• " it’s a waste of money"

• "The Kennel Club is just for snobs"

• "My mixed breed is healthier"

• "Adoption stops breeding"

And the worst one of all,

• "Mine is a Mixatoo ,it’s a rare breed “.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve owned complete mixed rescues , pedigree’s and Kennel Club registered dogs and at the end of the day, it’s your choice. I understand there will be people who disagree with me or don’t believe what I’ve written, that is your decision.

What I’ve put here is for your information, from my knowledge and experience, to pass this on to help others, but I always recommend you do your own research.

But first, let me expel a few myths:

 

• Firstly, mixed breeds.

Each breed of dog is distinguishable, so much so its DNA is detectable with a blood test. They were each bred for a specific job and evolution has allowed each breed to excel in those jobs. This gives each breed distinct and definable characteristics. These traits make each one unique and allows you to choose which breed will not only fit in with your life and lifestyle, but your own character. There is no point in getting a dog that likes to sofa surf when you want to jog 5 miles every day. Certain breeds won’t do well in the city and others need a large house or safe garden and you may or may not want a dog that likes to have lap cuddles and lots of fuss.

However there are over 200 registered breeds with the UK Kennel Club (KC) and over 300 with the European equivalent, the FCI.

200 completely different dogs, different sizes, different coats, different traits, so there is no need to "mix" breeds to find the perfect dog. Homework will help you find the breed that is already perfect for you.

 

• Secondly, snobbery.

The Kennel Club was started in 1873, for the health, welfare and preservation of the breeds. 

The FCI or federation Cynologique Internationale , was formed in 1911, and is a worldwide organisation which oversees kennel clubs in all 4 continents, it too is there to safe guard, protect and oversee the different breeds. 

Which is why each breed has an authorised breed standard, to keep each one distinct, to set a standard and to minimise deviation.

It also allows breeders to watch for health issues and body function.

It is true that originally the people associated with the KC where those of nobility, as in the 1800’s, the only people able to afford to breed where those with money and time.

Today, the KC attracts people from every walk of life. What makes the KC unique, is they do not discriminate on their people in any fashion, they only need 2 assets, a passion for dogs and a Cheque book.

This may allow for the confusion between passionate love and a determination for your breed, with class distinction.

But come to a dog show and see, they are more than happy to welcome visitors to meet the breeds and the KC is just a phone call away, or even online.

 

• A mix breed is healthier.

There are plenty of mixed breeds (mutts, mongrels, Heinz 57, whatever you want to call them), that will live long and healthy lives.

But when you buy a registered KC dog, you're not just buying a family member, you're buying the breeder with them. 

Responsible KC breeders have spent long hours caring for the mother, feeding her, doing health tests, all the time and worry and expense put into looking after her. The time and worry put in to choosing just the right male, even if it’s their own. Then there is the stud costs, vet fees, feeding the mother while she’s whelping (dog pregnancy), wormer, feed for the puppies, play and socialisation for the puppies, cleaning (and there’s a lot of cleaning), wormer, more vet fees, KC fees, microchipping, puppies packs, it goes on.... the breeder will always have the mother there for you to met and if they don’t own the stud, which is often the case, they will have his health test, pedigree and contact information.

The mother will be clean, healthy looking and have all her own paperwork for you to see.

The puppies will look clean, healthy, not hungry and inquisitive, they will have plenty of space and depending on their age, plenty of stimulation.

So you can see a lot goes into one litter.

 

 

Now, whilst some non-KC breeders do carry out health tests, the majority do not. There are also breed specific health tests, which the majority of responsible KC breeders do carry out.

Hip x-rays (to test for the chances hip dysplasia in the breeding lines) are usually the start for all breeds, but some also do eye tests (specific and genetic), heart tests, hearing tests etc.

These will be from a registered vet and the breeder will be happy to show you the results, some may even give you a copy. Always feel free to check this with a vet, it should only take a phone call and there shouldn’t be any charge.

Some breeders are claiming "vet checks" are the same as health testing, it’s not !

All puppies should automatically vet checked, it’s a simple process of taking the litter into your veterinary practice and the vet checking the basic’s of each pup and Mum, a bit like you going into the doctors and them checking your blood pressure.

Health tests are different and are often sent away to the BVA (British Veterinary Association) and scored by a panel of experienced Veterinarians. It’s not cheap to get these tests, which is why a lot of people don’t do them.

Please always ask for the paperwork and always double check what your being given.

 

With a non-KC registered dog, you have to put a lot of trust into the word of not the breeder, but a person you'll never meet.

The person who is breeding a non-registered dog has to take the word of the person THEY got their bitch/stud from that is the breed they say and there are plenty of dogs out there that may look like a pedigree but are hiding a genetic secret. So can you trust the word of someone you’ll never know?

The ONLY register that can assure you that you are buying a pedigree dog is an accredited kennel club register (which ever country you're from), any other register cannot guarantee that the puppy you're buying is definitely pedigree. ​Certain online organisations that claim to be dog registers, have no enforcement or security when it comes to checking what’s being registered, you could claim your siamese is a rare canine breed and they wouldn’t know any different.

