Pure-Bred Versus Mixed: One Man’s Puss-Encrusted Journey
29 Comments Published by Joel October 23rd, 2006 in Dogs. Share This
This is my dog Porter. He’s a pure-bred English Bulldog who was set to be shipped back to his breeder in Argentina because of an imperfection: he had “cherry eye,” a defect seen in many bug-eyed dogs that causes their tear glands to be pushed outside of the eye socket. We took him in at no cost in exchange for the promise of paying for his surgery, in which the vet sutured his glands back to the inside of his eye socket.
Porter is the most loving, affable dog I’ve ever known. His favorite spot to lurk, besides the couch, is the local bar, where he wanders from person to person, blocking their legs with his low-slung mass until they concede to give him a rub.
As much as I love Porter, who in his constant affection has convinced me that English Bulldogs are nearly perfect companions, I have also been struck by how horribly unhealthy pure-bred dogs can be. My previous dogs have all been mixed breeds, the kind of low-maintenance pet whose health can be generally ignored. Porter, on the other hand, has had (besides the cherry eye), a stomach sensitive to human food, skin problems, and allergies. Porter is only two, but will likely only live to about ten if he’s lucky, or eight if he is not. Other dogs may live to be upwards of 15.
Without taking a hard line on the issue of breeding, I will say this: If you plan on getting and caring for a pure-bred dog, be warned that you are taking on a responsibility above and beyond that of normal dog ownership, and should be prepared to address health issues—including day-to-day hygiene; we have to clean out Porter’s skanky face flaps every morning with a wet-nap—that you would not generally have to deal with in a mixed-breed pup.
Mixed breeds tend to be healthier, smarter, longer lived, and available for free at your local pound. If only Porter wasn’t the friendly, most handsome genetic monster I’ve ever known, there’d be no question what my next dog would be.
Porter’s Flickr Stream (If you have pictures of your dog online, this would be a great place to link them in the comments. I would like to see them!)
Yes. I fully agree. I have a pure breed Corgi and Yorkshire Terrier. Well the Corgi is strong as an ox but the Yorkie is chock full of issues specific to the breed… not to mention being the toughest dog to housebreak I’ve ever seen. Since pure-breed dogs have been the iconic “only” choice for many inexperienced dog buyers there has been a huge rise in the past of industries that fully exploit this mis-nomer and really end up making these breed specific issues even more prominent. Through inbreeding and improper methods of breeding (puppy mills, etc) these problems are inherently in almost all dogs you would ever see in corporate Pet Stores across the US. Go to a breeder, and hopefully a notable one. AKC my ass, I’ve traced many breeder histories claiming to be registered and even having the proper paperwork but the standards are hardly ever inforced or rebutted… Am I wrong? Poor doggie bastards.
Here, here.
I have a fat pug (not from a breeder but from a household that got his folks from breeders) and a mixed breed dog (pit bull? boxer? german shepherd? it’s all in there) from the shelter. I love ‘em both, but the mutt is smarter, healther, and has cost me very little in the way health care.
The pug has literally cost thousands, from genetic defects to sensitivities to eyes that don’t have enough protection (say, a nose)… I plan on mixing it up for the rest of my life, some purebreds, some shelter dogs… But I definitely know I’ll be paying in time, money, and, most importantly, worry with the purebred.
By the way, a good topic to cover is pet insurance. Especially with a purebred, it’s the only way to fly. I’ve saved a lot of money from getting pet health insurance for both dogs. If you’re getting a purebred–especially a breed like pugs or bulldogs, it’s a must.
I also agree. We have two beagles, one with papers, one without. The one that had papers has had numerous health issues (at age 2 1/2!) including epilepsy, stomach problems and overactive anal glands (if you haven’t experienced this problem yet, I envy you).
She is literally, our “lemon.” We love her just the same but we now understand the foibles off purebreeds. Our non-papered beagle is phenomenal. No health problems, cute as can be and she acts just like a beagle should. Stubborn, food and scent driven and she howls like a banshee. Just like they should
I have a pure-bred Bichon Frise and while he hasn’t developed any health problems as of yet, I have known of multiple pure-bred dogs who have severe health issues. I agree whole-heartedly about mutts being the better dogs, if I hadn’t had Muldoon (the Bichon) neutered I’m sure he’d be more than happy to dilute his ancestry.
