Don't people have the right to get whatever type of dog they want?

Question

I have seen alot of people on here asking about certain purebreds or mixes and they seem to get more critisizing than they get advice. Yes, a Morkie, a Puggle, a Poogle and any other mixes breed are mixed, but if that is what a person likes then isn't that their right? I am sure that these people realize that they are getting a mixed breed dog, but maybe they want a mix of two certain breeds. Everyone has to realize that when someone makes a decision to get a dog, it is their decision. They cant be insulted or critisized into getting one from a shelter. That is their own personal choice. They are the ones who have to shell out the money for the dog, pay vet bills, and provide that dog a home. I decided that I wanted a Siberian Husky, but I wanted one that I knew where it came from, what its parents looked like, could call the breeders if I needed to. That is why I went to a breeder and not a shelter. The people getting these "mixes" have the same rights. Why do some not agree?

They may be "mutts" but if someone happens to like the look of a cross between a Yorkie and a Maltese, then they have that right. It is not for others to call them stupid. It is their right and their money.

Just for arguments sake (I am not doing this) that I talked to about 10 people who said that they would love to have a Siberian Husky/Black Labrador mix. So I breed my registered male Husky with someones registered female Lab. I could call these Siberian Labs. The female has 8 puppies and all go to good homes. How did that hurt anyone? 8 families got the type of dog they wanted, even if it was a specific cross breed. No one was lied to, they got what they asked for.

Answer 1

I don't think anyone will argue that a person doesn't have a "right" to buy whatever they want. People can buy whatever they want for whatever reasons they want. But the truth is that a lot of people don't think before they buy something. I might want to buy a Ferrari and if I had the cash up front I could but if I can't afford the taxes, insurance, gas, etc. I'm going to get rid of that car pretty quickly. Now a car is a car - ownership transfers easily and it has functions and uses even beyond the life of the vehicle. A dog is different. There are not thousands of savvy buyers out there looking for a quality, used dog. When a dog gets 'turned in' it very often ends up dead. That certainly is something to think about when you consider getting a dog. I don't just mean considering adopting vs. buying, I'm talking about a serious moment to consider that getting a puppy is a 10+ year commitment.

As to the buying of mixed breed dogs, again I'll go back to my car analogy. Too many people don't stop to think about the type of dog they are getting. Too few people stop and research breed standards and characteristics. If you know someone is planning on buying a car model that you know is a lemon would you tell them? Even if they like the way the car looks and they just 'know' that it is the car for them?

When you buy a puppy you are paying for certain things - #1 knowing what the puppy will look and act like when it is an adult and #2 knowing that the puppy comes from a healthy family and was bred by a knowledgeable person who is trying to produce a quality product. Mutt breeders are like really bad used car salesmen. The product they produce does not afford buyers either of the benefits of buying a purebred dog. A mixed breed litter does not have a uniform look to it, nor will the personalities of the puppies be clear - they are a mix possibly the best or the worst of all the characteristics of the two parent breeds. And there can be big variety from pup to pup within the same litter. Second (and more importantly) many of these breeders claim that their dogs are more healthy than purebreds due to 'hybrid vigor'. This is patently untrue (kinda like the used car salesman who secretly turns back the odometer) and yet breeders use this to justify not performing genetic testing on their mating pair.

I don't have a problem with people purchasing puppies (or cars for that matter) for the very reasons you listed. There are solid reasons to buy a purebred puppy. And those same reasons are exactly why you should *not* buy a mixed breed dog. You don't get what you pay for. Now as I said initially this is America and everyone has the 'right' to spend their money on whatever they want. But if I know that someone is going to buy a lemon -and especially if they are asking questions about it on Yahoo Answers - I have no qualms with voicing my opinion.

Answer 2

There are too many dogs already. If you want a husky, you're going about it the right way. DO check backgrounds and pedigrees. People getting mixes that are purposely mixed are in my opinion, being selfish. Lets say I want an Irish Setter/Rottweiler mix, and I have a Setter and you have a Rott. We COULD breed them...but I only want ONE puppy. The dog has 5. What do we do with the other 4 that no one really wants? There isn't a big demand for Irish Setter/Rottweiler mixes, AND they're big dogs, which are even harder to find homes for. So...because we have so many full shelters, and dogs are put to sleep every day because people are not responsible pet owners, I do NOT think it's a person's right to play around, breeding dogs for their own selfishness. There are plenty of mutt's to choose from without breeding more.

