Why I chose a mutt
Thursday March 31st, 2011
I grew up with a breathtakingly beautiful German Shepherd, so I always thought I'd get a purebred myself. But when it came time to getting my own dog, I didn't have much money. I decided to look for my dog at a local shelter, and fell head over heels in love with a fluffy gray adult of indeterminate heritage.
He was seriously matted and after I took him to a groomer I discovered his hilarious underbite. Friends stuck out their lower jaw to ask, "How's your dog?" Bruiser was so sweet; I miss him still.
Along the way I've discovered that mutts appeal to my sense of humor, particularly those dogs with identifiable aspects of different breeds jumbled together, like a Lab's big head stuck on a Corgi's long short body. Purebreds are beautiful (see Why I chose a purebred), and I adore them too, but their appearance doesn't make me laugh.
I suppose there's a social element to my preference as well; I like saving a life and it's mostly mutts who need to be saved.
But mainly, I like the idea of a casual dog with no fanfare, a no big deal dog. A mutt is reproduction without interference from man, a nod to Mother Nature's true control. A mutt feels like wearing jeans instead of a suit,
comfortable and down to earth--and that's just like me.
-Phyllis DeGioia, author of The Mixed Breed and The Miniature Schnauzer, lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her two mutts.
- Find out if you're ready or not for a dog!
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Dear Labby, I have what appears to be a purebred Doberman. I adopted her from a local rescue when she was guessed to be around six years old. She'd been mistreated and now has a very loving,...
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Omg!!!!! It's sooooo sweet! After reading your article, it made me think about getting a dog at the shelter. It always warms my heart when I know that a dog is being adopted from the shelter. almost 2 years ago by Anonymous |
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A year ago we adopted Polly, a lab-pointer mutt. We love her so much that we went back to the shelter looking for a "sister." Yesterday we brought home Janet, a lab-pit mutt. They are sweet and smart and strong and gentle. We couldn't ask for nicer family dogs to play with our human puppies. My brother's $1500 purebred pees a little every time someone talks to her. Huh. about 2 years ago by Anonymous |
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I've been an adopt-a-shelter-mutt person for almost 20 years. These are one of a kind bundles of joy and challenge...at any age! Unique diamonds in the ruff, each and every one. over 3 years ago by Anonymous |
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Great article though I was hoping it would be longer. What a great line, "A mutt feels like wearing jeans instead of a suit"; I completely agree!! A few good points left out are that mutts tend to have less health problems and you can get great attributes of different breeds (in my case the easy going nature of a Lab with the intelligence of a Border Collie). Mother nature at her finest in-deed!! almost 4 years ago by Anonymous |
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