Celebrating The Mutt

Mayday For Mutts is coming up next week: it’s next Sunday, the 7th. Our canine companions come in all shapes and sizes, and they sport a variety of coat types and colors. Breed certainly plays a huge role in Fido’s appearance, but it also factors into his personality, physique, and health. While there are definite perks to getting a purebred, there’s also a lot to be said for mutts. In this article, a Washington DC vet lists some reasons to celebrate mixed breeds. 

Better Health 

This is a big one. Every breed was developed with a certain trait or purpose in mind. This could be anything from retrieving fowl to herding sheep to providing cuddles and companionship. In developing specific dogs, breeders focused on their most desired traits. This got them the pooches they wanted: there are now more than 400 breeds. However, there was also a downside, in that those smaller gene pools often meant built-in health issues, such as cataracts and elbow dysplasia. That isn’t to say that all mutts are healthy or that all purebreds are unhealthy, just that purebreds may be predisposed to specific conditions, because of that smaller gene pool. (This is one reason doggy DNA testing is helpful: for finding out if Fido has elevated risks of certain illnesses.)

Uniquely Adorable Looks 

When you adopt a purebred puppy, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what Fido will look and act like as an adult. With mutts, you just never know. However, many mutts are not only super adorable, but also super unique. Your pooch may have the face of a Pomeranian on the body of a Poodle, or an Akita’s curly tail and the floppy ears of a Dachshund. There’s a lot to be said for having a one-of-a-kind pup! 

Great Personalities

Many purebreds have ingrained personality traits. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as many of those traits are wonderful. However, because specific breeds were developed to perform certain tasks, such as hunting, herding, or companionship, they often have some ingrained traits. For instance, if you want a guard dog, you probably shouldn’t get a Samoyed, as they’re usually too cheerful and friendly for that particular line of work. Mutts, however, just have their own personalities. This often ends up being the best of both worlds! 

As your Washington DC animal clinic, we’re here to help. Contact us anytime!