Short Haired Pointer/hound mix of some kind and couldn't be a sweeter member of out family. We got her from a shelter in the central valley, my wife saw a picture of her on their website, drove down and fell in love.

I didn't really want a dog in the first place. My wife has wanted one for years so when we moved into a house with a yard she started looking. The funny thing is, I love this little mutt more than I could ever have imagined. And she is just as attached to me, she looks to me as the "big dog" in the pack, sits at my feet, greets me at the door. Drives my wife crazy!
 
Walking Man said:
That's easier said than done isn't it?, especially if a breeder doesn't really want you talk to them. One possible strategy to check on the credibility of the breeder would be go to dog shows and ask his collegues about their reputation.
Click to expand...


That's a good idea, and I'd be willing to bet many would love to offer up opinions on who breeds the best dogs. Another avenue of information that people often forget regarding breeders and such is a good local Vet. If he/she's been around for awhile and has been paying attention you could possibly get all kinds of info from your Vet on the best and most responsible breeders in your area, perhaps for many miles around and for a variety of breeds. Ask who's been breeding the healthiest dogs with the best temperaments and dispositions in any breed you're interested in.
 
Hey, Dog's best friend. I notice that you might be from my area of the States. Drop me an email, and let me know if you're headed to any upcoming gun/knife or knife shows.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top