Well, I finally finished the gun dogs section. Except for the American cockers, I really couldn't give a shit less about gun dogs!! They're not my breeds. But that's just ME. But as I was working on that group, I was doing the history of one of the breeds, I think it was the barbet, or the soft-coated griffon, one of those breeds, that was almost wiped out due to people over-mongrelizing them with other breeds. That and the lack of good specimens of those breeds out there. Makes me think of what is going on today with poodles. Barbets were once as common as poodles are today, and they too do not shed. Some unethical people took advantage of that and mixed them with other breeds to create designer "mutts". Most of those designer "mutts" were just fads back then, as they pretty much are now, and died off. This is why I so object to creating designer mongrels. I remember on my old chihuahua forum someone wanted to purposefully cross her chihuahua with a pomeranian to create "chi-poms", another common designer breed. I told her flat out if she wanted to do that I would not support it. I don't support those kinds of acts! I don't believe in the intentional creation of designer mongrels because there is no point!
The man who first created "labradoodles" only did it to give the blind who were allergic to animals a dog they can have trained to guide them. That person NEVER meant to start this mass-hysteria and obsession that people have today with these designer mutts. In fact, as I understand it, he's sorry he ever unwittingly got the ball rolling on this fad. Most people today who are breeding "labradoodles" don't know what they're doing! If a person is going to create a real breed, then what they should do is either do it themselves, or get within a group of friends, who they can trust, who would know what they are doing, and breed them that way. But that's not how people today are doing with the "labradoodles". People are taking a purebreed labrador and a purebreed standard poodle, breeding them together, thinking it's going to create pups that are healthier, do not shed, and have better temperaments than their parents. But that is not so. That's why I say people who breed designer mutts don't know what they are doing.
I remember when Obama was looking for a dog, and one of his choices was a labradoodle. Someone on the Star Celeb said he should get a labradoodle because she had one and it was the best dog she ever owned. I was like "Big deal?! So you had one that was a good dog. It had nothing to do with the breeding, you were just LUCKY." The fact is, you cannot describe a mongrel like you can a purebreed. That's one of my biggest pet peeves is people who do that! Some of the worst dog attacks on humans have been performed by mongrels. One of the first dogs I ever had was a collie/St. bernard cross, and she used to lash out at people for no reason. And she was just a puppy then! I shudder to think what she would have been like as an adult! That's why we only had her for a few months. But purebreed St. bernards, it's safe to say, are very laid back and gentle. But it is not safe to predict what a mongrel will and will not be like. Responsible breeders will keep the best and cull the rest. That's why I made such a lousy breeder!! I could never cull a puppy!! Broke my heart enough when I got stillborn pups!! But that is what you are supposed to do when you are creating a new breed.
I tell you, after reading some of the historical bits on some of these breeds that were almost wiped out by mongrelizers and bad breeders, I have a new respect for show breeders!! I still don't like most of their people skills though. LOL! But I remember that person who wanted to breed chi-poms said that I didn't deserve my dogs because I didn't agree with mixing breeds and blah-blah-blah. And I was like "What in the HELL has mixing breeds got to do with my dogs?!!" LOL! Some people are too stupid to live!!! Oh that was another thing, that person who posted the private post on my guestbook said she hopes I never have a dog because I told about the bad points in breeding. Again I said what does that have to do with my dogs? Again, some people are just too stupid to live. But at least she gave me a good laugh. She's probably just jealous because my dogs look better than her's. I still say she's evil though. But she's great for laughs. And for those wondering, I told Trisha about her, and Trisha's response was "What a total JERK!!!" She said anything I say about that jackass she'd very well deserve. I was shocked!! Trisha doesn't normally think like that. LOL!! Just goes to show the only kind of people who would say "You don't deserve your dogs!" or "I hope you never have a dog!" are people with no brains. Especially if the only reason they say it is because I don't think irresponsible, or clueless, people should be breeding dogs. I cannot wait to see what laughs that person gives me next year. To reiterate, I think that was the same person who posted on my guestbook last year at about this time, under 2 different e-mail addresses and names, and said how horrible my site was, yet how beautiful my dogs were. So I can hardly wait till next year to see what she says next. I kinda wonder if she is one of those bots I've been hearing about that spams your forums, guestbooks and yadda-yadda-yadda and says those kind of things. I'm beginning to think she is. Either way, she's good for a belly-laugh!
Well, Trisha has dogs, so she understands. She knows how close I am to my dogs too. So she definitely understands. I'm so glad!! I thought if I said anything Trisha would get pissed!! Oh and I know she's reading, so if you want to reply, go ahead. You don't have to sign in anywhere or anything, as I allow even anonymous posters on here.
Anyway, back to mixed breeding, there is NO point to it! The only dogs guaranteed not to shed are poodles, bichons, some terriers and maltese. And why would I want to buy a maltese-poodle cross for the purpose of having a hypo-allergenic dog when I can go out and get a
pure maltese or poodle? That doesn't make sense to me. Probably cost less to get a purebreed now anyway, rather than pay the sky-high prices people want for their mutts now. And as for labradoodles, don't believe the people who tell you they don't shed! Poodles don't shed, but labradors do. So, your chances are about 50% that you will get a pup that will or will not shed as an adult. And if you have allergies, why risk it?
Not only are people breeding these dogs the wrong way, the stupid names they give them!! You know a person doesn't know what they are doing when they give these mutts such dumb names!! Each breed has it's name for a reason. It doesn't make sense to me to combine names of already established breeds to glorify these mutts, making it sound as if they are legitimate breeds. Like a few years back, I met a woman on an old chihuahua e-mail group, and she was breeding what she said is called a "Carlin Pinscher". It's a cross between a pug and a miniature pinscher. The problem with that name is the only people who should be creating new breeds of "pinschers" are the Germans, in Germany, not in the USA. "Pinscher" is a German word and it means "Terrier". For an American to slap the name "pinscher" on a new American breed is ludicrous. A more sensible name would be "Carlin Terrier". But creating a whole new breed should be done by only ONE person, or by people ASSOCIATED with that one person who
know what they are doing! Not by just anyone who can take a pug and a minpin and cross them together and get what they think is a new breed. Creating breeds does not work that way! That dog has to be able to breed true, when it is mated with another "Carlin Terrier", and not get any "throwbacks" from it's pug or miniature pinscher parents.
Anyway, this is why I dislike breeding these designer mongrels. There is just no point to it at all.