How far will the designer dog craze go... ?

Question

I stopped in a pet store this morning.

There were about 40 puppies stacked floor to ceiling in small glass tanks with wire bases. There was one puppy per tank; the same "type" represented more than once only a few times, meaning there were about 35 different "types" of dog available in one store.

I hesitate to say "breed." Only four of them were AKC-registered breeds. The others were Maltipoos, Schnoodles, your typical "designer dogs." But a conversation caught my attention:

MAN: Why's it so expensive? It's a MUTT!
WORKER: It's not a mutt; they're bred intentionally to cancel out health issues in each breed.

Curious what they were referring to, I looked at the cage and saw... a "BULLY BEAGLE."

MAN: So, how big will it get?
WORKER: Um...I dunno. There's his sister. (Points to a pup who looks nothing like the first one.)

This particular puppy was selling for the low price of $79.

Per month.

Aside from not patronizing these stores... what can be done?

Answer 1

"... what can be done?"

Education. We do not need more laws that mostly hurt the responsible breeders. We also do not need more laws to protect people from making their own bad decisions. We are ALREADY sorely lacking in personal responsability in this country.

IMO, if you go out and buy anything without researching your purchase beforehand, then you deserve what you get. People will spend HOURS shopping for a used car, but a living puppy? They just get whatever is cute. Serves them right, live and learn, make better decisions next time.

Answer 2

No doubt this pet store is getting their puppies from a puppy mill. I think this designer dog breed craze will slow down eventually, once people realize that they can just get a dog from the pound that is the SAME exact mix, and looks very similar for a much cheaper price, and they are also saving a dog's life. I don't understand this, buy my aunt has a daisy dog. The breeder says it is a 'secret recipe' and will not reveal what kind of dogs she mixed. BUT they all come out looking way different, i think she is scamming just to make a lot of money. They look like maybe Maltese, Yorkie, Shih Tzu mixes. But i hope this ends soon, because there are a lot of unwanted 'designer' puppies that end up in shelters.

I think to help with the problem we can suggest to everyone we know who wants a dog to check the animal shelters for that same mix first. To encourage them we can tell them that they are not getting any kind of registered dog, just a higly priced mixed breed. Pound puppies cost WAY less, and they are saving a life.

Answer 3

kepp busting puppy mills for one! i'm a groomer and i have seen so many labradoodles that the owners paid big bucks for , and then don't have a clue how to care for their hair. we had one yesterday whose body face and head were totally matted. but the lady didn't want us to shave the s* it off. we convinced her to do it but she wouldn't agree to the head. she said that they were supposed to be groomed so their heads look square. i so badly wanted to tell her off. first off there is no breed standard! it's a mix! and second, the mats truley damage the skin. we finally convinced her. i work in a High Class area and i think it's a status thing with some. they want to have the newest thing, even if it comes down to animals. i hate it.
these pet stores get their dogs from puppy mills or puppy distributors, like the Hunt Corp. in kansas city. the stores won't tell you this, but it's true. and these mills breed the crap out of what ever is going to sell. i bought 2 poodles from a lady i worked with 5 yrs ago, found out that she really didn't give a crap about anything but the money. so i just made a promise to myself to never buy from a breeder again. i just spread the word and encourage people to go to shelters. you can find pure bred dogs in shelters. they are usually the ones the breeders can't sell because they aren't perfect. i could go on and on

Answer 4

Designer dogs are here to stay. Not all designer dogs are from puppy mills. I have a wonderful Bichonpoo from a reputable breeder. Yes, it is a reputable breeder I had him checked out and I checked his references. My dog is healthy, happy and well-adjusted - repeat not a puppy mill puppy. She was in a crib with her brothers when I got her. I have copies of the papers for her mom a purebred Bichon Frise and her father a purebred Toy Poodle. I made a decision to purchase a designer dog because of the lower cost (far less than a purebred) while still being non-shedding and hypoallergenic. I also needed a small dog and the shelters did not have any small breed puppies. I don't regret my decision for one minute. What makes me angry is all the self-righteous people who think it is okay to dis me and my dog without knowing the whole story. I have a very cute, very smart, sweetheart of a dog and the fact that she is the product of two purebred dogs only makes her more special. Designer dog owners of the world unite.

Answer 5

As long as people can make money breeding "designer dogs" they will exist.

First, educate, educate, educate as many people as possible. Even if people poo poo you at first, keep at it. Eventually, they will "get it" or not, but all we can do it try.
Educate people what to look for in a dog, how to find good breeders of any dogs. Most people who breed the designer dogs aren't practicing good and responsible breeding techniques. So if people looking for puppies refuse to buy from anybody that doesn't practice good techniques, that will rule out most.

Answer 6

Disgusting.

Breed aside, these shops will continue to operate, spitting out dogs as though they were boxes of cereal, for as long as idiots show up and open their checkbooks. It breaks my heart to hear of a shop with 40 of them like that. Ugh.

Answer 7

as WC fields once said there is a sucker born every minute... just don't be one who buys a labradoodle or a chiweenie or some other Heinz 57 dog just because it looks cute. when i was a child these dogs were called mutts.........get a pure breed dog

Answer 8

pets are more of new family members, they cant be designed for you, you just love them and thats all there is to it...i personally think its ridiculous that people spend outrageous amounts of money for "designer dogs" when theres billions of puppies being put to sleep in pounds everyday that you can adopt for $5.00! it makes me so mad to think that all these people with their nose up their *** cant just adopt the sweetest dog in the world because its not "designer" pets are NOT accessories, their companions and they need to be treated as such.

Answer 9

Not much. If you try and educate people here, you just get reported and deleted. I guess there is no helping many people!!!

They WANT to believe that they are totally healthy and non-shedding!!! They believe in Unicorns too!!!!

Answer 10

As loong as there is rich people who love there pets...the craze will go on