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So you'd like to get a dog, but you're not sure what kind. Purebred? Mutt? There are certain advantages to owning a mixed-breed dog, believe it or not.
1. Mixed-breeds are often healthier. With purebreds, there are certain health problems that are particular to the breed. Mixed-breeds may develop those health problems, but they may escape them thanks to their mixed heritage. Some purebreds have health problems simply due to certain exaggerated breed traits -- like short faced dogs with bulging eyes tend to have eyes pop out! A mixed breed may be less likely to experience something like that.
2. Mixed-breeds can live longer than purebreds. A healthier dog can live longer than a dog that is predisposed to major health issues. Genetic issues that are caused by recessive genes may not show up in a cross-breed thanks to other dominant genes from the parents.
3. Mixed-breeds often have the best qualities of each parent breed. Look at the popularity of "labradoodles" -- the personality of a Labrador and the low-shed coat of a Poodle.
4. A shelter pet will cost less than a purebred pet. Purebred puppies can cost several hundred dollars from a reputable breeder! A shelter pet may come with an adoption fee of a hundred dollars -- AND a coupon for a free neutering.
5. A shelter pet often knows that you saved them, and will be all the more loving and loyal -- and rewarding for you!
As I write this, one of my mutts (a Boxer mix) has just settled down at my side. She has some of the best qualities of Boxers in her -- the playful energy, the loyalty, the intelligence. Looks wise, she has the unmistakable Boxer underbite and the slender Boxer build, but her coloring and other features are all about her other half -- Shar-Pei. She has a lot of loose skin on the neck, and her forehead crinkles up so cutely -- it makes her look like she's thinking really hard.
Shar-Peis are known for being a little standoffish to strangers, but in my pup, the aloofness is countered by the Boxer friendliness to give her a great, loving temperament!
By Catherine Forman
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