Mutts v.s. Purebreds

A mutt at her finest.

I am not a scientist, so anything I say regarding this subject is pure conjecture and gut reaction. Growing up, my family was proud of their mutts. Although we had some purebreds thrown in (a Dalmatian I was too young to remember, a couple of wire-haired Dachshunds, an English Springer Spaniel and a Golden Retriever), the rest of our collection came from a hodge-podge parentage.

For whatever reason, we felt the mutts superior. My parents always professed the mixed breeds were stronger and healthier than the others of finer lineage. (Makes you think of European royalty of yore and some of the "inbreeding" problems they had!) I don't know if that is true (I wasn't responsible for the vet care then), but the dogs were wonderful and now, some 40 years later, friends and I still talk about our one incredible mutt, Clem. Part Golden Retriever, part Bench Setter, Clem was nearly 100 pounds with a beautiful red coat and white chest. Clem was a show-stopper and a wonderful gentleman. He sat proudly in the front of every family picture through the ten years he was with us.

Our dogs were neither hunters nor show dogs. Just—and I use that loosely—an integral part of our family. When a dog passed away, within a week, my mother had picked up a new one. She felt it was best to offer another dog a good home as quickly as possible. (Though I was allergic to dogs, she felt it was better for me to know how to care for an animal than be itch-free.) Our family joke was that if reincarnation existed, we wanted to come back as a dog in our family. They were well cared for and well-loved.

So it was with great interest that I read Patrica McConnell's blog entry regarding inbreeding. Ms. McConnell is a certified applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer as well as an accomplished author. (You are probably familiar with her fabulous book, The Other End of the Leash.) Many of us with dogs have suffered with our dogs through problems exacerbated by inbreeding (hip dysplasia, cherry eye, epilepsy, etc.). Look at the section What is a breed anyway? about halfway down her article. It reminds me of the beginning of the book The Story of Edgar Sawtelle where a family begins breeding a fictional breed of dog based not on their looks necessarily, but on their abilities.

Obviously if you like the look of a particular breed of dog, it would stand to reason, you'd want the next one to look the same. But looks alone don't make for a great dog. What about the temperament? At about the same time we had Clem, some neighbors got an English Setter that was the epitome of bad (in)breeding. Nervous to a fault, continually licking her forelegs raw, flighty with a multitude of health problems. Although I was only about 10 years old at that time, I made the intellectual leap that purebreds were sickly with schizy personalities while mutts were healthy and mellow. Obviously a tremendous leap...

Our previous dog, Lucy, a mutt if there every was one, had health issues throughout her life and personality problems (aggression) that required constant, arduous monitoring. As a dog-smart friend of mine said, "Who knows what bad genetics combined in her?"  So I can't really equate a mutt with being uber-healthy or with a better personality, can I?

Reputable breeders carefully monitor their dogs and do not allow unhealthy dogs to mate, but what about all the kind-hearted backyard breeders that are not looking far back into lineage? Bella's breeder was selling Australian Shepherds, though not raising show dogs. The puppies would never have qualified as a "showable" as they were too long-limbed and long nosed. The breeder also had the "mistake" of the neighbor's black lab making the most of the moment when their bitch went into heat a month earlier than anticipated. Bella is a product of that.

But the breeder was looking at temperament and was very selective about the male she'd breed with her dog. He had to be healthy of course, but more importantly for her, he had to have a great temperament. Bella's mother was the sweetest mama dog and still initiated play with her puppies when they were well past weaned. She reminded me of Nana, the dog in Peter Pan who took care of the children. My sister-in-law has a purebred Aussie from the litter before Bella's and Molly is why I even considered getting a purebred. The mama dog's personality is so evident in Bella (and Molly) who is a tender, cuddly girl. (I don't know Bella's dad, so can only say she has his shape. Bella's owners said he was a superb hunting dog.)

I am not a fan of designer dogs, but the labradoodles and golden doodles I've met have been wonderful. If I was going to breed dogs for temperament and looks, I would choose Bella's mama and the black lab, her father. The pups were all incredible and I wish we'd brought home her brother as well. Back in the days of Clem, if there had been more of him through the years, we would have taken them. Or how about Wister? I bet a lot of outdoors people would take a passel of Wisterettes! I guess there is a bit of "chicken and egg" issue going on. If the buyer wants a particular "look" or "type" of dog, there will be a breeder to oblige, I'm sure. If the breeder isn't mindful, we'll have dogs with many health issues—somewhere neither we nor the dog want to go.

FOOTNOTE: I just read an article by Janis Bradley, Breeds and Behavior, in the April/May 2011 issue of Bark magazine. She writes more about this issue and the judgments we all carry about how we expect a particular breed to behave. If you see the magazine, check out the article. It's a great take on biases and breeds.