Let's talk about dogs.

[Private Pickle]

So as many of you know I've taken a pretty harsh stance on dogs of mixed breeding but after some considerable thought I have changed my opinion.

I've come to the conclusion that for the most part Americans have the right to own whichever dog they so choose and even though I would never buy a mutt some believe that mutts are the best dogs to own and who am I to argue with their opinion/right to believe so and partake in that activity.

I have several reasons why I believe Americans should only buy pure breed dogs and some reasons why I don't believe some pure bred dogs should exist.

1) A purebred dog has been bred for a specific reason and those dogs are most often happiest in their lives while carrying out the tasks they were bred to accomplish.

2) Greater and stricter regulation should be enacted and enforced to ensure puppy mills, good breeding practices (such as ensuring breeding within familial lines are avoided) as well as licensing for breeding should be in place.

3) A mutt is a cross between two or more breeds. As such the dog is often confused as to it's purpose other than the natural loyalty that often comes with dogs. So as a family pet they experience joy in that they are loyal to the family but beyond that they are truly aimless with regards to their role or "job" if you will.

4) I am not a fan of dogs that are bred purely for aesthetics. These dogs can trace their history back to the royalty of Europe hundreds of years ago and their existence and ownership was a sign of status and nothing else.

5) I am not a fan of the continued existence of fighting dogs. They serve no purpose given dog fighting is illegal. This does not necessarily apply to protection dogs.

Pit bull attacks 12-year-old boy near Morton Middle School

*snip*

According to the Omaha Police report, the attack happened near Morton Middle School when a pit bull jumped the fence and attacked Marcus Dorner, 12.
“It bit in my ear, my shoulder, my mouth, and throat,” he said.
The injuries are severe, but Marcus and his family are thankful it wasn't far worse.

https://www.wowt.com/content/news/Pi...508758951.html

Until the ownership of a dog becomes a right protected by the Constitution there is absolutely no reason to have a fighting dog as a pet.

In summation if you want to own a mutt because they are healthier than purebreds (who have experienced bad breeding and could be rectified by better regulations of pure breeding) then you're welcome to it. One thing a dog owner should always remember is that a dog is happiest doing what it was bred to do. I know this from my personal experience having raise hunting, working and water rescue dogs my entire life. Anecdotal maybe but there is a reason why your Labrador mix wants to chase birds or why your pitt bull attacks the neighbor kid for no apparent reason at all.

[Common]

Pickle in my humble opinion you just put too much into this. Im not being critical of you or jumping you, im giving you my opinion. If you dont need a dog for a specific task, like herd your sheep or protect your flock of something, just get a dog and love it and it will love you back.

Forget purebreed, mutt, pick a size small medium large and go find a dog that you two instantly take to each other and you will both be happy.

[DGUtley]

Our dear-departed $#@!er, Maggie, would herd the tractor. We'd cut the grass and she'd spend the afternoon herding the tractor. It was hilarious. I haven't found any information that they were bred for herding but instinctively this dog herded.

Rest her soul.

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[Common Sense]

The problem with purebred dogs is that they tend to have genetic issues and are more prone to disease and other medical problems.

The problem with mutts is you don't know what you're getting and what traits will be dominant.

I tend to side with the mutts because there are just far too many great mutts being euthanized in shelters while people are actively breeding purebreds.

[Private Pickle]

Pickle in my humble opinion you just put too much into this. Im not being critical of you or jumping you, im giving you my opinion. If you dont need a dog for a specific task, like herd your sheep or protect your flock of something, just get a dog and love it and it will love you back.

Forget purebreed, mutt, pick a size small medium large and go find a dog that you two instantly take to each other and you will both be happy.

I don't take your statement as jumping on me or being critical of me. You're just stating your opinion and that's why all of us are on this board.

With that being said I agree with your statement. I think everyone should own a dog because people are often incapable of providing each other with unconditional love whereas a dog can.

My point, and one I'm quite passionate about is the fact that if you own a dog your happiness shouldn't be your only concern. As I stated dogs are happiest when they are doing what they were bred to do. It's ingrained in them to be happy doing what they were bred to do so if you own a dog you should give it just as much consideration as you do yourself and that includes ensuring the dog is the happiest it can be.

