Do you prefer Pure breeds, or Mixed? Dogs and cats

When I had cats I had just regular cats..no special breed, altho I hankered for a Maine Coon. I may still get one, who knows.

For some reson have always had "breed" dogs. My parents had a beagle when I was little. They got me a collie...a pet quality cast off from my great uncle that raised collies. Dad got a Brittany to hunt with. I got into the boxers becasue a realtive had one and we liked him. I have known some great mixed breeds to, though. Hubby's brother has a great lab mix. They are finally are keeping this one indoors after losing 2 other dogs to various accidents becasue kept outside. You gotta take care of them no matter their origins.

Not just German Shepards are subject to hip dysplasia due to breeding. Boxers are too...and others. If you are buying a "breed" dog, buy from someone who has a sound breeding program and checks for hip problems and only breeds healthy animals.
 
I've fallen in love with rotties. I think if I got a dog I'd go to a rescue. I would probably have to get a pup though to acclimate to the cats...most of the big dogs I like will easily kill my babies. I love dobermans too... and akitas.. and shepards. Someday when I have a house :) .
 
I would have to partially disagree with this statement. An animal of unkown heritage is a carrier of possibly anything to everything (and yes they do carry, just because they don't show it does not mean their offspring won't).
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Absolutely. We all carry multiple bad mutations in our genomes, which is why we need to marry unrelated people. For a recessive mutation to be expressed, you need two bad copies. Two parents from the same gene pool are more likely to carry copies of the same mutation. The likelihood of unrelated individuals carrying defects in the same gene is much, much smaller.

As you probably know, breeding recessive traits out of a population is easier said than done. With flies, we have the advantage of molecular markers and a 10-day generation time. When dealing with mammals in a non-laboratory setting, the likelihood of mutations squeaking through seems very high.

I am reminded of my old boss who, in her usual methodical way, searched out the best breeder for her golden retriever. It was sadly ironic when she had to spend thousands on surgery for the dog's hips. Stuff happens.

After saying all that, I can't say that my personal experience has shown that mongrels are any more rugged than purebreds. I have known a lot of dogs, and they have all had quirks and usually developed some weird disorders when they hit their teens. But I expect I'll get plenty of disorders when I hit the equivalent age.
 
"The cat in my avatar is an F3 bengal which I'm starting to breed"

hurricanejedi, that cat is amazing :)...

I had no idea how many breeds of cats there were until I went to a pet show recently. I went to see the dogs and ended up looking at the cats most of the time :)
 
Dogs dogs dogs! first of all! (no offense to those poor souls who love cats)

As to mixed vs. mutt I have to say it depends too much on which breed you are talking about, most that have been around longer have less incidents of bad genetic traints UNLESS that dog became wildly popular in the past century or there about (Sharpei, Golden Retriever, dalmation, rotties, etc) I would much rather prefer a mixed Sharpei than a purebred.

As hurricanejedi said it does depend on who is doing the breeding, but when a dog gets too popular for too long, too many backyard breeders spoil the whole pool for everyone.

My worst experiences have been with a few sharpeis who were allergic to themselves (as the vet so kindly did not say) and a few dalmations with bladder and hearing problems.

We used to breed Brittanys, loved them all to death, even the mixed ones we would rescure from time to time, and I do have to say that Lucky, who looked to be a cross between a Brittany and a Dane, was the best dog that we ever had around. Imagine a Brittany a little larger than a Golden retriever, he was the best, but about as smart as my left shoe. Grandpa was always finding other homes for the mixed ones as he didn't want and mixing to occur with his purebreds, and luckily Lucky came around more than once due to people realizing they couldn't keep a dog that large.
 
Depends. I prefer large dogs, and that means that if I do buy a purebred, I will find a reputable breeder that takes care to breed for quality and health instead of just money. I've had both, current boys are mutts. They're both healthy, and good natured, no problems. My mom currenlty has 2 border collies, and both have 'breed issues'--nothing related to poor breeding or health issues, just common behaviors with border collies that I don't like. So, for me, it will depend on what I'm getting the dog for--companion? Mutt. Specific task? Probably a purebred.

With cats--again, I've had both. Since I'm not picky about the appearance of my cat, other than not liking long hair, getting a good companion cat is pretty easy and cheap from any source. Since my husband wants a a Savannah, we'll be spending the dough, because that's what he wants! Of course, the purebred cats I've owned have been limited to some pretty well established breeds that aren't prone to disorders, so it's not really a valid comparison! I haven't seen nearly as many breed specific behavior issues with cats as I have with dogs, either...
 
Purebred dogs only. I'm heavy into Rough Coated Collies and currently have three of them. We have full registration rights for our puppy, but haven't decided if we will breed him or not.

We'll probably get a fourth collie in April. We've had two that passed on.

I'll never buy another purebred cat. I've got an American Bobtail and a Pixiebob. Just not worth the money in the long run and IME a "regular" cat is just as nice and doesn't have the high price tag.

Roan
 
Every cat I've ever had was a mixed breed. Every one came from a rescue or directly off the street. I won't get a cat or dog from any other source...there are just too many pets that need homes. The best cat I ever had was a mixed breed I called a 'Siamix'. Her name was Pearl and I got her from the Humane Society in 1993. I just lost her in November. There are just too many good dogs and cats being put down in shelters every day for me to get them from anywhere else.

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sky.eyes.woman said:
There are just too many good dogs and cats being put down in shelters every day for me to get them from anywhere else.
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I'm with you. My husband had a jack russell and a boxer that he bought before him and I got together, so I had no say. We found our border collie on the side of the exspressway in Wyoming. 2 of our 3 cats are rescued from the street, the 3rd was given to my husband a long time ago. As much as I love boxers, I think if we get another, we'll have to find one from the shelter. I think people forget that shelters get alot of young, pure breed dogs, you just don't get the paperwork.

sky eyes, how big was that cat? sorry about the loss, she was a cutey. My biggest cat is 20lbs. Yours looks like she might have been even bigger :eek:
 
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