When you see a "purebred" dog do you say something???

EnzoLeya

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
5,154
Purraise
8
Location
South East Iowa
My future mom-in-law got a Chihuahua the week after she saw my Thor. I went to meet him and instantly I thought "that's not a Chihuahua!" I asked if it was a mix and she said "no, he's a registered long haired Chihuahua." I said something about him looking part shitz-su, and she showed me the "papers" (the pet registry).

Long story short, he's two months younger than Thor and weighs more than double what Thor does (3lbs 4.5 months). He has short legs, bent ears, VERY furry/soft curly hair, curly tail, and VERY round.

My SO and I got in the car and I said....."do you think he looks like a chihuahua or is it just me?" He doesn't know dogs well, but he still agreed he didn't look much like Thor. I told him not to tell her what I thought, but he did
. I just felt a bit bad, because I pretty much said she payed way too much for a mutt, (not that mutts are bad, but you can get lots of those at the shelter).



Does anyone else say something when they see someone's "registered purebred". Maybe I shouldn't
 

anmccleod

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Jul 17, 2007
Messages
224
Purraise
2
Location
Arkansas
I would very gently let them know what I thought.
But then again, she should be able to tell the difference herself...
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

EnzoLeya

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
5,154
Purraise
8
Location
South East Iowa
Originally Posted by mbjerkness

If they are happy what does it matter to anybody else
I suppose the only good reason to say something, would be BEFORE she bought the dog
 

vixen16

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
610
Purraise
1
Location
North Western, PA.
I would have said something... like when I met my friend "Pure Bred APBT" I thought APBT/GreyHound Mix. and I told them what I thought and they were fine... they even agreed a lil, then when I saw my Aunts "Pure Bred Chihuahua" I thought he looked Chihuahua/Jack Russell Mix and I told her and she agreed also... but then again it might just be the person you approach about it... everyone has a different reaction.
If someone has a Pure Bred and im sure its a Pure Bred ill compliment the Dog... but if its mixed ill ask and say my Opinion on the dogs look.
 

wommers

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
29
Purraise
1
Location
Portland, OR
Working in veterinary medicine I saw a LOT of 'purebred' pets. Half the time I could even tell what they ACTUALLY were.

It got on my nerves, but more from a perspective of scientific accuracy. It also bothers me a little because--while I have no problem whatsoever with people who want purebred animals, I feel like getting a purebred animal should involve some amount of research and a trip to a responsible breeder.

A responsible breeder is not going to sell you a mix and lie to you about what it is. And if you've done the research I feel people ought to do before they decide on a purebred AND which breed, then people should KNOW the dog is not what it is being billed as.

If you don't actually care what breed the dog is enough to research before buying, then why not just get a dog from a shelter? Hopefully I'm making sense.

But basically, if I decided I wanted a purebred animal, it would be because I liked the appearance, and I liked what I had read about the breed's personality and special needs. To know those things, I would have to do research first. If I do research, I'm going to know that that's a bonafide mutt and not a purebred animal.


To me, someone who claims to have a purebred that is clearly NOT a purebred bought the animal with very little knowledge and probably on impulse. These things CAN, of course, work out, and ultimately I'm sure they make very good pet owners, but it's still just ... baffling to me. Maybe I'm just too logical.

That said, purebred Chihuahuas show a LOT of diversity in morphology. The dog could WELL be a Chihuahua, just not one of the same type of breeding stock as yours. He may not ever win in a show ring, but he could still be a purebreed.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
The puppy mill and byb registries are worthless - they can say anything they want. Sad to think they paid good money for a probable mixed breed from the fake registries.
 

wommers

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 10, 2008
Messages
29
Purraise
1
Location
Portland, OR
I agree, and perhaps the cases that made me the most angry when I worked at the clinic were those from the pet-store. Probably because they had to show us the invoice if they bought the pet from a particular store because it had the vaccination history on it.

These dogs would be admitted mixed breeds ... like Border Terrier Chihuahua mixes or what have you ... it would say it right on the paperwork. And these people had paid $1200 for it. Used to make me furious. The poor puppies were almost always sickly, or had hernias, cherry eyes or heart murmurs. And these people had spent upwards of a $1000--usually on impulse--supporting puppy mills when small mixed breeds with $100 adoption fees are euthanized every day because they're unwanted. >.<

And don't even get me started on this one couple who came in three days before Christmas with a $2200 dollar "Mastiff" puppy they had bought on impulse because he was 'cute'. He was clearly a mixed breed but also clearly going to be HUGE. Who buys a HUGE DOG for that much money a few days before Christmas on IMPULSE? People truly astound me sometimes.
 

weldrwomn

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
2,136
Purraise
11
Location
In the snow!!!!
I was at the mall last year sometime and (being the person that I am) I wandered in to the pet store. I was shocked to see that they were selling mixed breed dogs as "designer" dogs (like labradoodle or peke-a-poo) there was not one single AKC recognized breed in there. All of these mutts were going for $500 or more and not a single one looked really healthy. The worst part is that people actually think that these are different than regular mutts somehow.

I have nothing against mutts by the way, I just think that people should research what they are getting and they should know what a purebred dog is vs a "designer" dog (mutt). I am horrified that someone would turn down a humane society mutt in favor of a $500 pet store mutt. What is the deal here? The newspapers are now full of these designer mutts too. It makes me sooo sad.
 

sharky

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
27,231
Purraise
38
Usually with about 90% accuracie I can tell a pure from a mix
 

nekochan

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Messages
2,760
Purraise
22
Location
Chicago, IL
I just smile and nod...
However if I see a dog that looks like a mix of a particular breed, I might ask "Is that a ____ mix?"

