It started with Lassie, the Collie. Or maybe it was Rin Tin Tin, the German Shepherd. Or that dog Petey from The Little Rascals, an American Staffordshire Terrier. Asta, the Jack Russell Terrier, from The Thin Man series. Fala, the Scottish Terrier, FDR’s companion. Beethoven, the St. Bernard. 101 Dalmations. Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Bo, the Portugese Water Dog. Dogs made famous by movies and their celebrity owners have inspired many people to get that particular breed. Once

I don’t mean to offend anyone by saying this, because nearly every hybrid dog I have met has been a love and are darn cute and make wonderful companions. Some of the really popular hybrids will eventually become honest-to-goodness breeds, recognized by the AKC and everything. The main impetus initially behind the current prevalence of hybrids was to introduce the characteristic of “hypo-allergenic” into the mix so that people who had allergies could still have a dog. The idea