Have You Been Dog Snobbed?

[OSoSwift]

I just get people thinking I am a pedigree dog snob because I have registered pedigree dogs. If I had a cross breed then I would be considered more normal around here.

Oh and did I know you can get a puppy out of the pound for $50 here, much cheaper than those fancy pedigree dogs with all the hereditary problems that will drop dead by the time they are 5!

[chelle~aussie~dragon]

Wow there is some forthright people out there.I've lived in a fair few areas across the country and haven't really come across anyone having a go at any of my dogs regardless of their ancestory.Me opening my big mouth on getting a breed wrong though....

Now I admit while I know a fair few breeds I'm not too great on the smaller breeds...it took me a rather confusing time to realise that there were Cavalier King Charles and King Charles Cavalier and embaressed myself a few times with breeders while trying to figure that out.

One afternoon while in my yard the two most goegeous little dogs came in and I grabbed them thinking they were a certain breed and very nice ones at that and chucked them on leads and started walking back up the road thinking there was probably someone frantically looking them...which there was, one very worried looking lady.I told her she could keep the leads and return them another day and little bit of chit chat untill I said something along the lines of what beautiful Scotties they were.

Well that did it, I got a cold "Their schnauzer's!" and that was that.Made me feel like a bumbling idiot.Beautiful, beautiful dogs though!I always, always make a compliement with a slight question mark on the end these days, lesson learn't!

If however anyone ever, ever called my daughter a bastard because I don't believe in marriage, not a violent person but I'd flatten them...hell of a difference between calling a dog a mongrel and a child a term that is completely outdated and used as a more offensive term these days.

[D & D]

i get offended when people say that because i have a pedigreed dog a pound or rescue dog has died and not been given a chance, ie i should have taken one of them instead.

On the flip side, I was snobbed by an AR nut who had a rant at me because I said I wanted a pedigree dog of particular breeds and that I didn't want a rescue unless it was one of those breeds. I was killing a dog in a pound, you know. :D

Yeah, this one annoys me, too.

It makes about as much sense as telling someone that by having their own child, they're killing an [insert country here] orphan who's waiting for adoption. :D

[fiery_di]

I think it depends on your upbringing as to the level of offense on the word. I grew up with my dad (think Alf Stewart - those mongrel kids) calling something/someone a 'Mongrel' if they did something wrong or were just horrid, so yes I would take offense to that terminology if someone used it on me or my dogs. However, there are probably others that didnt have that same sinister connotation to the word mongrel so cannot see why others would take offense to it as it is simply a means to label what the dog is as being a mutt.

If someone is being high & mighty about it, yeh that sh!ts me..

Edited July 5, 2010 by fiery_di

[kirst_goldens]

ahh zealots are scary in whatever domain they care to play and rule

theyre everywhere ...so if you encounter something like this....step outside of it...sometimes these people fill their lives with their hobby

and yes it is good to have a hobby but not lose perspective

we are not saving the world here...we are not genuises and should stay humble

once on a high horse it is easy to lose the sight of the ground upon which our feet should be planted

it is easy to become arrogant and full of oneself with knowledge often plucked secondhand along and puff oneself up with irrelevant for the most experiences

sorry you had to live the mongrel moment...have pity for those who dont have a lot of other stuff to get excited about

passion is admirable but it can be a poison

LOVE this!! Im stealing it lol

[kirst_goldens]

ahh zealots are scary in whatever domain they care to play and rule

theyre everywhere ...so if you encounter something like this....step outside of it...sometimes these people fill their lives with their hobby

and yes it is good to have a hobby but not lose perspective

we are not saving the world here...we are not genuises and should stay humble

once on a high horse it is easy to lose the sight of the ground upon which our feet should be planted

it is easy to become arrogant and full of oneself with knowledge often plucked secondhand along and puff oneself up with irrelevant for the most experiences

sorry you had to live the mongrel moment...have pity for those who dont have a lot of other stuff to get excited about

passion is admirable but it can be a poison

LOVE this!! Im stealing it lol

[jackie_a1]

On the topic of snobbing does anyone else get the third degree because they own entire pets? I take my dogs into tafe whenever we have a prac day and I was in the library with Razor (my tafe is dog friendly and you are allowed to bring your dogs in if you sign a form notify the teachers etc) who was sleeping happily next to his best friend Nala (a gorgeous coker) and was approached by a woman who said to me,

'Is that dog entire?' I said yes THAT dog is and he is mine what is the problem. She said we don't like entire dogs here. They are far too aggressive and uncontrollable. I said well I spoke to the head teacher and she said it was fine his entirety does not affect his temperament. She said. Why would you not desex him? Are you planning to breed? I said no. I don't plan to breed I have no intentions to breed my dogs EVER. At this point the argument was beginning to get heated so I decided to remove myself from the library.

