Pure-Bred Versus Mixed: One Man’s Puss-Encrusted Journey

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!)