Dog Food Demo Girl’s Pet (Dog!) Peeves

Ok… so I am in a bad mood and I am not afraid to admit it. Usually I can let people think whatever “DUH!” thing they like and never say a word. Usually, I can put up with people touting their own opinion as fact or taking for face value whatever they read on a message board and then quoting it like it is a God-Sent truth. Today, however, as I said, I am in a bad mood and I am going to take issue with every dumb thing I have been told for the last year or two. I am sorry but, for the sake of my mental well-being and those who believe everything they hear, I am going to finally vent! OK… here it is! My list of “Often Said but Not Quite True…”

Often Said But Not Quite True Number One - “Mutts are healthier than purebreds.” This is untrue. Both can suffer from the same problems. The truth of the matter is that more purebred dogs are tested for genetic defects - I don’t know one mixed breed owner, other than myself, that has had hip x-rays done on any of their dogs. I do know many reputable breeders of Poodles and other purebreds that routinely test all their dogs for all the concerns of their given breeds. (A look at the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) website says it all - find me one of the over a million dogs listed that is NOT a purebred!) What this means is that we have tons and tons of data on purebred dogs (and convenient headings—the various breeds) and none, nada zip on mixed breeds. So … are mixed breeds healthier? I’ll tell you definitively after all the mixed breed owners pony up the bucks for the testing but now I will say this … mixed or pure, a gene is a gene and they mix up is all kinds of ways, good and bad. A reputable breeder screens their breeding stock for heritable defects. Mutts? It is the luck of the draw!

Often Said But Not Quite True Number Two - “Dogs are Omnivores.” This is untrue (and often something said by dog food companies!). Dogs are carnivores. They have the hinged jaw of a carnivore, the lack of salivary amylase of the carnivore, the large stomach and short intestinal tract of the carnivore, the smooth intestinal tract lining of the carnivore - people, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck … !!!!!

Often Said But Not True Number Three - “Allergies are no big deal.” This is untrue. Allergies are an inappropriate autoimmune response to a stimulus that should be benign to the body. It is a way big deal! Anytime the immune system is involved it is a big deal! People take allergies far too lightly - even going so far as to use these animals for breeding purposes. Shame on you! (Note: when treating allergies, always ask your vet for an all-encompassing approach and to address the immune system as well. Go for the cause of the allergy and not the stimulus or the symptom!)

Often Said But Not True Number Four - “A dog is a dog is a dog” which is a variation of the “I want “X” breed because it is so cute.” This is untrue. Purebred dogs have been bred for centuries to perform specific tasks. Because they have been so specialized, each breed has different strengths and weaknesses. I am often surprised when someone says something like “Geeze, I got a Lab because I was told they were good with kids. I never expected them to be so active!” Like, DUH! What do you expect? For centuries, the Lab was bred to hunt from dawn to dusk and the high energy level was a must in the field!
When looking for a dog, the “outside” should come last on the list. What were they designed to do? That is their character and nature. Can you live with that particular character and nature? That should be the deciding factor not “cuteness!”

Often Said But Not True Number Five - “Poodle mixes don’t shed.” This is not true (and makes me laugh because it means someone wasn’t paying attention in high school biology class when they talked about Mendel and his wrinkly peas and wavy winged fruit flies!). Breed a Non Shedder to a Shedder and guess what? 50% of the resultant pups shed and 50% don’t. It is just regular old genetics (do the square!).

Phew! Now I feel better! Those are my top five pet peeves. Thank Heavens for blogs - venting is a good thing! I’ll sleep better tonight!