PURE BREED OR MONGREL

Pure Breed

The beauty of a pure breed dog is that you know exactly what to expect when he is grown, his size, his colour and to a certain degree his temperament.

Welfare organisations do have pure breed dogs come in for rehoming and there are also Breed Rescues that deal with their chosen breed only. These options however should not be looked on as a cheap way of getting a pure breed, all welfare organisations will require a minimum donation because they will have already paid for neutering, vaccinations and the cost of care for the dog whilst it has been in kennels.

If you are interested in a particular breed we advise that you read all about them, their characteristics, hereditary problems and the purpose for which they have been bred. For instance if you are thinking of having a greyhound and you have pet rabbits this is not wise as greyhounds are bred to chase rabbits, equally unsuitable would be a gun dog if you have a pond of ducks.

The Mongrel

There is a lot to say for a mongrel and they are by no means inferior to pure breeds.

They are usually longer lived and in general are much hardier and suffer less health problems. Unless the parents are known you will have no idea of the size or appearance of the dog when it is fully grown, this is an added pleasure to some people but can spell disaster if you only have space for a small dog.

Whether pure breed or mongrel never take on a long coated dog unless you are absolutely sure that you are able to keep up the daily commitment of grooming required. A dogs coat can get out of hand in just a few days resulting in having to take him to the vets for an anaesthetic to get the coat removed.