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 was to take the personality traits of, say, the good-natured Labrador, and produce a Lab with a hypo-allergenic coat. In comes the Poodle, and voila! You get the Labradoodle, which looks like a large, curly coated dog – truthfully, it looks nothing like a Lab or a Poodle but is really sweet and friendly.
I see lots of Labradoodles in my practice because the friendly part of the dog is also the part that enjoys greeting people by jumping on them. That can get tiresome after awhile. The Labrador part of them is also the part that I call “a mouth with legs” – a dog that puts everything in its mouth and asks questions later. Inside the house – books, magazines, towels, socks, boots, eyeglasses, the TV remote – all are just a tapas bar for this dog. Outside – twigs, leaves, poop, mulch, acorns, unidentified disgusting objects – the usual smorgasbord are oh, so tempting.
There are hybrids of every combination of dog breed you can imagine. Some are so outlandish that I had to consider how the result could have even occurred, until I factored in artificial insemination. Otherwise, I was trying to imagine whether a chair was put to use. For example, a Mini Labradoodle is a Labrador crossed with a Miniature Poodle. Okay…let’s move on.
A Puggle is a Beagle mixed with a Pug. Have you met one recently? What did you think?
A Jug is a Jack Russell Terrier mixed with a Pug. Why?
A Dorkie is a Dachshund and Yorkshire Terrier mix. Uh-huh.
This is not about having a dog that won’t cause allergic reactions.
Comments from readers with hybrid dogs are invited! Tell me about the best parts of your mixed breed.