Mutt! There is something in the word that the snob will naturally be disinclined to countenance. It just doesn’t fit in with what many potential owners would like to project about themselves when it comes to a canine best friend. The polite description, of course, is mixed-breed but it is amazing how many people consider it a form of doggy miscegeny and would never consider one as a pet. Just look at the names we have for these dogs – mongrel, bitzer, random-bred, tyke. It doesn’t really reflect positively, does it? Yet mixed-breed dogs can often make the best pets in the world ever. So, let’s take an affectionate look at the mutt.
The writer could be accused of using this space as simply an excuse for posting up a series of impossibly cute photographs of mixed-breed mutts – and that is something that is difficult (OK, impossible) to deny. However, many mutts end up in animal rescue centers and if this can convince one person that a rescue dog is just as good as a pedigree that costs a thousand dollars, then it is a job well done. Not to be confused with the mixed-breed is the cross-breed. This is where the parents are pure-breed, or pedigree, but of two different breeds. They are sometimes known as hybrids and are considered by many to be more acceptable than an out and out mutt – but mutts they remain nonetheless!
Many shelters are full of 57s as they are sometimes called and this is one of the more endearing names for a mutt. The slogan of the JH Heinz Company, boasted fifty seven varieties. When a dog is so called it is a jocular reference to the fact that its component breeds may be far too many to ever possibly trace.
Words are tricky things and so it is with the term mixed-breed. Most people assume that mutts are a product of the pairing of two specimens of defined breeds. These by definition are known as pure and they have been, predominantly, created by the meddling fingers of humanity to enhance specific characteristics of a certain dog. Mutts do not necessarily have to be a product of a mix of two pure-breed specimens. When two pure breeds are intentionally mated then that is known as a crossbreed. Strictly speaking they cannot be referred to as 57s.
The humble mutt is the product of two dogs of unknown breed – even though they can sometimes be fairly accurately guessed. Dogs will do it like they do it on the Discovery Channel with anything else that remotely resembles another dog. Often they get it right, though sometimes the human leg is used as a stand in. It is only when there is a massive disparity in size that interbreeding is impossible. That means the mutt comes in a huge variety of shapes, color and size and often they can defy physical classification.
In the Bahamas, mutts are generally called Pot Cakes, in reference to the leftovers which they are fed. The Brazilians are somewhat more forthright and they call them vira-lata which literally means trash-can tipper (and if you just went aaw, then you are quite possibly the converted being preached at already. This of course is a reference to the fact that these dogs are more often than not ownerless and because they have to fend for themselves have to resort to feeding off the detritus that mounts up on the streets of urban areas.
Bitzer is a term that is often used and does in fact sound like a proper dog breed! However, it stands for bits of this and bits of that. The denizens of Newfoundland will call a smaller mutt a cracky which is almost a ten on the cute scale in terms of names. The Americans – as well as having possibly the worst names – also have the most politically correct ones too. Some dog clubs that will accept mutts refer to them generally as All American. If it were not for our ‘interference’ the dog as a whole would have fulfilled the melting pot ideal long ago. Perhaps the funniest name for a mutt comes from South Africa where they are generally referred to as pavement specials.
The melting pot effect generally settles in to a norm after several generations. It has to be said, though, that adorable as many mixes are, some have the appearance that only a mother could love – see above! Broadly speaking mutts produced from many generations of other mutts are usually black to light brown and weigh in at about forty pounds. In terms of height they are usually between forty and sixty centimeters. And they have masses and masses of bounce. There are, of course, quiet moments when they have caught the ball and tenaciously covet it.
Then there are those times when the day has been a long and busy one and a few moments of contemplation are in order.
Much has been said about the health advantages that mutts have over many pure-breeds and this too is generally true. Hybrid vigor is a theory that holds that dogs which have a varying ancestry will be healthier than those who are consistently bred pure. Why? When purebred dogs reproduce with each other they will carry a lot of the same alleles (which are discreet versions of the same genes). Some of these alleles will mean that the resulting offspring may have defects, particularly when the parents are closely related (as they occasionally are in pure-breeds). Inbreeding means that genetic health problems are far more likely to be exposed than in the 57s.
Put simply, the mutt has – to put it kindly – some rather haphazard parentage and this means greater genetic diversity. As there is less chance that the parents will carry the same recessive allele then genetic disorders are considerably less likely to become an issue among mutt society. Please note though that this is in praise of the mutt and that does not automatically make it a critique of the pure-breed.
