Anybody ever had their Doodle called a Mutt?

[Joy Williams]

I was just at Petsmart and a lady was walking across the parking lot with a beautiful Golden Retriever. She stopped me and asked me some questions about my car, as she is thinking of getting one. She said she is a Breeder and was questioning whether a crate would fit in the back seat or not. She asked if I had a dog and when I told her I had 2 Golden Doodles, she rolled her eyes,turned up her nose and made an awful face. "Why would anyone ever consider paying that much money for a Mutt!! That's all they are ya know...mutts." And she went on and on about GD's and all kinds of negative things about them. She made me so mad, I think if she had not had the Golden Retriever standing there beside her, I probably would have run over her.

[Richard Crowe]

SARA LEE - Golden Himalayan Shepherd

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2002/01/01/html/ft_20020...

All dogs have evolved from one ancestor; the Wolf. Dog breeds accepted by the AKC have developed either from purposeful cross-breeding as in dogs such as the Doberman Pinscher or accidental cross breedings over a long period of time (AKA: mutts) as in the Anatolian Shepherd, Akbash Dog and the Canaan Dog.

When we were showing purebred Maltese, I had an absolutely beautiful and stately German Shepherd/Golden Retriever/Wolf hybrid that I would take to dog shows along with my Maltese. As I walked this gorgeous big dog on the show grounds, owners would come up to me and seriously ask, "What breed is that?" I used to answer, tongue in cheek, "She's a, rare breed, a Golden Himalayan Shepherd!" Usually their response would be, "She's beautiful! When is the breed going to be accepted by the AKC?" I'd tell them, "We are working on it!" then smile and walk off with my beautiful mutt.

[Joy Williams]

Richard, OMG! That is an absolutely gorgeous dog. I bet you did have fun with people at those shows with her.

[Tamara & Giada]

She is GORGEOUS!!

[hzs7npjxfgx2]

That is such a beautiful dog! I am stunned!

[Lynda Kamrath]

Hey Richard, I have a cute story about unusual breeds of dogs too. When Hondo was a puppy (five years ago), labradoodles were not very well known. Everyone would always ask what kind of dog he was. We had gotten him as a companion for an elderly standard poodle. One day I was feeling pretty frisky and when a man asked what kind of dog he was, I said that he was a clone of the poodle. They were both brown and I said that we loved Bruno so much that we decided to clone him, but the cloning didn't turn out so well and we got Hondo, but that we were happy with him anyway. The man looked at me like I was out of my head as I just smiled and continued on our walk.

[2m42srv7vi6sq]

I even called our Labradoodle "basically a Mutt" before I was aware of how much time, effort and knowledge went into the development of the ASD Labradoodle.

Now I think of Cealeach as a "Designer Hybrid". LOL

[Lynda Kamrath]

It sounds like you think of "mutt" as a negative thing. People ask continually what kind of dogs my dogs are and I respond "doodles". I would just respond that "We know who the parents are, so they wouldn't be considered mutts, but you can call that what you want". Don't get upset with ignorant people, it usually is just their own insecurities that make them sound they way they do. Have fun with it! We walked our dogs through Carmel on the way to the beach a few weeks ago and could not go a half a block without someone stopping us to ask what kind of dogs they were. Most people just want to be educated about the "breed".

[theresa wood]

people are asking me also all the time. when we go to the beach i cannot walk but a few steps. someone is always stopping me. what kind of dog is he can i pet him? there have been a lot of people ask me is he a labradoodle? it seems more people have started to ask me that. i have started to see them more too. this year at the beach each time i went there was a doodle!!! that is so exciting to see more doodles.
theresa

[Joannie]

Barney started his obedience classes last night. All the other dogs were purebreds of some sort. A couple labs and goldens. The teacher used Barney as an example for sitting, down etc. Later in the class she spoke about characteristics of breeds. Then she pointed out Barney, saying golden doodles are super intelligent, but once in a while the retriever part takes over and adds goofiness! Had a bit of an inward chuckles towards the purebred retrievers. It especially felt good, because the one owner was a bit snobby about Barney's breeding.

[theresa wood]

my husband calles rudie a mutt all the time.
theresa

[Leslie and Halas]

I just started reading this discussion, so I went all the way back to the beginning. That link to the person seeking advice about where to get a doodle was really disturbing to me.

I haven't really received any insults to my face. I'm sure there are some who feel I should have gone to a shelter, but they understood why I didn't. And everyone I know just loves Halas, so even if they were secretly critical before, now they completely understand why I went with a doodle. Halas wasn't a "crapshoot." I researched the breeder and felt confident that I'd get a smart, friendly, healthy puppy, which is exactly what I got.

In that link I mentioned above, the responders were talking like all doodles ome from irresponsible breeders, and that these mixed breeds were just making the puppy mill problem worse. Sure, there are some irresponsible backyard doodle breeders out there just cashing in on a trend. But there are a lot of smart, thoughtful doodle breeders that do a lot of testing and a lot of work to make sure they're getting the best puppies possible. Like with any breed, you have to do your research to make sure you find a responsible breeder. And since doodles don't go to Westminster, breeders don't have to worry about whether the puppies' are exactly the right height or color or whatever. They can focus on personality and intelligence. Which is something it sounds like a lot of purebred breeders don't do.

And, another thing. Have we somehow entered a new world where there are no longer irresponsible backyard breeders of purebred dogs? No puppy mills selling poodles or pugs or dalmations or chihuahuas? Or is it just an assumption that all breeders breeding "purebreds" are good, and all breeders breeding mixed breeds are bad? Puppy mills and irresponsible breeders were around way before doodles became popular.

As an aside, our obedience classes have been made up of both mixed breeds and purebreds. There are 3 doodles in our class now, and they're all doing very well. We've never had any issues with any of the teachers or other dog owners saying anything bad about our doodles (at least to our face). In fact, most people make a fuss over how cute they are. Maybe they're just being nice, and they really think we're evil people, but I don't think that's the case. I think the instructors just want to see responsible dog owners, and they want to help us reach our goals with our dogs. It doesn't matter what the breed is or where we got them.

[pcufxwzv50ek]

THE NERVE!!!!!! Actually ALL dogs are mutts if ya think about it. They all originated from some other dogs. And going back to their origin they all came from wolves & foxes. Saw a great documentary on PBS on the subject.

Anyway she is a dog snob who doesn't have a clue what sh'e talking about.
I have a beautiful 3rd gen, black Doodle who is a genious, soo cool & non shedding (bet she's got a houseful of hair, IF she even lets them in which I doubt).
Doodles are the best dogs ever & they should be their own breed & probaly will be eventually. I saw a beautiful GD pup at a boarding place & I bet yours is an angel. Love 'em all!
And anyway some of the best dogs I've ever met were mutts.
Take Care,
Terese,
Erie, PA