Unique Breeds Of Dog

[_PL_]

:) I know one in particular speaker who stuck in my memory. Mike Arms from the Helen Woodward Animal Centre. Turned around a failing shelter into something successful. And he is very very happy to help any rescue who asks. He even offered to open his shelter up to Aus rescuers if anyone wanted to make the trip over for training/advice and stickybeaking.

ETA: I think you've taken the blend thing to the next level. Send him your poster! :D

Edited September 3, 2013 by Powerlegs

[koalathebear]

The Costa Rican marketing campaign is highly unlikely to resonate with breeders or exhibitors of purebreds but if you're in rescue, you are more likely to understand the difficulty of trying to find homes for an endless number of discarded, unwanted dogs that are almost indistinguishable from one another by their sheer volume.

As anyone in rescue knows, a huge part of the battle is just trying to get someone to click on and notice one dog out of thousands just like it - to be interested enough in a dog to want to read more about it and know its story. It's hard to care about something when you don't know anything about it.

Giving them funny 'breed' names under the circumstances is no different to giving them a funny name or making a funny video for them or sticking them on Big Brother as a guest ... I see it as quite different from deliberately cross-breeding and purporting to create a new 'breed' like the labrawhateveradoodle or the cockphooeypoo etc.

In any case, this thread would best have been in the rescue forum if anywhere and probably didn't really belong on a purebred dog forum all things considered.

ETA: I thought it was an interesting way to generate interest and totally understandable given the volume of abandoned dogs there and the extent of the problem.

Edited September 3, 2013 by koalathebear

[Rebanne]

Exhibitor :)

I re-read my own post and didn't even add the hyphen to show-er.

I still got it though, never even thought about the object you wash under :laugh:

[Rebanne]

I saw it as sending the message that even if a dog doesn't have a mile long pedigree, it is still special. Rather then calling it a "mutt" which seems to denigrate the dog they are giving it a fancy name to highlight the unique qualities of the dog.

I don't think they are seriously suggesting that they are creating a new breed... just using a lighthearted approach to get people thinking about "mutts" in a new, kinder way. It looks like a very effective advertising campaign to me, and anything that helps match up dogs with their forever homes is surely a good thing?

I am not a breeder / show-er (what is the correct name for someone who shows dogs??? ) so that possibly means I can see the funny side of it? Also, i'm watching at work and have no volume... don;t know if that affects the message :laugh:

well I don't know if its really doing that. It did say that adoptions had increased by 1.4% which is a very small amount and could be down to anything really.

I agree that it is a shame that the term 'mutt' has become a dirty word. I personally think it's one of the reasons that so many people with a mixed breed dog refer to it as a breed name and why others get caught up in the oodle phenomena.

My mutt gets called a mutt when people ask me, and their reaction is one of such frustration... "but what breed is he?" they ask me... people have forgotten what the word mutt actually means.

That's exactly what my x bred dogs have been called as well. I never felt the need to make up a name for them. They were mutts, I'm not ashamed of it and fail to see why anyone else would be. If you love your dog you love them regardless of the name they go by

I was never ashamed of my mutt either, loved her to bits, no different to my other dogs.

[Rebanne]

I think the reason this doesn't sit well with me is the use of the phrase "when you adopt a mutt, you adopt a unique breed". If they'd said "unique dog" I'd be all for it.

That makes sense. It sits better with me too because it is about individual dogs.

Handmade! Original! One off design! All true but I don't think I'd be using those descriptors either for a living thing.

I've jumped down from my high horse now. Clearly hormonal.

My mutt's registered name was Exclusive Emma cause quite clearly you could never produce another one the same :laugh:

[Maddy]

Great that these dogs are gaining exposure and getting adopted, no one could deny that that's fantastic for them. But what happens when someone ELSE wants an Alaskan Collie Fluffy Terrier? (Or whatever it was.) This was the dog that had the most Facebook likes I think they said. What's to stop someone with dollar signs in their eyes cashing in on this niche market by trying to recreate this "breed"?