If two unhealthy mutts mate there is no guarantee that the puppies will be healthier. In fact genetic law has it in for them and it is more than likely that the offspring will inherit the worst traits of both parents. Generally though, studies have consistently found mutts to be healthier and more long-lived than their pure-breed contemporaries.
Plus, of course, if you adopt or buy a puppy mutt then you may not get simply a larger version of the puppy when it matures! With purebreds, however, the adult appearance of the dog is predictable. The ‘fact’ that mutts are more intelligent than pure breeds is also something of a myth. Both types of dog have the ability to produce Einstein canines (would that be a Canein?) or indeed slow learners. There is no absolute scientific evidence to suggest that mutts are generally more intelligent than pures – and the debate will continue among owners for many years to come.
Most mutt owners take delight in the unique appearance of their own animal. You know absolutely what you are going to get with a pure breed but with mutts it is something of a lottery. Mutt lovers will insist that their dogs are, by the simple fact that each is different, preferable to a pure.
Choice of dog is, of course, up to the individual. However, if you are considering the acquisition of a NBCF (New Best Canine Friend) then stop for a second before you stretch the plastic even further than it is already. The great advantage that the mutt has – and always will – over the pure is that they are cheap, quite often free.
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User Comments
Juancav
On August 19, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Best article about best´s man friend..
Jill Harness
On August 19, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Anyone who’s a fan of mutts should check out muttskis.com to see all kinds of cute mutt pictures.
Joe Dorish
On August 20, 2009 at 9:30 am
My sister has rescued 7 greyhounds off the track and 1 little Taco Bell like mutt off the streets of Boston. They are all great dogs but the mutt is so much healthier it is ridiculous.
Chris Stonecipher
On August 20, 2009 at 3:46 pm
RJ,
I enjoyed reading your article. The photos are cute too. I have a lab/chow mix. He is a little high strung. He is 10 and still acts like a puppy. Yes, dogs are one of my best friends.
ogie
On August 21, 2009 at 8:52 am
every dog i have ever owned has been a mutt. if you go to a local shelter you can get one for FREE! compared to paying thousands of dollars for a pure breed. Free dog is greater than expensive dog any day of the week.
Richard
On August 23, 2009 at 6:33 am
Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in. –Mark Twain
John
On August 31, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Love this article.
Lisa
On September 16, 2009 at 10:41 am
What would our world be like without dogs?
puppy lover
On September 21, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Great post! I’ve had mutts all my life (although one of them is pretty close to pure, but not quite….she’s a lab and has all the typical problems that labs have at her age…not proof, I know, but we know she’s pretty darn close to pure….she’s a rescue, so no one really knows). And they’re WONDERFUL!!! They’ve been the best dogs ever. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. When my husband and I are able to buy a house, we will soon get a dog (don’t want one in the apt. b/c: you pay extra and a dog totally deserves a nice backyard to call his own and to run around in). We want a lab, but we won’t be going to a breeder. We don’t need a breed perfect dog. Our perfect dog is one that is furry and one that we can get along with and do all the stuff that dogs do. Basically, a perfect dog for us is just simply a dog. And as I read this, I thought about all the issues pure breeds have. They tend to have rather nasty (not all, but many) health issues. Mutts, not quite so bad. LOVE TO THE MUTTS!! (p.s. I am a mutt myself! There’s all kinds of cultural background in my family)
Louise
On November 3, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Awesome!
cafay1
On November 12, 2009 at 10:08 am
The best dogs are always a mutt. I have had several through my lifetime and the most well manured and smartest seems to be the mixed breed.
Sam
On December 11, 2009 at 7:43 pm
All dogs are great, regardless of breed. I do hesitate when I hear people say that “mutts are healthier” because a purebreed bred out of health checked dogs is far more likely to be healthy than a mutt out of two parents with multiple genetic health issues. Same goes for temperament; a purebreed dog with parents who both had amazing temperaments is more likely to be sweet than a mutt whose parents were both highly aggressive.
I love mutts and my next dog’s likely to be one but both my dogs now are rescued purebred retired racer greyhounds and they are the healthiest, sweetest dogs ever. The first dog I had was a large breed Heinz 57 and he was a bundle of heath and temperament problems. That being said, so is my parents’ Amish pupymill purebred lab and the sweetest dog I ever met was a neighbour’s rescued pit bull mutt.
The truth is, there’s some nasty mutts and sweet purebreds and nasty purebreds and sweet mutts. Purebreds in shelters (and there are plenty, especially in this economy) are just as deserving of a home, and even if someone wants to buy a purebred dog for health guarantees, that’s fine. Encouraging the myths that mutts are automatically healthier and have better temperaments can lead to the spike in “designer” mixed mutts that we’ve seen now, most of which are far less healthy and sweet than a well-bred purebred. I think it just needs to be said; mutts should be bred to the same standards as purebreds: make sure they’re healthy and have good temperaments. Rescues are one thing, but too many people buy poorly bred mutts (and purebreds) due to misconceptions pushed by people who are just trying to make rescue mixes seem attractive.