If my memory serves me correctly, I hear the most about problems with inbreeding regarding Dalmations. Apparently the dogs are a 100% crap shoot… but that’s my two cents.
Yup, my Boston Terrier pure bred pukes every day. Sometimes several times a day. We have spent thousands trying to figure it out, and the vets don’t know why. They can’t find a reason. One time they thought it was a distended duodenum. Then it wasn’t. He is a great dog but we have crap carpets. Spot Shot is our favorite product of all time.
Preach, brother.
My sister’s a trainer by trade. She accuses bred dogs of being, without exception, the most difficult to manage, the most prone to health issues, and often the dumbest (not always, just often.
Too many people are stupidly infatuated with the idea of the perfect dog. “Oh, if I could just have a dog that (has some quality they value). I hear (insert breed) are just like that. I have to have one.” Start the soup with that base, add in disreputable, money grubbing breeders, filthy puppy mills, and profit-minded pet store owners, and you have a mix that’s lethal for the animals, and maybe for the owners, too (ask anyone who knows about Presa Canarios, for instance).
Some of it’s happened recently, too. My wife had two Golden Retrievers growing up. Smart, energetic, and healthy as hell until old age took the first, and the combination of age and a broken heart took the second (the first was her mother). My own Golden from childhood was the same. He finally succumbed to throat cancer, and was well into his…umm…golden years. So to speak.
But Dad’s had two more in the last eight years. From the same breeders, no less. Stupid, hyperactive, and prone to skin problem and ear trouble. Showing early signs of hip dysplasia. I’m convinced that in a lot of dogs, the stock is just shot. That’s a genuine damn shame.
Sorry to ramble, but this is, if you will, a pet peeve. My advice is this: adopt a mutt. God knows there are more around than there are homes, and I’ve seen some wonderful animals put to death because no one would have them. If you must have a bred dog, look for a reputable breeder who uses good stock and has a proven track record of producing healthy animals with appropriate dispositions (I mean, if you want a guard animal, you’re not looking for sweetness and light, are you?). Pay the extra money that a good breeder gets for their attention and work. You’ll thank yourself over the long haul.
And Jeremy, speaking from my own experience, Dals are kind of a crapshoot, unfortunately. At their best, they are wonderful companions…social, smart and obedient. At their worst, they are high-strung, snappish, uncontrollable and dangerous to anyone not big and strong enough to control them. Deafness is inherent in the breed — somewhere between 20 and 30% of the total population are deaf in at least one ear, and estimates of bilateral deafness range from 8-12% of the total population. Unfortunately, you can’t breed that out, and it can be hard to spot in a pup, so a lot of dogs get destroyed after someone has become attached. Sad.
Jack, my purebred Dachshund
I’ve had two full blood dachshunds (one mini and Jack now, a standard) and both have/haven’t had any major problems. Dylan, my dachshund when I was younger, lived for 14 years and only had minor teeth issues (mainly because we never really brushed them).
I’ve had Jack for about 2 years now. He’s three and doesn’t have any problems.
I think the current trend of just making new breeds to sell to the rich (the labradoodle, that pug mix dog, the chug.) are worse than pure breeds. Not basing this on any research, just hate the idea of making a dog just to please someone.
I’ve heard a lot of anecdotal evidence about poorly bred “pure-breds,” but you don’t know where the dogs from the shelter came from either. Maybe the vet tech can give you some basic history and lets you know how well they do with other dogs, but that’s about it. At least you can verify and check references from breeders.
That being said, the two best overall dogs I’ve known was a black lab mutt growing up and my current furry roommate- a lab/aussie shephard mix.
Research, research, research, I suppose.
My dog Fred, an 18+ year old fox terrier cross (dont ask me what with, i dont really know). His parents used to live over the fence from my parents house, and i was able to convice my parents to adopt him. It’s sad to think that he would be the only dog alive from that litter after all these years.
Those photos are a few years old now. He now has more grey hairs on his head and in the last year or so he’s been afflicted with a heart murmur causing him to cough… oh, and his rear hips are a little arthritic… but none of that stops him from running like a puppy when he’s excited about something.