KC paperwork will be distinguishable and should look formal and correct and it should be KC registered, not kennel club activity registered (this is for agility dogs, not pedigree dogs) Check it!

There are scammer out there, forging this paperwork to sell puppies that are NOT KC, if you're not sure or not happy, make a call to the Kennel club, they should be happy to check against forgeries.

Also, you should always leave with some form of official paperwork, if you do not, question it, there is a good chance the puppies will never be registered and you're paying for that assurance.

 

When you see all that goes into a kennel club registered litter, I hope you can also see, it’s not a waste of money. That there is a better chance that with the security of the right breeder with their health tests and pedigree paperwork, that you are buying a pedigreed healthy puppy which will give you just the temperament that you are looking for and a happy life for you both, with much less chance of large vet bills.

 

• Adoption stops all breeding…..

This is an ideology coming from the US and i hope to disparage it.

Now as i said before, i have no problems with rehoming, adoption etc.

With the best will in the world, not ever time it works out, life happens ! But the majority of breeders will happily take a dog back rather than see it ever go near a re-homing centre and they will find a new home that will be placed to the breed, rather than a rehoming centre’s policy and rules.

The majority of dogs in rehoming centre’s are mixed breeds, very very rarely will you ever find a pedigree and even then it would require DNA testing to prove it, especially as there are breed specific rescue groups for nearly every breed registered.

Not all rehoming centres understand the breed’s specific natures and don’t always know what temperament would be better suited, they follow their set rules which could place a dog in a wrong new home situation.

Now, the ONLY reason these dogs are in a rehoming centre in the first place is SOMEONE BREED THEM ! So the only way to close all adoption centres is if people do their homework, research the breeds thoroughly and understand the responsibility they are taking on when they buy a puppy and ALWAYS be prepared to walk away if it’s not right ! 

When you buy a house, you visit, it feels right, you get a glowing heart, but you don’t buy it there and then ? No, you go away, do the figures, think about it and then weigh up all the facts. ALWAYS think of buying a puppy in the same way, you're not just buying a dog, you're buying a toddler, who can mis-behave, have screaming fits, break things, get sick and you always have put first, even when your planning the smallest of outings.

Puppy farms will close if no one buys the puppies, back-yard breeders will not bother if they think there’s no money in it, KC dogs will not go in and out of fashion if your buying a dog for the right reason, not because "so-and-so" has one. This is a commitment for approximately 15 years and is something you always have to keep in mind.

 

• Lastly, "My Mixaroo is a ‘Rare-breed’’ and "it’s a waste of money”.

ANY breed that has 2 dogs, or more, names put together is NOT A RARE BREED !!!! This is a mixed breed, a mutt, it may be cute, it may be different to what everyone else has got, but as i said before there are over 200 registered breeds with the KC, surely could you not consider saving an actual endangered breed and look to any of these registered breeds instead? 

There is a list of breeds that are at risk of being wiped out completely and forever because they are either so little known or people are not buying their puppies. 

Evolution, is a clever thing, so you wouldn’t mix a shark with hippo, or a tiger with a monkey? Most would say no. So why think it’s ok with a dog?

Remember I said that each breed is specific, well with a mix breed you essentially have 2 breeds in 1 animal. So, a ‘cockapoo’ is a cocker spaniel AND a poodle. It means you have all the traits, good and bad of BOTH breeds in one dog! This is not clever or sensible, as you cannot train both breeds at the same time as they can have different needs, the coat (which is often sold as a plus point) is a mix of both breeds and will need specific and sometimes very costly, grooming.

There are also a few dogs being sold as rare-breeds, colours etc. This is a scam. These are colours not recognised and with very good reason. (such as ‘Pink' pugs or ’sable’ cockers), they are not permitted under KC rules and therefore are not eligible to be fully KC registered.

Do not fall for these scams, anything that says ‘rare’ or ‘designer’ etc. Ask yourself why? Usually it’s a gimmick added by people so they can charge a lot more and to make you think your buying something unique, you’re not and people are asking 4 times the normal price for these pups, when their just not worth it, especially as they often have health issues and don’t live very long lives.

Kennel clubs have many requirements for a new breed to be listed in their records and many of these mixed breeds cannot ever met these requirements.

Very occasionally a new breed can, such as the Eurasier, but this takes a long time and a lot of generations to gain status, the Eurasier dates back to the 1950’s and didn’t join the KC register till 2013.

​

As for the cost, i have heard of many people paying MORE for a mixed breed such as a cockerpoo than the cost of a KC puppy and given what i said before about the majority of non-KC breeders NOT doing health tests, you will also end up paying far far more at the vets in the long term than you will with a health tested dog.

 

Now, not every puppy will always go smoothly, there is always an exception to the rule. But by doing your research, checking out breeders and choosing the right one for you, then you will get a better chance of a long and happy life with the right dog and the right breed.

Please do your research, take your time and always consider all the information you can find, not just what one person tells you, including me !

​