All Mixed Up

“What kind of dog is that?”

Got a mixed breed dog? Then you probably hear that question all the time. Dogs of unknown pedigree encourage all sorts of guessing about lineage. If the dog has a blocky head and broad chest, then there’s “pit” in it, right? Or a big dog with dark feathered fur? Shepherd cross for sure. A friend poked fun at the relentless guessing about her dog’s breed mix by christening the pooch an “Appalachian  Mountain Dog” (a made up breed). Sure enough, people nodded and said, “Yup, I’ve heard of that.”

Trying to determine breed type by looks alone is tricky business. Years ago I got to know a litter of “oops” pups; that the parents mated was a fluke of form and function. The resulting pups looked like adorable unidentifiable mutts, when in fact the father was a Springer Spaniel and the mother was an English Bulldog! I affectionately called them “Frankenpuppies.” The dogs didn’t look like either parent. They were too tall, lean and wrinkle-free to call to mind a bully, but too mottled and square-headed to be Springer. Watching the Frankenpuppies develop was a real-time adventure in canine genetics.

The advent of genetic testing for dogs could take some of the guesswork out of determining a breed mix for those pups with unknown parents, but the system is built on a finite number of breeds. If one parent was a rare breed, like a Polish Lowland Sheepdog, and the other was a lab, you’re probably only going to get half of the picture. And don’t forget about those mixed breed dogs whose parents were also mixed breed dogs...

Do you have an unusual mixed breed story? Does your unique-looking dog defy any breed identity? Tell us in the comments section!