What is with the interest in "Designer Dogs"?

Question

I am one of those people who think a shelter hound is as good of a pet as any of the wonderful pure-breeds out there. I feel that our society should take care of the animals we already have before we bring more into the world. I tend to advocate adopting shelter animals over buying from pet stores. And to further grow my confusion, we now have "designer dogs" showing up in the arms of celebrities and their fans alike.

Please tell me WHY one would choose an animal as a fashion accessory or because it is the latest trend? What does one do with the "designer dog" when he doesn't match one's new wardrobe or is now so-yesterday?

What is the intent of breeding a "designer dog" other than to fill a niche in the pet market?

thanks for your time!!

Answer 1

There are a lot of questions in your question!

Why would someone choose a pet as a fashion accessory?

I don't think that people do choose pets as fashion accessories. Although I agree that, yes, people like variety and novelty.

Celebrities like to be different-- see how they name their children!! Names like "Apple" and "Moses" and "Rocco" and "Shiloh"... they like to be different! But just like I don't think naming the child a weird name means they would be a bad parent, I don't think that adopting a strange mix dog means they would be a bad owner.

To me, it's a love of variety.

Many other official AKC breeds started off as mixed breeds that were the "designer" dogs of their day. Example is a French Bulldog in the 1800s. People enjoy mixing breeds to create new breeds, that's just human nature.

As for shelter dogs, I adopted a small senior shelter dog who was lovely. I'm all for adopting shelter dogs.... but shelters do not have all types of dogs.

For example, on Petfinder there is only one yorkie up for adoption for the entire state of Illinois. There are two maltese in the entire state up for adoption.... some dogs have a bigger demand than supply.

I have never seen a "morkie" in a shelter. I have seen some "designer" breeds in shelters, but for many-- especially the very small ones-- there is a huge demand.

If demand outstrips supply then why not breed these healthy dogs?

(Obviously do not breed dogs with health issues.)

Answer 2

A. We have too much money as a society
B. People like mixes of their favorite breed with a Poodle because that can either reduce or eliminate shedding.

I agree with you about saving a dog, over having one bred. We have a beautiful, pure bred Saint Bernard named "Maggie" who spent 9 months in a Kennel before we rescued her. People should really look at rescue organizations and their local dog pound.

I know an animal control officer, and she guarantees that if any animal shows extreme agressiveness when the catch it, it will NOT be considered for adoption.

Of course, there always is a risk of poor behavior, whether you get your dog from a pound or a breeder.

Answer 3

The cockapoos, schnoodles, etc. are the original designer dog. I had a schnoodle when I was 13 years old. She was the greatest dog. But the dogs that some of these breeders (and I use that word loosely) are making nowadays are ridiculous. Some of them are so small that you have to watch then constantly to make sure that they don't fall off of something and break a limb and have to be carried everywhere. You are right, a shelter dog is the best. We have a Sheltie and a dog that we got from a shelter and they are both the sweetest dogs.

Answer 4

I completely agree with you. I think it's ridiculous to base your life on someone else's. This is why so many dogs end up abandoned - because people get tired of them. Pit bulls have a nasty reputation however less that 50 years ago they were coveted by American society - so much so they were on WWI and WWII posters and now they are over flowing in our shelters and feared.

Now these damn purse dogs! God what is next?

Answer 5

I am not a fan of this at all, i have a german shepard and i dont care what anybody thinks, dogs should be companions, not trophies (unless you breed them for shows). mutts and shelter hounds are the same as any others. last time i walked into our local shelter i saw at least six abandoned "designer dogs" of yesterdays fashon, i find it appaling!

Answer 6

There are some multiple things going on simultaneously that have caused designer breeds. Among them is the push to buy from a shelter and yes I did say buy as shelters are charging way too much. And in fact importing dogs for sale but that is another issue.

Firstly, for many years mixes with poodles became popular between cockers and poodles, as the cocker does shed and have a large amount of dander and the poodle does not.

Than when the Kennel club started to allow breeders to limit registrations, and the AR run shelters started pushing that pure bred were less healthy the madness started taking off.