Even if you don't need a dog for a specific task you should partake in the specific task that dog was bred to do. For example my experience with Newfoundland dogs. They are water rescue and working dogs. Now living in Colorado I never expect to require a water rescue but I took my Newfie, Norman, a 180 lbs lover to the lake a few times a month to work on water rescue. After the initial training all I had to do was swim out about 25 yards off shore and then behave as if I was struggling in the water. He would patiently wait on shore for me until I started to "struggle" at which point he would immediately dive in, swim to me, allow me to grab his tail and pull me to shore. When we arrived at shore he would be ecstatic, licking me almost uncontrollably and it was apparent that he was extremely happy and satisfied with his actions. Then I would do it again and he just couldn't wait until I would "struggle" again.

One time I took him to the lake and about 50 yards off shore there was a house boat where the kids were jumping off into the lake and swimming. They weren't struggling but he apparently thought they were because he immediately jumped in, and started swimming over. I had to yell to the boat that he was friendly and that he was coming to "rescue" them. One of the teenagers, maybe 14, heard me and actually waited for him to come to him. I yelled to him to grab his tail and the kid did and at that point Norman brought him to shore. Once on shore he proceeded to lick and love and do what Norman did. It was actually so much fun all the other kids wanted to be rescued and Norman completely obliged. He was in his element and I've never seen such joy in both the dog and the people he was interacting with as I did that day.

I have a lot of experience with bird dogs as well. I had a Springer that I trained since he was 4 months old and hunted until he suffered an injury at the age of 8. By the time 'Trigger' was a year old we were a well oiled machine in the field. If I wanted him to go into a thicket all I had to do was give him the direction to do so and he would happily dive in there looking for pheasant. By the time he was 2 he didn't have to look to me for direction. He knew exactly where I wanted him to go and if ever thought twice he would briefly look back at me and I would literally just nod and in he went.

That is the true and natural relationship between man and dog. Having a pet that is loyal and the love that comes with that is secondary.

[Common]

The problem with purebred dogs is that they tend to have genetic issues and are more prone to disease and other medical problems.

The problem with mutts is you don't know what you're getting and what traits will be dominant.

I tend to side with the mutts because there are just far too many great mutts being euthanized in shelters while people are actively breeding purebreds.

All the experts on my Maxs breed, said they are independent, extremely hard to train, even trained there are times they wont listen, they dont come when called and are too courageous for their size and often are harmed by other animals because they dont back down.

This is an 17 lb cairn terrier [toto dog]. The only part of the expert comments I read that were true was that I found him a bit tough to train than my other dogs but it was because of his playful behavior.

When max was a puppy he literally played until he would suddenly stop and just fall over and go to sleep it was the most hilarious thing you could see. That personality made him harder to train but in the end hes trained fine and comes when we call him etc.

[Standing Wolf]

My Gemma is not at all confused about her role in the family, despite her "mixed" ancestry. (At least 50% AmStaff/pitbull, 25% German Shepherd, 12 1/2% Boxer). She guards and protects the house and family. At bedtime, with a roomful of comfy chairs and other furniture that she could be sleeping on, she invariably goes over and lies down on the floor with her back against the front door. No one trained her to do that - she just knows that it's her job.

[DGUtley]

. . . .With that being said I agree with your statement. I think everyone should own a dog because people are often incapable of providing each other with unconditional love whereas a dog can.. . . .

Note: portions of quote omitted.

PP, can I quote you on that? Mrs. U so far has no interest in replacing Maggie.


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[Common]

Our dear-departed $#@!er, Maggie, would herd the tractor. We'd cut the grass and she'd spend the afternoon herding the tractor. It was hilarious. I haven't found any information that they were bred for herding but instinctively this dog herded.

Rest her soul.

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$#@!er Spaniels are incredibly sweet dogs

[Private Pickle]

The problem with purebred dogs is that they tend to have genetic issues and are more prone to disease and other medical problems.

The problem with mutts is you don't know what you're getting and what traits will be dominant.

I tend to side with the mutts because there are just far too many great mutts being euthanized in shelters while people are actively breeding purebreds.

I agree but many of the medical issues you are referring to are as a result of bad breeding practices. Again I point to better regulations and enforcement with regards to pure breeding. Many of those medical issues can be mitigated and even eliminated with better breeding practices.

Also breeders should be very selective with who they sell their dogs to. If that person does not intend to work with the dog doing what the dog was meant to do then they shouldn't sell the dog to that person or if they do ensure in contract that the dog would be spayed or neutered thereby reducing the chance of mutts.