“Designer” dogs seem to be the rage right now. This is the breeding of two different purebred dogs. I remember the first time I heard of a Bug (a pug and boston terrier mix). I thought it surely was an accident that some breeder was trying to pass off. No reputable breeder would interbreed a purebred dog. I was even more shocked to learn that the price was the same as my purebred Pugs.

Promoters of this tell you that you are getting the strengths of each breed and not the weaknesses. This is not fact, but merely, conjecture, and very likely, fiction!

For one, it is simply not good science to say that only the genetic strengths are transmitted. Designer dogs have not been around for very long, so it is unknown what the long range results are with these mutts.

Puppy mill type breeders are trying all kinds of things these days to make a buck. Since these puppies cannot be registered with AKC they do not care where they get their “purebred” from. The sire or dam may not have papers, therefore, there is no guarantee they were purebred in the first place.

Some are breeding to get a bulldog that is ¾ bulldog in efforts to sell a dog that looks like a bulldog (and for a similar price), but that is easier to obtain. Purebred English Bulldogs are not easy to breed, whelp, and raise for the first few critical weeks of life.

So, if you like the looks of these mixed breed dogs, go ahead, but BEWARE! You do not know what you are getting. You might get the weaknesses of both breeds. And please do not pay purebred price or even close to it. It is a mutt!