Scot Campbell
On January 17, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Great article, I happen to be the owner of Henry, who is so prominently featured in the first photo. He’s quite a bit bigger now, nearly 60 pounds, but he’s just as cute as ever. We rescued Henry last December via our local animal shelter, they were having an event at our local mall and Henry came up to me, sat in my lap and basically said, “I’m Henry, and I’m your new dog, take me home now.” Since then, he’s been the happiest, most ridiculous and silliest part of our life.
Anyway, my wife and I have enjoyed having Henry in our lives and we look forward to rescuing many many more mutts. BTW, we sometimes call them “sooners” in South Carolina…as they’d sooner be one breed or another.
Take A Paws
On March 5, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Excellent article. I am a dog trainer in Melbourne Australia and get requests from client as to what breed I recommend. I consistently recommend MUTTS for so many reasons. Keep up the good work in this great site.
Sam / http://www.takeapaws.com.au
Knarf Sewob
On March 15, 2010 at 5:06 am
I have a complaint to make. You have posted this article on a site that only has a ‘liked it’ button, whenever I loved it! My first dog was a mutt; and to be honest if I was considering a dog for the kids, that’s what I would go with. Another great article R J (incidently the first picture reminded me of my first dog
, who had to be put down.).
papaleng
On March 15, 2010 at 5:06 am
great article RJ. We call them in our place, ‘Askal’ (asong gala) or street dog. Based on my experienced, owning dogs, I find them easy to take care of. Unlike pure breed, they’re so sensitive. I do have three dogs right now, A golden retriever, a minpin and a mongrel.
Rana Sinha
On March 15, 2010 at 5:06 am
Nice article with lovely pictures.
As a dog owner (funny term – owner, the bitch rules here in our house), I believe it’s not the breed but the personality of the individual that really makes the difference. Of course we have preferences, though.
We had two mutts earlier and one was extraordinarily amiable and the other one was mean.
Mark Gordon Brown
On March 15, 2010 at 5:07 am
Mutts make terrific pets but my wife asks that I point somethings out (I am signed in at the moment so I will add her comments)
Firstly in the dog business crossbreeding is frowned on greatly. While the public may be ignorant why, they accept buying crossbred dogs and often pay high prices. But these dogs are the product of 2 lower quality purebreds, being a purebred does not mean quality, if they were quality dogs they would be breeding purebreds. Because the public is ignorant of determining quality they accept the dogs and pay rediculous prices. Currently the trend is a Golden Doodle – the cross of a golden retriever and a poodle. Reputable breeders frown on this, it is a gimmick to make money off unsuspecting buyers.
Additionally you say that crossbred dogs are not actually mutts, but that might depend where you live, in Canada and the USA, any dog without registration papers is technically considered a mutt. Although owners do not consider them that, the dog industry does.
Having said that, anyone looking for a dog should consider mutts if they are not wanting to get into showing and breeding, check the local shelters first before paying too much.
Thanks RJ, sorry for the rant.
Bailey Thompson
On March 15, 2010 at 5:07 am
Very interesting article!
Jeremy James Noye
On March 15, 2010 at 5:07 am
Great article! I’ve had both purebreds and mutts, and they both have their great qualities. Mutts definitely have less extreme tendencies and health problems than most purebreds.
thestickman
On March 15, 2010 at 5:08 am
Great write RJ!
Anne McNew
On March 15, 2010 at 5:08 am
I’ve read some articles about dogs but this is presented a lot better.
I always enjoy the company of a dog especially at home when routines call for the sweeping off of their pee. It’s some kind of early morning exercise. lol. In the Philippines, there are plenty of “askal” as what Papaleng mentioned. In our place, astray dogs are captured by the City Vet and owners will claim it with corresponding charges. with so many “skillful” burglars in our place, the dogs plays a very significant role.
Lauren Axelrod
On March 15, 2010 at 5:08 am
I really enjoy mutts. My latest is cuter than my pure breed, but don’t tell him that. lol
cebuanaeyez
On March 15, 2010 at 5:08 am
They are adorable! Great job as always
Chambo
On March 15, 2010 at 5:09 am
I don’t own a mutt but if you look hard enough you can find some pretty cute ones. Nice article R J and great pics.
