Designer dogs have been getting a lot of press over the past two days. I am not a fan of the practice.
The name suggests the problem: dogs who are designed. This practice is about control and manipulation to suit human whims and desires. Designer dogs are first-generation hybrids of two purebred species, blended to yield specific characteristics that are regarded as desirable.
Labradoodles were the first popular hybrid, created to give other breeds the advantages of poodles’ nonshedding, hypoallergenic coats. In the late 1980s, an Australian dog breeder, trying to make a guide dog for the blind crossed a poodle with a Labrador retriever. In 1998, he began exporting them to the United States for $2,500 each.
A canine geneticist, quoted in the New York Times, said that designer dogs were “a phenomenally good idea” because they are a way to eliminate some of the nearly 400 diseases and disorders to which dogs are prone. He added the caveat of IF—“if the breeding is done conscientiously.” I do not see much chance of that happening, and the health benefits have not been proven.
Regardless, there are more than enough dogs looking for homes now without adding to their numbers. Besides, high-priced designer dogs are not immune to abandonment. They end up in the shelter, looking just like every
other homeless mutt that is there.
Wallace Haven is considered the person who created the puggle, more than twenty years ago. I am not sure why he chose the pug and beagle as his first hybridization, but he has since created at least thirty-five other hybrid breeds. He now gives the dogs what he considers clever names to disguise their combinations and discourage others from copying his combinations. Too late, the evil secret is out. In fact, the American Canine Hybrid Club is about to recognize its 400th purebred-to-purebred cross.
Hybrid breeds are about to surpass the established 400 pure breeds of dogs now known. The American Kennel Club is not likely to be impressed with any of them any time soon, given they have only recognized 155 breeds of dogs during their 123-year history.
Hybrids do not breed true and designer dogs must be bred from “scratch to keep from getting a hodgepodge of characteristics.” Bob Vetere of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) is quoted as saying that purists consider what these breeders do as “voodoo science.”
What little I remember from college zoology tells me that not each of the hybrid puppies in a litter will display the desired characteristics, and the rejects are just that: rejects. We know what happens to rejected dogs.
When I read about hybrid, designer dogs, I am reminded of Dr. Moreau, a fictional character who wrecked havoc trying to convert animals into something they were not intended to be. He is introduced in H. G. Wells’ 1896 novel, The Island
of Dr. Moreau, and vividly portrayed in at least two modern film adaptations.
Moreau got what he deserved for messing with Mother Nature. The New York Times article posed a profound question: “To what extent are these new mutts a remedy for what’s wrong with our old dogs and to what extent are they a symptom of what’s wrong with us?” You can probably guess that answer.
Another question, taken from the Steven Spielberg movie Jurassic Park, sums up my thoughts on designer dogs: “Just because we can do something, should we?”
Believe me, any dog or any combination of dog that you are looking for can be found in your local shelter or in the care of an animal rescue organization.