Answer 3

Responsible breeders do not ever focus on "the look of a dog" when making breeding decisions. It may be a factor, but it is one of many factors. People like yourself who believe that you can just throw two of any kind of dog together and get a dog that "looks" great lack a fundamental understanding of the genetics that is critical to producing a healthy dog with a sound temperment.

The reason so many people claim that mutts are healthier than purebreds are often right, simply because too many people believe that AKC purebred papers are some sort of stamp of genetic quality. Many breeds (including ALL of the most popular ones) suffer greatly from ignorant breeders that allow diseases like hip displasia and epilepsy or poor temperments to run rampant in the gene pool. There comes a point when serious breeders have difficulty finding dogs to breed to that have not been tainted by these very serious problems.

I only have one dog I've ever gotten from a breeder. My dog, and a very high number of his littermates, were diagnosed with hip displasia before they were ONE YEAR OLD. Neither of the parent dogs had signs (that I know of) of hip displasia. I'm sorry... ask me again who gets hurt when some idiot thinks it would be neato keen to make some puppies but doesn't know anything about genetics and health testing?

It's one thing to get a shelter dog with problems. It's another thing altogether when someone MAKES A PROFIT off randomly mixed dogs that "look cool" but prove to have other issues down the line. Hey, it's not the breeder's problem by then, right?

So sure, you have "the right" to buy any kind of dog you want. But you asked MY opinion on the matter, and you got it.

Answer 4

Everyone has the right to get whatever type of dog they want AFTER they research it properly. The dogs at shelters (and I'm not putting shelters down, I have had 2 very good mixed breed dogs that I got at shelters) end up there because the owner did not research the breed and ended up with a dog who's traits they don't like (hyper/slow, barker..etc...) they didn't know about medical conditions that seem to affect the dog ( hip displacia) and could not afford the medications. They don't know how to groom them,train them. List goes on.
Shelters are great, if you don't care about the dogs history and background and have lots of time to train and care for them.
"Most" breeders set high standards for their dogs, you can see the history, medical and they will give you information on the breed and see if it is right for your family.

How come no one talks about the Rescue Dogs, Another alternative to purebred. http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm

Answer 5

Alright! Everyone should be able to get whatever type of dog regardless of it being mixed or pure breed. Now with that said, I think the media reporting on poor breeder, have people up in arms on people who buy from breeder not being good at checking out who they are dealing with, If you truly want to be able to track who the parents are, maybe you should be just as interested in who the owners are. If you are then Hey girl! go do your own thing.

Answer 6

I actually have a three/4 German Shepherd a million/4 tough Collie, his call is Murphy and that i've got had 5 different canines and between the canines had 3 litters of doggies (13 doggies), and the different one had a million clutter(9 doggies). The domestic dog I even have now could be from between the litters. photograph is Murphy

Answer 7

I'll be honest I breed boxers. I brought my boxers over from germany to avoid the health problems that seem to run in some american lines. I have before and will again turn down people who want to buy my dogs. There are various reasons, but it comes down to the fact that if I feel that my baby has a good chance of ending up in a shelter then I wont sell to them.So yes if you want a dog and can care for it then you should be able to get one, but I will not hesitate to tell someone that it wont be one of mine.

Answer 8

The big problem is that they are trying to pass off mixes as 'purebreed', sure a puggle is from a beagle and a pug, but you don't know what it is going to be like, there is just too much differences in each one that is born. To some this doesn't matter and good for them, but other people are sold that it would have a breathing problem or such and you just can't be sure of that as well as you could in a full beagle.

Answer 9

Yes, it is okay to get whatever kind of dog you want, but the irresponsible people that are breeding these dogs should not be paid for breeding them. These breeders are only in it for the bucks, to breed these designer dogs and ask more money for them than for a purebred is ridiculous.

Answer 10

"Killer dogs" happen because of ignorant owners that train them to be that way.

I have a mix and I love her very much. What I don't agree with are the people breeding certain breeds and calling them "designer dogs" and boosting up the prices. As long as the dog fits with the person's lifestyle, I say get whatever type of dog you want.