Here, we provide some information to help you get a better idea of which may be the right choice for you. There are also some misconceptions about what is available to the potential dog owner and some information out there that may not be completely accurate. There are pros and cons to each, as well as differing opinions. Which dog could be the right fit for your lifestyle? One of the more difficult issues is the question of whether to get a mixed breed (mutt) or a purebred dog. “You’ll get the hardiness of a mutt with the look and, potentially, behavioral tendencies of your chosen breed.When choosing the right dog for you and your family, there are many considerations to weigh. “One strategy to get the best of both worlds - choose a mutt that is primarily of your chosen breed,” Katribe said. If you really like purebreds, you can find a mutt that’s pretty close.While the puppies get sold, the parents can live in these horrible conditions for many, many years.” “For dogs that are bred and born in puppy mill situations or by irresponsible breeders, both the parents and puppies are often kept in inhumane and unsanitary conditions. Most mutts are not born in cruel puppy mills or other unfortunate circumstances, according to Katribe.“The reality is that every dog is an individual.” “While some breeds do have behavioral tendencies related to their breeding (for example, herding behavior in dogs bred for that purpose), there are no guarantees that a purebred dog will follow that tendency,” Katribe said. The temperament of a mutt can be just as solid as a purebred.“Hereditary problems are very common at puppy mills or with irresponsible breeders, as breeding stock is not selected for based on any health criteria.” “Even when breeders make efforts to remove dogs with heritable medical problems from their breeding pools, some conditions will get by undetected in earlier generations,” Katribe said. Mixed breed dogs (aka mutts) tend to have a lower risk of hereditary diseases than purebred dogs.“Every time I walk through a shelter, large or small, I see a stunning array of dogs of all shapes and sizes,” Katribe said. That can make your dog the talk of your block, the latest social media star or simply a great companion. That’s why Best Friends Animal Society is celebrating National Mutt Day on July 31 by sharing why mutts often make for the very best of friends: Those who have adopted pets all have stories like this.

“In the beginning, it was about canine distemper, and now it’s about love and life as only a dog can teach us humans,” she said. More recently, Franklin, a Hurricane Harvey and distemper survivor who is an indiscernible combination of breeds, continues to teach Katribe. Akasha and I were immediately connected, and we spent the next 16 years together. “As an adult, the first dog I had was a rescue mutt that I encountered at the local nonprofit clinic where I was volunteering before vet school. Even the currently fashionable “doodles” selling for thousands of dollars are a mix of two dogs (which is really just a mutt).Īsk veterinarian Erin Katribe, Best Friends Animal Society’s medical director, and she’ll tell you about two very special mutts that hold a place in her heart. Heroic mutts such as Balto, the sled dog who brought lifesaving diphtheria medication to remote corners of Alaska, are immortalized in bronze statue form. Two of the cinema’s most famous dogs - Spike from “Old Yeller” and Higgins from “Benji” - were mutts adopted from shelters.

America has a long history of affection for mutts.

A mutt dog