RJ
JCHume
On March 15, 2010 at 5:09 am
I liked this article very much especially the tone of affection that runs throughout it. I have a pb (though poorly bred) Boxer who has hip dysplasia and so far has had two skin tumours removed. She was bought nine years ago from a pet shop before I knew better. Pet shop = poorly bred pure bred = puppy mill = heartache.
My Presa Canario is really a mutt though neither he nor the person we bought him off of believes me. It doesn’t matter to me at all. He’s a cracking dog no matter who stirred the pot.
What does matter is that neither of these dogs will be making any little mutts of their own. There are way to many out there already.
Esot3ric
On March 15, 2010 at 5:09 am
Informative article, great work!
Janet Meyer
On March 15, 2010 at 5:09 am
What a plethora of ‘Mutts.’ Some of these are so cute, and others are hilarious. I really enjoyed looking and reading about these nice dogs. I have heard it said that mutts make better dogs than pure breds.
Janet
Heatherhills
On March 15, 2010 at 5:10 am
I have an adorable “Mutt” which I rescued from the pound. He’s big and strong also a great guard dog against the nasties who try to creep up on your home in the dead of night. Not being a pure bred his immune system is stronger with less visits to the vet. I would never change a mongerl for a pure bred.
Ruby Hawk
On March 15, 2010 at 5:10 am
Mutts are the very best dogs you will ever find. They are for the most part non aggressive, patient, good with children. they have the best manners of all the breeds.
fishfry aka Elizabeth Figueroa
On March 15, 2010 at 5:10 am
Such a touching article, with fantastic photos, I had a mutt and a purebreed, and it never was something I even thought about, until recently. Since then, I have moved on to dog sitting, since I cannot stand losing a dog again, and I can’t say which is better, a lot has to do with the way they are trained. I can say thou, that mutts are free, since people never abandon purebreeds. Each an every dog I have ever encountered has been absolutely charming, dogs are my best friends.
Aldrin A Wilding West
On March 15, 2010 at 5:11 am
Excellent article. Written to perfection on a very popular subject. There aren’t many people who haven’t had dealings at some point with a loveable mutt. Very, very enjoyable read, well researched and very well presented. Thank you. Buzz
Tapati
On March 15, 2010 at 5:11 am
Excellent article. I have a mutt and I love her. Yes people do have a lot of bias against mixed breeds. Thanks for the lovely article.
lindalulu
On March 15, 2010 at 5:11 am
Nice article! I must say I have had both and I also must say they both made very good pets. I guess it depends a lot on the breed, but mutts typically make great pets. For pure breeds my sheltie made a wonderful pet! Both very loyal…
Uma Shankari
On March 15, 2010 at 5:11 am
There’s something in the eyes of these dogs — pure breed, cross breed or whatever — my heart goes out to them. They say so much with their eyes, with their tails, with their exuberance that it is impossible not to love them.
Mrs Sue Ginger Howard
On March 15, 2010 at 5:12 am
Aren’t dogs great.
Goodselfme
On March 15, 2010 at 5:12 am
I have only had one pure bred and the rest were mutts. A dog is a wonderful addition to the family and they know it too.
Leonardo da Vinci E.
On March 15, 2010 at 5:12 am
I’m still not sure if human beings are worthy enough to be owned by a dog.
PR Mace
On March 15, 2010 at 5:13 am
Outstanding article. As the human of a hybrid and a mutt, I can say mutts are the best dogs. My hybrid was an accident from my brothers pure bred and his neighbors pure bred. Before that all I ever had and will have are mutts. Remember please only get your mutts from your local animal shelter. Save a life and love a mutt.
DA Cournean
On March 15, 2010 at 5:15 am
Nice post. Dogs are awesome!
ScottsdaleDogMan
On March 15, 2010 at 7:06 am
Fantastic article! I’m another mutt man. They’re healthier, happier, plus, you never know what you’re going to get!
I’ve got an article about a mutt “breeding” program you might enjoy.
http://scottsdaledogman.blogspot.com/2009/10/how-to-breed-perfect-dog.html
B Nelson
On March 15, 2010 at 10:13 pm
An excuse to post incredibly cute photos if ever I saw one.
Adopt a life.. shelters in the USA put to sleep millions of pets every year because more are born than there are homes for.. no need to breed more.
to the comment by ScottsdaleDogMan..
NO they are NOT always healthier.. or happier.. many mutts are products of people who simply allow any cute dog to breed, no matter what poor genetics that dog has. because its never tested.. you just do not know. I have worked with pets for years and have seen a good deal of unhealthy poorly bred mutts. Bad breeding is bad breeding.
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