ETA: I was posting at the same time as Plan B. Basically, yes what he/she said.

This was my concern, also- the risk of creating a new market for purposely crossbred dogs.

I'm sure it was all done with the best of intentions but.. the road to hell is paved with those.

I think you can convey how unique each dog is without doing what they did, it just takes a bit more effort than coming up with cringe-worthy oodly names.

[Mummamia]

As I said, I'm clearly in the minority today. This isn't something you could use on Pet Rescue - the thinking is more outside the square than that. We couldn't even use this for our breed because we are a breed specific group. It's simply an idea to attract attention - not a money making scheme or a contagious virus.

You are NOT in the minority Little Gifts. You have just posted it in a place where it wasn't appreciated... I LOVED IT!!! I don't suppose there is much thought here that the only original breed is the wolf and everything after that is a bitsa made by humans to suit their needs good and bad... I may have my facts wrong here but I think it takes 7 generations of a bitsa to become a breed in its own right... This post put a SMILE on my face... Because I LOVE dogs... Thank you for sharing...

[kelpiecuddles]

I don't see a problem with it, I think the statement "When you adopt a mutt you adopt a unique breed" sums it up nicely. They aren't saying these dogs are purebred, they are making a tribute to the uniqueness of mutts and the fact that every one is different. Basically they are saying to people "Hey, these dogs might not be purebred but they are still a valid choice that will mean you have your own special dog who is like no other".

From the intro it sounds like people have avoiding pounds dogs in the past due to the fact that they favour pure bred dogs so it doesn't sound like there is too much danger of it encouraging people to deliberately cross.

[Snoopy21]

I'm guilty of telling gullible people that our girl is a Greater Southern Snorehound I get bored with telling people that we aren't really sure what breeds she is because she is a rescue. I had one woman argue that there is no way she could be a mutt because she is too beautiful. It would be nice if the rescue dogs in question could be named after some of their characteristics rather than possible breed make-up. I'd adopt a Crazy-eyed Fluffybutt or a Slow'n'sweet Snugglepup anyway! Seriously though - it's about raising the profile of rescue dogs and finding some homes for dogs isn't it?

[Tibbie_tabbie]

I'm guilty of telling gullible people that our girl is a Greater Southern Snorehound I get bored with telling people that we aren't really sure what breeds she is because she is a rescue. I had one woman argue that there is no way she could be a mutt because she is too beautiful. It would be nice if the rescue dogs in question could be named after some of their characteristics rather than possible breed make-up. I'd adopt a Crazy-eyed Fluffybutt or a Slow'n'sweet Snugglepup anyway! Seriously though - it's about raising the profile of rescue dogs and finding some homes for dogs isn't it?

The shelter I vollie at is full of snugglehunds ; p

[Little Gifts]

We have a Snooty Snout Fun Police Fluffy Butt here. We usually just refer to her as The Fun Police or TFP TCB (The Fun Police Takin' Care of Business when she is being a dibber dobber).

Edited September 5, 2013 by Little Gifts

[Tibbie_tabbie]

We have a Snooty Snout Fun Police Fluffy Butt here. We usually just refer to her as The Fun Police or TFP TCB (The Fun Police Takin' Care of Business when she is being a dibber dobber).

We have one of those here! 'Nothing to see here officer, no fun being had'..... The best is her lazy policing where she lies on her bed grumbling at the noise of us playing with the other dog haha - don't we know it's nap time?!

[Little Gifts]

Our TFP will even do evil things like trap Tempeh in the hallway or wait till Temp or Stussy aren't looking and lie on top of the toy they were playing with. T and S would never dare challenge her for it back! I think she gets her jollies from their suffering!

[Alibi]

I have had a few people think my smooth haired griffon is a made up breed, and it's so hard to get them to understand she is a pure breed, and the breed name isn't a mix of other breed names.