The "perfect" breed
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That is not entirely true. Man has played a role in basenji evolution. Basenjis may not have been selectively bred in the same sense as some other purebred dogs but tribesman have played a role in which basenjis breed and which don't. Basenjis live with humans in Africa and need to have adapted to living with humans. Humans have played a role in shaping that adaptation.
Yes the reasearch I have done over the years has basically come down to this… Good hunters and useful basenjis - ALIVE, bad dogs - Stew pot (sorry if this disturbs some of you)
Add this to our breeding programs over the last 80+ years, and one has to conclude that this is a "groomed?" pariah dog
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I have not read the entire article.. but I loved this statement about breeding Pugs and Beagles from a Pug breeder
"So now you’ve got a dog with wanderlust and no doggie sense.”
Yup, I agree. I love my Puggle (Pug and Beagle), he was my first dog and he is so cool.
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I was at a board meeting the other day that was followed by dinner, and we go to talking about dogs, and I said I have a Basenji.
No joke, here is the response:
"So, that is a cross between a Bichon and a what?"
um….no.
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I was down at the park, 2 ladies with nice dogs were walking toward me and admired the b's.
I thanked them and said, oh, your Yorkie is very cute…and then looked at the over dog who had a pap head, but the body was all wrong...
So, I said your breed is??? and she said papoodle, its a new breed.
I without thinking and not trying to be mean said...Oh, so you have a mix...
Sigh.
Didn't win any friend that day.
Really these "designer" breeds are just mixes with a good PR agent.
Sorry if I offend, but I have to say, breeding mixes when there are so many in the shelters is offensive to me. -
A couple of years ago someone sent me an url that showed about 20 photos of dogs, for each pair (they looked almost just alike) you had to pick which was the expensive 'designer dog' and which was the shelter rescue. I was correct on about 80%, which shows that the new designer dogs are MIXES…as Sharron says, with good P.R.!
Anne in Tampa
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I think its more than 80 %. In my limited knowledge of dog breeding, all of these Mixed advertized as a designer breed don't breed true, so they breed mutt to mutt and "try" to get one that looks like what they advertise.
Just bad business to someone like me who works in rescue and sees dogs put down in shelters every since day. -
Ill tell you what, Jack is a full basenji, but I have NO clue about his line and as you all know he was a rescue, and he is the most amazingly beautiful - get-on-my-nerves- cuddle bucket - makes-me- smile- when- no- one- else- can- Kind of basenji!! And I wouldnt trade him for the World!! (And for a fact, we are basenji owners for life!!
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Ill tell you what, Jack is a full basenji, but I have NO clue about his line and as you all know he was a rescue, and he is the most amazingly beautiful - get-on-my-nerves- cuddle bucket - makes-me- smile- when- no- one- else- can- Kind of basenji!! And I wouldnt trade him for the World!! (And for a fact, we are basenji owners for life!!
Hey.. the line for all Basenji owners… "get on your nerves..."... ggg.. how perfect... because they do/will try your patience... totally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bless their Basenji souls...
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I was at a board meeting the other day that was followed by dinner, and we go to talking about dogs, and I said I have a Basenji.
No joke, here is the response:
"So, that is a cross between a Bichon and a what?"
um….no.
We went to the park this weekend for a playdate with Zip & Riley (mauigirl). We sat off the the side with our 4 basenjis running around & naturally got a lot of questions. One woman was on her cell phone with a friend, and she had this conversation:
To us: What type of dogs are those?
Us to her: Basenjis
To her friend on the phone: Basenjis… I don't know.
To us: What are they?
Us to her: African sight hounds... they're hunting dogs
To her friend: African hunting dogs.... I don't know.
To us: So they're mixes, right?Haha. She had a lengthy conversation with her friend about what they looked like, etc, and you could just tell she wasn't convinced they weren't mixes. haha.
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Yes, mutts with good pr agents and a large price tag to appeal to the folks with more $$ than sense.
laugh sorry to sugar coat my feelings on this..wink. -
A few random comments on this subject…...
To me, a mutt is a dog comprised of multiple breeds and of unknown ancestry. I prefer the term "crossbred" or "crossbreed" in reference to a dog with purebred parents of two different breeds. I do not use the term "hybrid". I was always taught that a hybrid is a cross between two animals of the genus but different species. For instance, a cross between a male donkey (Equus asinus) and a female horse (Equuus caballus) creates the hybrid mule. A cross between a male lion (Felidae leo) and a female tiger (Felidae tigris) creates the hybrid liger. But a cross between a Pug (Canis lupus familiaris) and a Beagle (Canis lupus familiaris) just creates more Canis lupus familiaris aka domestic dogs.
So what is the appeal of "designer dogs"? Quite frankly I believe it has alot to do with the media. TV shows of all kinds have featured segments on "deisgner dogs", almost always portraying them as being healthier than purebreds and possessing the best traits of each purebred parent. Even with zero evidence to support these claims, the public bought it hook, line, and sinker and the demand for crossbreds escalated at a rapid pace. Almost overnight, it seemed like everyone had to have a Labradoodle or a Puggle. "Breeders" everywhere with dollar signs in their eyes started cranking out puppies by the hundreds (thousands?) and there were no shortage of buyers.
My personal feelings are that crossbreeds and mutts can make delightful family companions and there are people who cherish these dogs. When people make derogatory comments to the owners of these dogs, to them it is like a slap in the face. No, I don't "approve" of "breeders" who toss a couple of dogs together, be they the same breed or not, with zero concerns about health and temperament. I'm just saying that if a person already has a dog from a less than desirable background, we should be aware of their feelings.
Ok that said, and I know this comment may get me "flamed", there are a handful of breeders who cross breeds who I would consider to be responsible breeders. They do generations of health testing, provide very good warranties/contracts, carefully screen homes, and provide long-term support for their buyers. If a person has their heart set on a Cock-a-poo or a Labradoodle puppy, there are places to get one that is properly produced.
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Robyn-
I agree, and I think your quote on your signature really expresses it well….some people are going to want the temperment of a labrador with the low allergy causing fur of a poodle, still others are going to think that the little wrinkled face of a puggle is just adorable and want one of those. They see those dogs in a different "shade of grey" than others.
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Robyn, I would agree totally with you if not thousands of dogs were not being put to sleep every year..
MIXES.
So, save a life, go to the shelter pay $60 or $100 and get a dog you can name a puggle…
Breeding mixes when there are tons seeking homes just is wrong imo.
We will have to agree to disagree on this. -
Robyn-
I agree, and I think your quote on your signature really expresses it well.
Thank you, Robin. It says alot about who I am as a person.
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The first Labradoodle I saw was brown and gold, with golden eyes, very pretty, and I asked the yuppy-ish owner what it was and when he said Labradoodle, I (never having heard of them) said "oh, isn't it neat how beautiful some accidental mixes turn out". I was INFORMED that Camden was a Purebred Labradoodle, a new breed. Duh, Camden is actually a very nice dog, as are most of the 'doodles' who don't shed. I think that is the main attraction for most people. And (OK, flame me here) but most of the Puggles I know really are cute nice little dogs, the best of both breeds.
I wish I had the url for a site that had about 20 dog photos, in pairs, and the game was to pick which was the designer dog and which was the shelter rescue. I missed three, they all looked so darn much alike!
So you can go to the shelter and still have your Puggle or Doodle-whatever!
As long as you don't mix basenjis and Pit Bulls I'll be happy…that's a combo I don't even want to think about!
Anne in Tampa