Well I have to say I have a purebred dog who does not look like people expect the breed to look. A lot of people mistake her for an Irish Setter but she is all Golden. Most people are used to seeing the blonde stocky type of Golden, but Ginger is a field-type or hunting-type Golden and they are often varying shades of red with a different (lighter) build and different coat type than the show-type Goldens or the 'pet' Goldens most people are used to! However I'm used to people thinking she's either a Setter or a mix so if they ask I just tell them nope, she's a Golden Retriever. If they say something like "Oh! I never knew they could be red!" I may explain about the field-type Golden.
One person asked me if my dog was a mixed breed, and when I told them she was a Golden she said she never knew they could have a different-colored face. It took me a second to realize what the person meant-- they were talking about her 'graying' face, I guess they thought she was born with a white head! I explained that it was just her aging and getting a "white face" as Goldens often do.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
Kinda like I get with Keno - she's probably 100% lab but she's more of the "field" type of lab. Longer head/slendar body. She's the proper height/weight for a female lab too.

Most people think that labs are supposed to be 70-90 or 100 lbs - WRONG. The standard is 55-70 for females and 70-85 for males when grown. I've seen so many overweight and too large labs!

We took Keno to a lab fest in MN and someone brought their 6-7 month old female pup - Keno's about that size. That's why everyone thinks she's still a pup instead of a 5 yr old dog. But she's at the proper weight. And I make sure people KNOW she's what a lab is supposed to be.
 

nekochan

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 5, 2006
Messages
2,760
Purraise
22
Location
Chicago, IL
Yeah it's weird, people often comment that Ginger is a small Golden but she's not! I guess they are used to monster dogs. Ginger is actually over standard height for a female Golden, she is at the top height for males but is within the standard weight for a female (due to her lighter/slimmer build) at 62-65 lbs.
 

gemlady

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Messages
18,820
Purraise
31
Location
SW Indiana
Originally Posted by Nekochan

I just smile and nod...
However if I see a dog that looks like a mix of a particular breed, I might ask "Is that a ____ mix?"

Well I have to say I have a purebred dog who does not look like people expect the breed to look. A lot of people mistake her for an Irish Setter but she is all Golden. Most people are used to seeing the blonde stocky type of Golden, but Ginger is a field-type or hunting-type Golden and they are often varying shades of red with a different (lighter) build and different coat type than the show-type Goldens or the 'pet' Goldens most people are used to! However I'm used to people thinking she's either a Setter or a mix so if they ask I just tell them nope, she's a Golden Retriever. If they say something like "Oh! I never knew they could be red!" I may explain about the field-type Golden.
About 1970 my sister adopted a dog who had the golden build but the Irish setter red color. He may have been this type. (Abandoned, the vet said he was old, also deaf and had a fatty tumor on his hip. Sis had the tumor removed. He lived for another couple years and was best known for keeping an eye on my niece when sis was working in their yard. He would lay in front of her walker if he thought niece was heading too far away. Unable to go further, she'd then scream and cry until sis turned her around. The cries never bothered him because he couldn't hear her.
)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18

EnzoLeya

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
5,154
Purraise
8
Location
South East Iowa
Originally Posted by Wommers

Working in veterinary medicine I saw a LOT of 'purebred' pets. Half the time I could even tell what they ACTUALLY were.

It got on my nerves, but more from a perspective of scientific accuracy. It also bothers me a little because--while I have no problem whatsoever with people who want purebred animals, I feel like getting a purebred animal should involve some amount of research and a trip to a responsible breeder.

A responsible breeder is not going to sell you a mix and lie to you about what it is. And if you've done the research I feel people ought to do before they decide on a purebred AND which breed, then people should KNOW the dog is not what it is being billed as.

If you don't actually care what breed the dog is enough to research before buying, then why not just get a dog from a shelter? Hopefully I'm making sense.

But basically, if I decided I wanted a purebred animal, it would be because I liked the appearance, and I liked what I had read about the breed's personality and special needs. To know those things, I would have to do research first. If I do research, I'm going to know that that's a bonafide mutt and not a purebred animal.


To me, someone who claims to have a purebred that is clearly NOT a purebred bought the animal with very little knowledge and probably on impulse. These things CAN, of course, work out, and ultimately I'm sure they make very good pet owners, but it's still just ... baffling to me. Maybe I'm just too logical.

That said, purebred Chihuahuas show a LOT of diversity in morphology. The dog could WELL be a Chihuahua, just not one of the same type of breeding stock as yours. He may not ever win in a show ring, but he could still be a purebreed.
I deffinitely agree with you about all the crap people buy from the pet shop. Why ON EARTH would you spend that much for a mutt!!!?!!!! I would have bought Thor from a shelter if they ever had puppy Chi's. However, my rule of thumb for dog breeds with common "behavior problems" I REALLY want to meet the parents before I buy one. (Which I did)
 

sweet72947

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jun 2, 2006
Messages
373
Purraise
1
Location
Northern VA
My cousin was told this dog was a purebred longhaired chihuahua when she got him as a puppy.



Um, no.
 
Top