Counterpoint: Best Dog For Retirees - Mixed Breed or Purebred? Shelter Dog Or Puppy?

ConsumerReports.org Blog: Money discusses the best dogs for retirees. It's strange that the blog mentions pure breed dogs only, but the printed version adds "any mixes of these breeds are great."

So what IS the real recommendation, Mr. Daughtery? Why leave out an important point? Mixed breeds can easily meet the needs of retirees. For example, how about a cockapoo, a dog that can combine the best attributes of a poodle and a cocker spaniel? See this post for Why Cockapoos Are THE Best Designer Dogs.


Could You Resist Simon, the Cockapoo Pup Pictured Above?

And one other point. Although I initially agreed with Mr. Daughtery's panel of experts about a retiree getting an adult shelter dog versus a puppy, I wonder what prompted this statement. An adult shelter dog can be just as time-consuming as a puppy and may be harder to handle. It's harder to bond with a misbehaving adult dog than with a cuddly puppy.

Comments Please!

valmillsy

P.S. Here's an effective obedience training DVD for a retiree with a new pup -
It's PAWSible! Dog and Puppy Training DVD.

See my review of this training DVD.

Mention "designer dog" and people get nasty!

Yup - I'm a Designer Dog and Proud of It

Sometimes you just have to laugh about how people react to the simplest of things.

I was on a dog community recently where I had posted a plea from Alvin for yapstar votes. Simple - right? Please vote for the cute dog.

I called him a "mixed breed" knowing that if I used "designer dog" or even "hybrid dog" I would be personally attacked. People bash the concept of mixing breeds, designer dog breeders, people who have bought designer dogs, yada, yada, yada.

Some people refused to vote for Alvin because they won't vote for a "designer dog." I wonder if these people refused to vote for Obama because he's Afro-American.

And even though I thought I sidestepped the personal attacks, someone referred to the "ignorant buyer" without even knowing if I had purchased the pup.

The designer dog naysayers might consider the fact that the current group of dogs we call purebreeds are sometimes crossbreeds. Review the following quote from www.squidoo.com/designerdogbreeds -

"Did you know?

• A Yorkshire Terrier was crossed with an Australian Terrier to produce the Silky Terrier.


• The Bulldog was crossed with a Mastiff to get a Bullmastiff.


• The German Shepherd was crossed with the German Pinscher to get a Doberman. Later crosses with the Greyhound, Weimeraner and Black and Tan Manchester Terrier were made to refine the Doberman."


• And a Bichon Frise is also a crossbreed (see http://www.puppyfind.com).

Something to think about, and I'm certainly not going to change the minds of people who are so adament about their beliefs. But in the future, let's keep our heads about this issue and open our minds to other people's point of view.

valmillsy