There is no way i’d choose to own a purebred dog after my experience.
Here’s a photoblog of our French Bulldog, Mookie
http://mookiev.blogspot.com/
OMG Mookie. Hello!
If we had the room for another dog, we’d probably get Porter a Frenchie playmate. Our old neighbors had a Frenchie named Truck with which we’re absolutely in love.
I’ve noticed that pure-breed working dogs don’t have as many of the health problems that you mention. I grew up with a series of pure-bred border collies and the only thing we had to worry about was allowing them to get enough exercise.
http://chefsshit.bogspot.com
Few shots of my little zoo.
English Bulldogs rock. I used to live near someone that bred them, awesome dogs. Why I ended up with chihuahua’s, I’ll never know. One is purebred, you should be able to tell from the pictures which is and which isn’t. The one that isn’t is such a fun dog, the purebred is too good for anything other than hanging out on your lap like a cat.
Here are Oscar and Willow:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyclement/tags/dog
Oscar is part pit and yellow lab, willow is collie and yellow lab (we think).
Really enjoy the site.
My take is that its all about evolution. Mutts get made because the smarter, stronger dogs get out of their yards and make puppies. If you have hip dysplasia you arent jumping any fences. The thousands of years of breeding has made wolves into social animals that you can leave your kids with, but the more specialized we get, the more we inbreed and allow bad mutations to crop up. These “purebred” dogs need to be mixed with a smart healthy mutt once in a while. Imagine what this will be like in anothre couple of hundred years.
As per the call for dog photosets, here are photos of my nine-month purebred Border Terrier puppy, Ollie.
I did consider Pet Insurance when getting Ollie. I’m a grad student without copious amounts of disposable income to spend on extravagant (or life-saving) surgeries but rather than paying $X a month to an insurance company, I put that money in a savings account. In the short-term it means that I’ll be up shits creek if something happens, but at some point in the future, I’ll be able to cover an unexpected bill.
At times pet insurance smells like the extended warranty they try to sell you at Best Buy…
We chose a pure-bred for our first dog because we wanted a predictable fur-length and temperment. (Yeah I know the furlength thing is shallow.) She turned out to be extremely dominant, gleeful terrorist Boxer (so mean to those who were a-frightened of her) who was allergic to grass and lived with lymph cancer for 6 years. She was great with us, just wanted to sit on everyone else. She was from a backyard breeder (not a puppy mill, just a dumbo who had illusions of grandeur.)
Now we have a rescue we think is half Boxer and half American bulldog; he’s very like a boxer except he has a nose. Sweet, great with people and children, no health problems. (Admittedly the males are typically more gregarious. It’s those bitches that are bitches.)
Same problem where everyone thinks he’s a Pitbull and cross the street not to share the sidewalk with us. Or stop their car and want to buy/breed them. Live in fear of someone stealing him for dogfight bait.
I don’t regret the first dog, but from now on it’s at least half mixed. That horrible waiting for tests and the poor gal being in pain.
My first dog, and still favorite dog, was named Lickorish. I wish I had a picture of her available, but I don’t have one here at work. She was a German Shepherd/Husky mix, and she looked like a chubby white German Shepherd with the black Shepherd stripe down her back. She was pretty much the best dog I have ever met. It was like she had the best traits of both breeds.
For 99% of her life, we never had to worry about any health problems. She was the family vacuum — if you dropped anything remotely food-like on the floor, adios. She was excellent with kids and never let any unsavory person within 100 feet of the house. The only time she ever had health problems was at the very end of her 13+ year life. She just got old and big dogs don’t tend to do well with very old age.
We got Lickorish for free from someone whose dog got knocked up by the neighbor’s dog. She has convinced me to always go with a mixed breed dog. All I ever hear from the people I know who own purebreds are stories of troubles, despite their love for their dogs.
I live in Japan, and the rise in dog owners, particularly here in Tokyo has been phenomenal. I was keen to get a dog here, but aware we are city bound in the week and live in an apartment. We got Pepper, a feisty, fun, bullying, scent led pure bred Beagle bitch. I understand and agree that she may have more health issues than a mixed breed, but I wouldn’t give her up for the world. Enjoy the pics.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/knotty/tags/pepper/
Here’s Huck, a first-generation Goldendoodle:
http://flickr.com/photos/mdoeff/tags/huck/
We’ve been very happy with this mixed breed. He has the poodle hair (no shedding) and the great disposition and playfulness of the golden retriever.
