[Ambrakam]

Hybrid Puggles Wiggle Their Way Into Hearts

POSTED: 1:57 pm EST November 4, 2005

NEW YORK -- New York has gone to the hybrid dogs.

The New York Post says one of the most popular dogs for families now is the puggle.

That's the cross between a pug and a beagle.

One kennel owner in Queens said people are calling him left and right for puggles. He sells his designer dogs for $650 to $900 each.


The smaller the puppy, the higher the price.

The hybrid trend was started more than 15 years ago by the Australian Labradoodle -- a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle.

Cross-breeding can produce a dog that's adorable and has a good temperament and allergy-safe fur.

The Post says even "Sopranos" tough guy James Gandolfini has bought a puggle recently.

[myhackingtosh_ws]

Er, no. What *could* be wrong with it? All the existing "pure" breeds of dog were created by some kind of cross-breeding, AFAIK. Established dog breeds may be more predictable in their characteristics (which is the whole idea), but crosses and mutts are often healthier.

If enough people like puggles, they will become a new breed, and people will start mating puggles together, rather than doing it by cross-breeding. No biggie...

[casinobonbone]

Nope, I don't find it wrong. It may be silly, but not wrong.

It reminds me of a Fat Freddy's Cat comic strip in which Fat Freddy's Cat meets a dog with a small body and a huge head. "My mother was a great Dane and my father was a Chiahuahua. I guess that makes me a Great Wawa..."

Funny, the way the names are hybridised. If you crossed a Bull Terrier with a Shihtsu, what would you call that? Tho' I reckon it could apply to people as well - the child of a Cuban and an Icelander could only be called an Ice Cube...

[sleepergun]

I don't have a problem with it. At least it is not crossed with a Pit Bull.

....................

Dippy

[PeterPatrickJohn]

they had some puppies on Good Mornin America last friday.. they were sooooo cute.. seems like a good mix to me, pugs and beagles.. only ya gotta make the mama a beagle, cuz a pug couldn't handle the larger size of the pups

[tmobmobfil]

Well I guess I can breed mutt A with mutt B and get a muttle. Hmmmmmmmm I gonna be rich I tell you.

When I was raising Pekingese one of my females(the little wo) let our blue heeler breed her. I thought no way is that happening but it did and I thought I'd have to take her to the vet for delivery. Nope she had 5 of the cuttiest, funniest looking puppies you ever saw and would you believe just out of curiosty I advertized them and sold every one of them for $10 each.

[Ambrakam]

i dunno really, it just seems wrong to me to cross-breed dogs like that...just a gut feeling really. i cant really back it up with any reasoning

[DoctorTDent]

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[DoctorTDent]

...and then there's the American Bald Beagle...

[AlekseyZubkov]

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[YmolafBp]

I have strong opinions about pet breeding and those who profit from it, but I'll withhold them and only say: with the number of non-purebred mutts being put to sleep in the pound each day, it's morally questionable to encourage the purposeful breeding of dogs (and other animals) for profit when there are so many great animals available for adoption from the humane society who would otherwise be put to death.

There's enough "natural" breeding going on to provide enough animal companions. Professional breeders are merely adding to the problem of excessive dog/cat overpopulation, IMO.

[myhackingtosh_ws]

Most of the dog breeders I have met don't do it for the money. Their houses are in disrepair and their cars barely work, because they spend all their money on their dogs and showing them. Or they're rich from other things, and it's their hobby. To make it profitable, you have to do it on a big scale (puppy farming). And I loathe that. I'd never buy a dog without going to meet the breeders and seeing where it had come from. If the house is a mess and everything has pictures of dogs on it, you're probably in the right place!

So I think it's unfair to tar all dog breeders with the same brush. Most of them would agree with your comments about doing it for the money. And if everyone followed their example, and only bred with a purpose, while sterilizing the rest, the world wouldn't be full of abandoned mutts. IMO, irresponsible owners do more damage than breeders, even the unethical ones.

[tmobmobfil]

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