Where has the word mongrel gone!?!

[GeeGeeboy]

Designer dog breed rant alert!!
So a woman came into the grooming salon where I work yesterday to ask a price for her daughters dog. When I asked the breed I got the sheepish reply " it's a cockerpoochon" !!! I tried so hard not to laugh! Where has the worn mongrel gone? Has it vanished from our vocabulary!?

 

[rockysmum]

PMSL

Have often thought that

 

[MurphysMinder]

LOL. So which of those breeds trims did they go for?

 

[s4sugar]

If someone asks for a quote with a combined "breed " name I always add the prices for each breed together so a cocker (£20+) + Poodle (£20+) + Bichon (£20+) so £60 ish for the above dog.

How can I know without seeing it what I'll have to deal with?
If they book in a mongrel that is less than knee height with shaggy hair the base estimate would be £20 -£30 plus any dematting.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Guess it disappeared when pet owners were advised to refer to themselves as care-givers rather than the apparently offensive term 'owner'.

I am the care giver/companion of a delightful multi X breed of unknown parentage from a deprived background.

 

[GeeGeeboy]

Murphysminder- she didn't actually book it in, just took a card and scuttled off!

 

[Supertrooper]

I have always been a 100% proud to say that I've owned xbreeds (all rescues) why people are stupid enough to be drawn in by the designer crossbreed breeders is beyond me :-(

 

[Dolcé]

I have 2 mongrels, JRT but not Parson so has to be a mongrel, something some people just cannot get to grips with! Murphy is a mastiff x am bulldog, so still a mongrel (rather than a 'designer' breed). If I remember correctly, the original designer breed was a poodle x bred specifically for anti allergy reasons, I seem to remember reading recently that the breeder regretted the whole thing because of what has come from it. I cannot believe that people pay such ridiculous amounts of money for what are essentially mongrel dogs. Mind you, we have a local daschund breeder that sells hers as show dogs because she doesn't understand how a long haired mixed with a short haired doesn''t make a pure bred - trading standards soon put her right!

 

[Montyforever]

Argh lol if that was my dog I would just say mongrel or at the very least cocker x!

 

[s4sugar]

I always ask what was the mother and write them down as that breed X.

 

[noodle_]

i have a spaniel x collie - a/k/a a MUT!!!!

best dog ive ever owned with the best pricetag.... 50 quid.
(to cover costs of the accident)!

stupid names and stupid prices and only idiots will buy them

 

[Ranyhyn]

People are pretentious and stupid

Best dogs I have had have been mongrels, seeing as JRTs aren't a breed either

 

[s4sugar]

JRTs are a breed but unfortunately all too often people do apply the term to mutts.

My Brother was looking for one about ten years ago. Nearly every pup he saw had one parent a JRT and the other some mix and the people openly knew this when asked. I'm not talking about lakie/patterdale/parson/border working terrier mixes but corgi & chuhuahua!

 

[GeeGeeboy]

I like that idea sforsugar but highly doubt the old dear would have a clue what the mother was. Not a good sign when she called the dog "it" ! X

 

[zoelouisem]

But even JRT seem to be going for£200+ now!!!! When I got my pup 6 months ago I just wanted a small dog he was £50 and is a lot like a jRt but a suspect he's got something else thrown in too, that's part of the fun for me not knowing exactly how he's going to turn out!!! He's small though and that's all I wanted!!!

 

[s4sugar]

I like that idea sforsugar but highly doubt the old dear would have a clue what the mother was. Not a good sign when she called the dog "it" ! X

If they don't know what the mother was I just put crossbreed.

 

[welshcobmad]

I had this discussion with a friend the other day.

Just nowadays it tends to be people who want to cause offense or upset that use the words mutt or mongrel, not in the way it was designed to be used - to describe a dog of unknown origin.

I tend to refer to them as crossbreeds if its known what the dogs parentage is, or an unknown cross if not.

I personally hate the words mutt (especially as I know its another word for stupid) & mongrel. I most certainly wouldn't call my dog a mutt. I know exactly what she is & refer to her as just that.

Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with all the designer breeding, back yard breeding & stupid doodle names etc but I most certainly wouldn't call somebody's dog a mutt, I also wouldn't call it by its silly designer name, I'd call it a crossbreed.

Just personal opinion really I just think the words aren't used in the correct way anymore.

I don't know if I've made any sense lol just my view

 

[Dolcé]

JRTs are a breed but unfortunately all too often people do apply the term to mutts.

My Brother was looking for one about ten years ago. Nearly every pup he saw had one parent a JRT and the other some mix and the people openly knew this when asked. I'm not talking about lakie/patterdale/parson/border working terrier mixes but corgi & chuhuahua!