Just curious how Porter’s puppyhood was. We adopted an older bulldog who was sweet with us, but trouble for other dogs and strangers. We think our dog was not socialized as a puppy. Was Porter a biter, or chewer or other annoying puppy habits? Thanks ! Great theme. WE are considering dog ownership and another Bulldog is on my list ( but not my wife’s list…she remembers how much work cleaning her tail and her nose flap was…but I loved her!)
John: We got Porter at 3 months, so we didn’t work with him in his most formative time. He did like to chew on things a bit—he ate a pair of my glasses once that cost me a couple hundred—but I can’t say he was really worse than most puppies. Porter’s biggest challenge was house training; he’d go outside when we took him but would never give us a sign that he needed to go out. It’s only now, after a couple of years, that he’s finally willing to hold it until we get home. (He still doesn’t whine or bark when he needs to go, though.)
I don’t know how many of those behaviors are indicative for bullies as a breed. What I have learned is that all the English Bulldogs in Park Slope are extremely friendly and sociable with other dog and people and tend to have a real laid back attitude. I suspect your old dog may have had a rough time of it as a pup or a personality atypical of most bulldogs.
Here are some photos of our vizsla, Sasha from Park Slope, Brooklyn
http://flickr.com/photos/monoki/tags/sasha/
my dog, martha, is a vizsla mutt. we aren’t sure what the mystery father was, but we think it was a lab. he is a little bigger than a vizsla, and a little blonder. through my entire life, we’ve had pure-bred and mutt dogs. martha is by far the smartest, best tempered, and most hilarious. we had a pure-bred golden that was a great dog, but nothing like martha. she had a non-cancerous tumor by her eye that had to be removed, but that is all.
my last dog, however, was a pit mix, and he had an unfortunate situtation. i got him from the humane society as a pup, and he was perfect and healthy. about 4 months later, my room mate got a dog from the same place. it had parvo. my dog, rufus, got it from his dog. if you’ve ever had a dog with parvo, you know it is heartbreaking. basically doggie AIDS. i’ll never get over rufus dying in my lap.
Photos of my dog Jack
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tunruh/sets/1095757/
I am completely enamored of mutts. My family has always had dogs, and growing up we had the mix of, well, mixed breeds and purebreds. It’s been my experience that the purebreds tend to have more health issues and their temperaments are a bit more off-keel.
On the other hand, there can be some comfort in knowing that a purebred dog that is bred for a family lifestyle will fit right in to your house without eating your toddlers.
But, I’ll always look in the animal shelter first. Here’s my flickr set of Cooper (tan) and Stella (black). We got Stella from the animal shelter at 6 weeks old. Cooper joined us about 6 months later as a rescue from several households that didn’t give him the love. He had mange for a bit when we got him, but he’s the gentlest puppy-boy I’ve ever known.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ca_little/sets/72157594345171374/
Sorry, but I can’t stand the idea of pure bred dogs.
Someone takes the perfect mother specimen and perfect father specimen in an effort to create perfect little designer puppies. Meanwhile there are plenty of well-behaved, healthy mutts that are euthanized every day because no one wants them.
I feel horrible for Porter. Being shipped back because of a simple defect. Porter is a companion, not a product.
You can keep your “papers”. I’d rather go to a pound and get a mutt who needs love, not a animal designed to impress the neighbors.
This is Tania, a pit mix we found as a stray here in New Orleans when she was about three months old a few weeks before Hurricane Katrina came along; I can’t think what might have happened to her if we hadn’t found her when we did.
I also can’t imagine spending any amount of money to find a better dog anywhere.
This is “the pupster” now. He is purebred English bulldog, but more accurately MY ONLY CHILD. He has not had any of the usual health problems, however he is having rather serious stomach problems now.
( this is how I found this site trying to find out how to help him as the vet seems perplexed?)
Hopefully medication will kick in and the 7 year old baby will be okay.
trying to load the pictures…but it appears I am computer challeged. if i can they will follow.