I posted a thread recently speaking about the de-sexing debate. Yes I think it would be desirable that companion pets be desexed but it's not mandatory. SO DON'T JUDGE ME! Boss is entire and so is Razor. Razor never humps, nor does Boss, he marks but so? My dogs will never breed. I keep them at ALL times contained to my yard etc I am a more than a responsible owner so don't pass judgement on me.

[skip]

Normally everyone on DOL is focusing on the dogs or the questions/ topic being discussed. And I tend to forget that it is a purebred forum. As this site is full of good advice and support for doglovers alike.

In another post fairly recently there was a comment that comparing a x bred pup to a purebred pup was like comparing a cartoon drawing to a masterpiece. I was a bit offended by this and remembered it.

But lucky for us - Dogs don't have a clue. Thank heavens, mine both think they are the best thing out!

[casowner]

Most people don't know what breed of dog Jake is and always jump to the conclusion that he is a mongrel, do I care - Nope, does he - nope. I know what he is and that is all that matters. He has come into my life for my reasons not anyone elses and I don't feel the need to explain or justify what he is to anyone. I will spend ages talking to people interested in his breed and his behaviour. I don't go out of my way to correct people that assume he is a mutt, to me that is wasting my time, time I would much rather spend with him.

[Gayle.]

On the topic of snobbing does anyone else get the third degree because they own entire pets?

I have had people say they are completely surprised and shocked that I, who heavily promotes responsible dog ownership, has an entire bitch who I have no intention of getting desexed. I now have a male puppy who will remain entire also, as he's co-owned with his breeder and has stud-muffin duties in his future.

But my response was that I am a responsible dog owner who has entire dogs....I am not breeding indiscriminately, in fact I'm not breeding at all, nor am I promoting either.

I don't have a hidden agenda, my bitch is shown occasionally and I want to keep my options open for the future.

[Fevah]

Well that did it, I got a cold "Their schnauzer's!" and that was that.Made me feel like a bumbling idiot.Beautiful, beautiful dogs though!I always, always make a compliement with a slight question mark on the end these days, lesson learn't!

*snorts*

That is a bit extreme! Many, many people seem to think my Min Pins are Chihuahua's but I don't get into a huff over it. If they stop to have a conversation with me then I put them straight :D

My friend thinks I should make a t-shirt and wear it when I go for walks with the following information:

They are Miniature Pinschers NOT Chihuahua's...

No they are not puppies...

Yes they are fully grown...

No they don't need much food...

Yes they are easy to care for...

etc. etc. :D

[fiery_di]

Well that did it, I got a cold "Their schnauzer's!" and that was that.Made me feel like a bumbling idiot.Beautiful, beautiful dogs though!I always, always make a compliement with a slight question mark on the end these days, lesson learn't!

*snorts*

That is a bit extreme! Many, many people seem to think my Min Pins are Chihuahua's but I don't get into a huff over it. If they stop to have a conversation with me then I put them straight :p

My friend thinks I should make a t-shirt and wear it when I go for walks with the following information:

They are Miniature Pinschers NOT Chihuahua's...

No they are not puppies...

Yes they are fully grown...

No they don't need much food...

Yes they are easy to care for...

etc. etc. :D

I could wear the same shirt in regards to iggies when my Bobby was still around. Everyone thought he was a baby greyhound. Not forgetting the fact that he had teeth missing & a grey/white face, and fat lumps all over his body!! :D Where we currently live there is alot of Japanese(?) dog owners that come to the dog park. Whenever they saw Bobby it was always 'He is so special, so special' They gushed and gooed over him & were completely besotted over the thought of a 'baby/min' greyhound

[Gayle.]

Normally everyone on DOL is focusing on the dogs or the questions/ topic being discussed. And I tend to forget that it is a purebred forum. As this site is full of good advice and support for doglovers alike.

In another post fairly recently there was a comment that comparing a x bred pup to a purebred pup was like comparing a cartoon drawing to a masterpiece. I was a bit offended by this and remembered it.

But lucky for us - Dogs don't have a clue. Thank heavens, mine both think they are the best thing out!

My puppy, my thread and I believe this is what I said.....

Yes, in the dog world there is nothing nicer than a beautifully bred puppy who's breeder has put thought and effort into producing well conformed babies who look like they are supposed to look.

It's the difference between a cartoon drawing and a masterpiece.

And I stand by it. In a forum that promotes purebred dog ownership, purebred puppies should be admired and valued. Prior to that thread, there were a heap of other threads regarding cross-bred puppies that had been removed by the mods.

[Skitch]

I own a mutt. I dont really care what people think of her.. she's mine, rescued from the pound.. has and will continue to have a perfect life with me regardless of her heritage! I've personally never experienced any dog snobbery directed at her but I sure have witnessed my fair share of it!

