"Purebred" or "Mixed"? How are they different? Is one more valuable than the other?

I and my dog were participating in a special school program for elementary students yesterday when the teacher asked if mixed breed dogs were healthier than purebred dogs. Since at least three of the dogs present were mixed, she thought she was really doing us all a favor by mentioning this "fact". Since most shelter dogs are mixed breeds of unknown heritage, and since so many people promote "adoption" of shelter pets as a heroic good deed, it makes sense for people to promote the idea that mixed breeds are somehow better than purebred dogs because they are somehow healthier.

The truth is, mutts are not necessarily healthier than purebred dogs, if you separate them into just those two classes. Anytime you mix dogs together, you compound the number of illnesses each breed carries genetically. How could this make such a dog healthier? Well, some people think that if you breed away from "line-bred" dogs-- in other words, if you breed dogs like you might marry someone other than your hillbilly cousin or your sibling, you increase your chances of being healthy. But it's more complex than that.

The reality is, if you want a dog that you can count on to be healthy into adulthood, you increase your chances by purchasing a purebred puppy from a responsible breeder. A mutt from the shelter won't have the known history. It dog from a shelter might be a great pet, and it might live a long, healthy life. But if one of your top priorities is a quality, healthy dog that will likely live a long healthy life, research a healthy, particular breed first. Then check the shelter system for that breed if you like.

An example: For my next dog, I'd like to raise a puppy again. I want an intelligent, medium to large dog that I can count on to live and serve me well for as long as possible. I have other check list aspects I'm looking for, too, but healthy is at the top of my list. When researching breeds, I came up with two I have great interest in: the Doberman and the Giant Schnauzer.

Both breeds are very intelligent, highly trainable, incredibly loyal working companions. They were bred to work closely with their owners, and to be reliable, trusting family members. Both are attractive dogs to me. Unfortunately, one has a much, much higher incidence of several debilitating illnesses than the other. For me, that's a deal-breaker. So I continue to research the Giant Schnauzer.

I will keep my eyes open in the shelter system, but I really do want to raise a puppy. So I will look for quality breeders. I will look for someone that does health testing and has proven to produce healthy dogs with longevity. The temperament of the breeding should fall into my interests, and the individual pup will be carefully selected.

But oh! What if... what if someone bred a few healthier breeds back into a Doberman line? The Doberman was made up of a number of breeds to begin with, so we could still tap into some of those breeds for the best qualities, health in particular. We might be able to eliminate, or at least reduce, the incidence of some of those terrible illnesses.

Would the resulting puppies still be "purebred"? Would it still have quality? After reviewing this blog post, I come to the personal conclusion that most of our purebred dogs actually come from mixed breeds at some point in their history. "Purebred" to me means that we have breed those dogs to a point where we can pretty much predict what the future puppies will look like, work like, and act like as adults.

If we can keep the qualities we like most while eliminating the genetically inherited illnesses, why not? I would be interested in raising a Doberman puppy without worry that it will fall down and die of a heart illness or collapse from instability in the spine at a young age. If it looks like a Doberman, acts like a Doberman, and lives a long, healthy life, I'm all for it! Who cares what names are on its registration papers? I don't, really.

Then again, maybe by the time the breeders allow for this to happen, I'll have fallen in love with a healthier breed. Perhaps my pup will be followed by others that somehow ended up in a shelter system later in their development or in adulthood. Perhaps I'll even "adopt" one that is mixed with some other breed, and love them all!

I guess the point is, we all have our own priorities and interests in dogs, but we should remain open to the possibilities, and work to find the best fit for our own families, in what ever form that comes.