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Originally Posted by hunniebunnie But with designer mixes, you're not just finding "any small dog". if you're breeding a puggle, and you own a beagle, then you're looking for a pug to breed with, not just any small breed. Take into consideration we're discussing "designer mixes" like puggles, morkies, x-poos, not just any small breed mix right? so if you own one purebred, you're looking for another specific purebred, not just any small dog to create the "designer mix" especially those that are popular, trendy, and fad of the day.
I think there are many people who get dogs and puppies without doing the proper research and realize the committment and responsibility that is required to own a dog/puppy. I think if you spent $2000 on a puppy and that puppy cries at night and pees on the carpet and exhibit other undesirable behaviors, you're more likely to figure out what to do to fix the problem without flushing $2k down the toilet by surrendering the puppy to a shelter. They'd sooner sell it to another individual and give the pup a second chance at a forever home than to give it up to a shelter. If the same individual were to buy a puppy from a BYB for $200, it's much easier to chalk it up to a loss and learning experience, and that puppy would be at the shelter faster than you can say "NO BARK!"
It's not to say those who got a bargain on their furbabies do not treasure them. But I'm talking about the uneducated masses who buy or adopt a pet because "it was a cool idea at the time", "it's a great christmas present", "it's a great birthday present", "cheap dog food and go to a vaccine clinic for $10 shots are all the financial responsibility neccessary for pet ownership".
puppies always have a higher likelihood of being adopted because they are cute and they are young. "adorably cute" and "young" are two major factors in the adoptability of a shelter dog, IMHO. i think big breed adults have it the worst at shelters.
adoptability of particular breeds and mixes also depend on the area. in my area for instance, i live in the city, with smaller spaces, small breed dogs are popular. a puggle or yorkie-mix without behavior problems (okay with kids, okay with other dogs/cats, no special health needs), whether an adult or puppy, won't be in a shelter for long. i just did a search on petfinder and there's no yorkies, mixes or pure within 60 miles of me and only one puggle within a 60 mile of my home without issues, which i'm willing to bet she won't be there for long if the shelter clears her for adoption immediately. But although i disgree with some of what you say, I appreciate the civil debate we're having. There's always two sides to every discussion and it's good to be able to say what we think. And when an agreement cannot be arrived, then we can always agree to disagree.  |
If there is a market for something with inflated prices, people are going try to fill it. Unfortunately that's where the backyard breeders and the puppy millers step in. I believe that with this fad people are less likely to care who their poodle mates with, especially the studs. If someone was ONLY in it for the money they could mate it with whoever wants puppies and will pay the fee regardless of how popular the designer mix is. People will mix a poodle with just about anything. Standards fly out the window since they are ALL going to be pet quality. I have seen people in San Diego pay up to $500 for strange mixes that aren't even popular like pug/poodles. So IMO the stud owners of poodles for example have much less of a hard time finding a mate than in the past, when they would have to search high and low for another poodle owner. I can even imagine how a puppymill might be, with only 1 poodle stud and many different breeds of females to mate with.
I will however agree with you on the factor that I'm sure there are GOOD mixed breed owners out there. An owner who CAREFULLY chooses the stud, but knows allot about both breeds. An owner who gives all of the dogs their shots, etc. Someone who does this as a hobby and not just for the $$ as with any breeder. You are right, it is up to the buyer to do the research. But for a person determined to get a certain mix, sometimes it's harder to find a breeder. Then they start looking towards the internet, which is loaded with scams, and brokers who deal with puppy mills and backyard breeders. I'm not saying that ALL people who do their advertising on the internet are bad breeders, it is just harder because you can not see the quality of the dog up-close and the dog's living environment.
As for the cost, I don't believe that any price is a reflection of how much someone is going to love and care for it. Some people who have too much money to spend don't mind wasting it and chalking it up as a loss regardless of how much was spent on the puppy. If it was a gift, people are more likely to dump it off as well. I agree with you that getting a puppy takes allot of thought and research and getting it as a gift is a horrible reason. But I think getting it because it's trendy is a bad reason too. I believe that the high prices are a reflection of that and not so much as "making sure it stays in a good home." If the breeder is concerned about that then why don't they just tell them to give the dog back if there's a problem. Again, this is more so about the backyard breeders.
I believe that sometimes people encounter rough times, but if you love your pet you will do everything to make it work. I have seen many homeless people that still have their dogs and even let them eat BEFORE they do. If you reached a rough patch in your life wouldn't you do your best to keep your dog as long as you could keep him healthy?
I agree with you that as for now small dogs are hard to find in shelters for the most part, depending on location. But that is a good thing for the small dogs. That is what this thread is about, how this fad will effect small dogs in the shelters. I believe we will see a rise in the mixes in the shelters. When I did a search on petfinder there were 13 mixes, 9 full breed in which 3 of those were tinies.
Small breeds aside, what about the larger mixes? There is no doubt that you're right about those having the worst of it at shelters. I believe that more people will choose to become breeders, some of the larger dogs as well. Breeding poodles, labs, and wolves which will mean a higher pet population and even more in the shelter. Having more breeders (which the mixed trend IS resulting in) of course means more dogs will end up in the shelter some with devastating results.
I agree with you. I have enjoyed your discussion and have learned allot from you. It is enlightening to get the breeders perspective. Thanks for replying!