A very balanced post.

Can I ask was it a KC pedigree or one hand written by the owner, as the two are very different?

I think there are too many dogs being bred these days anyway, pedigree or other.
Having said that some of these dogs are lovely, I have a crosbreed myself but thats what she is, Dad was a Rottie and mum a GSD, she is not a Shepweiler or any other fancy name you want to give her she is a cross between two breeds so crossbreed.
Its the giving of the fancy names and then charging a fortune for them that I have a really big issue with. Many are more expensive than a pedigree dog which is absolutly ridiculous and people pay it thinking they have some really special breed which they certainly don't.

the part that upsets me in all of these x breeds being sold as if they are in some way a breed because someone has put a silly name to the cross is,

they are often pushed as being more healthy than pedigrees because they are cross breeds,

people state some of them are good for people with allergies, which is often not the case,

people state they do not shed, another fat lie

more often than not no health tests are done on either parent

so in real terms you could get any of the hereditary illness from both breeds, or you could be doubling up on the chance of one illness

the cost of these cross breeds is often way to high.

Sometimes the crosses in question are hard to handle, two breeds with very high drives and so on.

Dont get me wrong, I have nothing against the dogs, its the people pushing them out with little or no thought as to what may happen to the dogs that get me.

Personally I don't think a cross-breed dog has intrinsically any less value than a pedigree dog.

BUT, and it's a big but, I think a far higher proportion of people who breed cross-breeds (and then describe them as designer dogs with a suitably silly name) are doing it for the wrong reasons. Either they are in it for the money, they just think their own dogs are lovely and it would be nice to have some puppies, they think a bitch should have a litter, etc.

Consequently they are very unlikely to even know what health tests they should be doing, never mind getting them done, they take no responsibility for the puppies once they are sold and they have no thought that they are contributing to the numbers of dogs who could end up in rescue or worse.

They often make ridiculous claims for the puppies trainability or health, cherry picking the best characteristics of each breed and ignoring the fact that a first generation cross could easily inherit the worst characteristics and health issues. And when these claims go unchallenged the general public is deluded into thinking that they are getting something better than a pedigree dog from an ethical breeder.

J.

when I look at mating my dogs, I look at what flaws the dog has and what the bitch has,
If I think the mating would improve the faults they have then I go ahead,

it takes a good eye to do this with two dogs of the same breed,

but doing it with two completely different breeds? who knows what will happen

I share my life with a rescued husky x mal. Bred for no other reason but profit Given the designer name a 'huskamute' and the naive public charged around £800 for a puppy.

Jacub and I spend our time attending public events where it gives us the opportunity to educate the public that a 'huskamute' is NOT a new breed of sled dog. Jacub is a crossbreed. A Siberian Husky x Alaskan Malamute, no need for a designer label and certainly no need for the lies breeders of this particular cross tell to justify charging the amount they do.

Take care.

Seoniad.

Wow you are one busy woman working as a volunteer in a shelter on top of the rest of the things you do!!!!
Cross breeds are just that, cross breeds, there are no specifics of the breeds they are not established breeds they are not designer breeds they are two different breeds crossed and that is it.
People that stick with trends and like to call them anything other than a cross IMO are deluding themselves, they have been bred for a short period and no chance of following the breed chain.
Jed is a Bull Arab which is a cross of four breeds, the difference is only the extensive breeding has been going on for twenty years, they are specifically bred for pig hunting. They are now trying to get the breed standardised for recognition of the breed. To me you can call Jed a Bull Arab or a cross breed neither concern me, he is Jed first and for most.
Call a dog a labracockapoodle and say it is a breed, reality is it is still a Labrador cross Cocker Spaniel cross Poodle.
A hugely popular cross is a Maltese cross Shih-tzu what could they call that if it is considered a breed a Maltshih, or a Shihese

Nothing wrong with cross-breeds or mongrels.
something very wrong with dressing up the former for profit. Equally stupid are the dozies that fall for it all.

I don't agree with the deliberate cross-breeding of pedigree dogs to supply the pet market - most only breed for money and not for the health or benefit of the dog. There are more than enough breeds to suit specific requirements for each individual person and their circumstances and environment.

There are also breed rescues and crossbreed rescues for specific crosses that they may be interested in.

Just because they are crossbreed doesn't automatically mean they will be healthier than well bred, well reared pedigree dogs. Although, I do believe that crossbreeds are generally healthier than pedigrees. JMO and going by the prices of insurance etc for them. Some will also shed when people are told that they won't!

I also don't agree with these puppies then being sold for hundreds, sometimes over £1000. I think it's unneccessary and wrong and really makes me angry as there are so many lovely, healthy crossbreed dogs in rescues all over the country, and the world.

However, with regards to working type dogs such as Dogs for the Disabled, Guide dogs and Hearing Dogs etc, I'm about 20/80 in agreement for deliberately bred crossbreed dogs, BUT obviously only if they come from good stock with proven working lines etc and all health tests have been carried out properly and are acceptable before breeding. In saying that, again, there are a number of breeds already suitable to do all of these dogs.

I have absolutely no problem with crossbreeds in general, I love most of them. I have one myself and probably will have more of them in my lifetime, but they will all be rescues and not bought from a breeder.

I maintain that if someone specifically wants a crossbreed (which is absolutely fine), then there are plenty in rescue centres and particular crossbreed rescues for them to choose from, in all different colours, shapes and sizes.