I was thinking about doing flyball with my mutt and went along to a few classes with a friend. One of the ones we went too was an orientation sort of day and there were lots of new dogs there wanting to give it a go. There was a girl there who had a purebred whippet.. we were standing around before the class talking about our dogs and she mentioned her whippet was purebred with papers and came from a breeder interstate. She didn't say it in a condescending way AT ALL but I still noticed a number of people standing around scoffed slightly and rolled their eyes. When it came time to let our dogs try out the equipment her whippet was acting up due to being over excited and not really following her commands. She was certainly doing better than me and my dog and yet someone with an staffy mix felt it neccesary to make a comment in quite a rude way about how her dog was probably not suited to the sport and maybe it should try a show ring since it had papers. The girl left shortly after that and I felt bad for her :D.

So yeah, it's DEFINITELY a double edge blade in my experience.. I think everyone just needs to chill and respect that most of the time we love our dogs for who they are not what they are :D. Of course it's okay to have a breed of choice (I know I have one!) but in the end dogs are dogs.. I love my purebred and my mutt just the same and as a dog lover I'd never look down on anyone for owning either. I do have a problem with people who buy from petshops, puppy mills etc.. but that's another story.

[Dory the Doted One]

When it comes to Masterpieces...I just like a well constructed dog that is well angulated, well put together, moves beautiful whatever its breed or breed/s.

There is just something special about about balance and good construction that really sticks out. A dog with free, well controlled movement. A dog, that despite it's size could move all day.

I'm not taking offense to the cartoon/masterpiece comment (now that I've seen it in it's entirety).

There are some breeds of dog that can be as close to their Standards as perfection can make them, and I'll still struggle for Masterpiece.

But beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. But soundness carries them for life.

[Gayle.]

There are some breeds of dog that can be as close to their Standards as perfection can make them, and I'll still struggle for Masterpiece.

The blueprint for the masterpiece is the standard. If the puppy is growing into the standard, it's a masterpiece. However, I agree.....some masterpieces are an acquired taste. And not just in the dog world.

[Dory the Doted One]

There are some breeds of dog that can be as close to their Standards as perfection can make them, and I'll still struggle for Masterpiece.

The blueprint for the masterpiece is the standard. If the puppy is growing into the standard, it's a masterpiece. However, I agree.....some masterpieces are an acquired taste. And not just in the dog world.

Totally Agree! Sometimes I'm such a Gumby with words. :D

[RallyValley]

Normally everyone on DOL is focusing on the dogs or the questions/ topic being discussed. And I tend to forget that it is a purebred forum. As this site is full of good advice and support for doglovers alike.

In another post fairly recently there was a comment that comparing a x bred pup to a purebred pup was like comparing a cartoon drawing to a masterpiece. I was a bit offended by this and remembered it.

But lucky for us - Dogs don't have a clue. Thank heavens, mine both think they are the best thing out!

I think that is an awesome comparison. Lincoln is the result of a line breeding that has been planned and coming togther since the 80's, he has rare bloodlines that go back to a prize hunting dog/specialy winner/BIS winner that was supposed to have been the epitomy of the standard and was only bred 2 or 3 times due to a hunting accident.

Now my mongrel Toby was the result of some bogans looking to makea quick buck and he came to me covered in fleas and bloated with worms.

I love my dogs the same regardless of where they came from but to say that as much thought went into producing Toby as Lincoln is an insult.

[lovemesideways]

Conversation I had today.

"What kind of dogs are they?" *Points at my 2 black labs.*

"Labrador retrievers"

"Oh my friend has a labrador x golden retriever too, but I prefer pure breds" *snooty expression*

my reply, "No, the full name for a labrador is a Labrador Retriever. That is the breed, they are purebred"

"........ No I think you're wrong"

*face palm* :D

I Don't take offence though. Its just funny.

[NZVizsla]

I have; both with my pedigree dogs and with my mixed breed. I've just never taken it personally - different strokes for different folks I guess. Everyone has their own value for their dog, and their chosen breed/s.

I lovingly refer to my mixed breed as 'my mutt'; just how I'd introduce my Vizslas as 'my Vizslas', it's just stating the bleeding obvious! If I were to introduce my mixed breed by her name, I'd do the same with the Vizslas.

When breed people refer to mixed breeds as 'mongrels' it can be just that - a term to explain their mixed heritage, or it can be a rude way to de-value your dogs or other peoples' dogs due to their mixed heritage.

I grew up with mongels and my first two dogs were mongrels, so I'd never de-value them.

However at the same time, I truly do believe and respect the pedigree dog world, and thus feel that all dog ownership should come about from research and through the correct channels; i.e, through a breeder or a rescue.

Edited July 5, 2010 by NZVizsla