Only the Parson JRT is a breed, they are taller/longer legged than the usual 'type' called simply JRTs

 

[s4sugar]

Actually the shorter legged ones are also a breed but not a KC recognised breed.
I remember the hoops the parsons went through for recognition.

There are registries for short legged ones and some of them, eg FCI & in Australia, are legitimate.


Unfortunately the general public lacks awareness of what a breed is or what a pedigree is.

 

[Dolcé]

Actually the shorter legged ones are also a breed but not a KC recognised breed.
I remember the hoops the parsons went through for recognition.

There are registries for short legged ones and some of them, eg FCI & in Australia, are legitimate.


Unfortunately the general public lacks awareness of what a breed is or what a pedigree is.

LOL, that would explain why Brownie is terrified of rats then, she isn't a JRT. Sorry, I was talking about KC recognised which to me means they are not a breed (not in this country anyway) but a type. No doubt the labradoodle etc will become breeds in the very not too distant future as registries are set up for them too!

 

[rhino]

I've got a mongrel! I think she's probably the result of several generations of completely indiscriminate breeding Last time I registered her at a new vet I answered 'mongrel' when they asked her breed. They said 'You mean crossbreed.'

Nope, I definitely meant mongrel

 

[s4sugar]

That is why I mentioned legitimate registries. LOL


You can get any dog registered with some of the scam or sucker registries. I know someone who registered her goat as a Dobermann -even sent in photos.

 

[s4sugar]

Rhino - cute mongrel.

What I can never fathom is why people who go out of their way to adopt a rescue then want to attribute a breed or breeds to it.
Ok if it is has health implications e.g. collies & ivermectin or greyhounds & vallium but otherwise what does it matter?

 

[rhino]

Rhino - cute mongrel.

What I can never fathom is why people who go out of their way to adopt a rescue then want to attribute a breed or breeds to it.
Ok if it is has health implications e.g. collies & ivermectin or greyhounds & vallium but otherwise what does it matter?

Thanks I totally agree - I have had 3 mongrels in my lifetime - all from rescue centres and all have had the most wonderful temperaments and have made 'old bones' (15+) with very few trips to the vet bar for injections/spaying. I have also had 2 pedigree dogs, one had to have 2 lots of surgery and was pts at 4, the other had several veterinary issues and didn't make it to 10

 

[s4sugar]

Thanks I totally agree - I have had 3 mongrels in my lifetime - all from rescue centres and all have had the most wonderful temperaments and have made 'old bones' (15+) with very few trips to the vet bar for injections/spaying. I have also had 2 pedigree dogs, one had to have 2 lots of surgery and was pts at 4, the other had several veterinary issues and didn't make it to 10

Actually I disagree with this.
Why are any mongrels being born?

There are few reasons for a oops litter these days and some of the feral dogs are actually inbred with one male mating daughters & granddaughters.
I have had pedigrees dogs live to their late teens and vets bills have been through injury not hereditary problems.
Poland has brought in a law that puppies cannot be advertised as a breed unless registered. Maybe similar should apply here?

 

[Cinnamontoast]

On the dog forum I use, the general rule is two pure/pedigree breeds crossed = cross breed, more than 2 breeds involved = mongrel.

I don't go for the idea that pedigrees are less healthy and crosses/mongrels eliminate ill health. The only reason some pedigrees are renowned for illness is due in large part, imo, to ignorant BYB overbreeding and not health testing or owner ignorance re issues mentioned by s4sugar.

 

[rhino]

Actually I disagree with this.
Why are any mongrels being born?

I'm not sure what you are disagreeing with as I quite clearly just stated my experiences

I don't much care 'why' my mongrel dogs were bred, but they were, and ended up in the care of the rspca. I don't need a dog for a specific purpose, I need a companion/friend so why on earth would I buy a pedigree dog when there are so many needing homes. If other people choose to then that's fine with me

In my experience, the mongrels I have had have been very healthy, and the two pedigrees not.

 

[Ranyhyn]

LOL, that would explain why Brownie is terrified of rats then, she isn't a JRT. Sorry, I was talking about KC recognised which to me means they are not a breed (not in this country anyway) but a type.

same here, I class my jrt's as types not breeds

 

[Galupy]

I personally hate the words mutt (especially as I know its another word for stupid) & mongrel. I most certainly wouldn't call my dog a mutt. I know exactly what she is & refer to her as just that.

I just called my dog a mutt in another thread before reading this one. To be fair though, he often isn't the sharpest needle in the sewing box and I have no idea what breeds are really hiding in there ...

 

[CorvusCorax]

Guess it disappeared when pet owners were advised to refer to themselves as care-givers rather than the apparently offensive term 'owner'.

'Dog guardian' is another one used in the council area we visit in the USA.

So if I do not 'own' my dog and it is not my 'property' hey, he can go and live with someone else if he feels like it, or someone can take him away from here, because I cannot 'own' him - RIGHT?!