Even though people can take a limited AKC registration to another registry and get puppy papers, they may not have known it. Further Cockapoos by this time were wholesaling for more than pet quality cockers and breeders who sought meeting the demand in the market thought why not try other Poo mixes.

Along with the timing of the limited registration came an influx of propaganda from the AR crowd saying that there is vast overpopulation. In reality shelter populations have steadily been declining for the last 30 years, but the AR crowd wants NO pets left at all. NOT just NO SHELTER DOGS < NO HUMANS SHOULD OWN PETS IN THEIR BOOK!>

Now there are many branches of the AR machine, and some that run shelters are trying to literally take over the pet industry, Hence Pedigree's campaign for the AR run AHA during the Westminster show. Now shelters are not only selling mixes but importing them and literally seizing dogs for resale and also breeding them!

During their campaign they continued to push mixes as healthier even though that is far from the truth. However the people that really run the AR camp are VEGANS who do not want pets to exist in our society because pets eat meat. These people cannot accept the keeping of an animal that eats other animals while they themselves do not because it is cruel. Especially when pets are only kept for our enjoyment and we don't "need" them.

They also realize if breeds melt away that dog enthusiasts will also disappear so the step in the process is to promote designer breeds which will be very unpredictable and cause many disappointments to their owners. Owners who thought the dog would be hypo allergenic will be surprised by shedding etc. and they certainly are not healthier but can inherit anything from either side, with far less control of consequences in breeding as designer breeders do not have the knowledge of both sides, that pure bred breeders do.

So, it is a compilation of several things.
Limiting registrations cannot control society. If people want to breed a litter they will breed something.

AR's wanted to undermine purebreds.

Limited and reduced breeding by enthusiasts and Fanciers caused by AR propaganda, created an unmet market demand.

People went to buy dogs for breeding and received limited registrations and created cute names and sold puppies anyway.

Additional info:

One of the largest concerns with all of this is that during this period of about 15 years above several other moves have been made.

Much more of the population spays and neuters their pet. Approximately 85% of pets are altered today.

The term BYB was campaigned to mean something very derogatory. With the removal of more BYBs more pet breeders sprang up because the market was left open.

The government is seeking taxation and licensing fees etc, and people are upset that those who found an open market have to many dogs and are raising them as a business. Before when there were more BYBs there were not as many pet breeders that were medium to larger scale.

The ARs would like to completely ban home breeding even by the best most careful breeders and the show breeders especially.

Show breeders are BYBs because NOTHING AT LAW MAKES THEM LICENSED. Show breeders, responsible breeders, are regular people in regular homes that have a hobby of dogs. They go to shows, study pedigrees join clubs etc. BUT they do not move to farms or commercial locations they are doing these things from homes. That is better for dogs because pets belong in homes and get better care in homes. BUT the government has a hard time collecting money as if these people were businesses when they are in homes. And the country is in danger of loosing the best bred dogs as government regulations will force all dogs to be bred by commercial larger scale breeders. That means the public who has an accidental litter, or an intentional litter may be fined by the government to the tune of 500 to thousands because the family pet got pregnant!
(Links to law proposals bellow)

So as a country the United States IS about to loose its beautiful show dogs! And I am not joking this is real!! Please see the links bellow. California proposed MANDATORY Spay Neuter, so has New Mexico, PA is fighting a law that will make it next to impossible to even want dogs. All these laws are actually AR written and the ARs are in bed with many politicians that is what they do with the money people think is going to shelters. That is how Lobbying works. That is how the real wheels in our government work. I kid you NOT.

With regard to the harm of labeling (as in BYB) I am providing a link to Dr Carmine Batagllia’s “The Gathering of a Storm” Dr Batagllia has two PHDs he is on the Board of Directors to the AKC and is re running in the coming election.
In closing I need to say the most reputable breeders are BYB, those BYBs that are show fanciers, because they are not larger licensed USDA kennels

BTW don't beleive shelters and rescues are breeding? Take a look at the price of those mixed unknown puppies in the second to last link, they are $400 to a rescue!