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MIXING IT UP

THE MOST POPULAR DOG IN AMERICAMeet the mutt. Sometimes maligned and unloved, sometimes exalted.The mutt, or mixed breed, has been around since the beginning ofCanis lupus familias, when some wolves threw in their lot with humans.

You may be surprised to learn that the mutt is the most popular dogin the United States.The number of mixed breeds outnumbers any sin-gle AKC purebred and outnumbers or comes close to the numbers ofall AKC purebred dogs combined. Fifty-one percent of all dog-owninghouseholds have at least one mixed breed dog.That makes roughly 20.4million households with a mutt.

“People who have a mutt can’t afford or don’t want a purebred,”says Karen Derrico, author of Unforgettable Mutts. “People are attractedto mutts because of their hardier reputation and their individualism.When you get a purebred, you know pretty much what you get, butthere’s a certain mystery to the mutt.You’re getting a one-of-a-kind.”

Most people would agree. America is the melting pot of variousnations and cultures. The mutt can be considered the quintessentialAmerican dog.

“What breed is he?” is the most common question mutt ownershear. Many respond,“He’s just a mutt.” Just a mutt? Some of the mostfamous dogs were “just” mutts. If you look at literature, dogs like WhiteFang and Buck (from Call of the Wild ) were mixed breeds. In cartoons,the lowly mutt is celebrated: Edgar and Farley in For Better or for Worse,Daisy in Blondie, Dogbert in Dilbert, Pluto in Mickey Mouse, Snert inHagar the Horrible, Dogzilla in The Buckets, Odie in Garfield and Otto inBeetle Bailey.

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Phyllis DeGioia, mutt owner extraordinaire and freelance dogwriter and editor, says,“Mutts are special because they are truly one ofa kind; you won’t be able to find another just like it.Their uniquenessis one of their most attractive qualities. It’s the ultimate in rare breedsbecause, for the most part, you can’t reproduce the mix—mostlybecause you don’t know what it is.”

Phyllis tells heart-wrenching stories about her own mutts, Fred andGinger. Phyllis had just lost her beloved dog and told her veterinarianshe wanted another dog. She received a phone call the same day.

“Fred was in the hospital when I met him. His legs were covered invomit.When I sat next to him—a total stranger—he put his head on

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People are attracted to mutts because of their hardier reputation and their individualism.This is Karen Derrico’s mutt, Barney.

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my knee and looked at me.And that was it. He is now a therapy dog.”Fred had swallowed a Super Ball and, rather than pay for the surgery,his owners had given him up to be either euthanized or placed withanother family.That family was Phyllis.

“Ginger appealed to me because the people who were giving heraway just drove her over and let her out of the car. She jumped out,dragging a red leash, ran up the porch steps where I was sitting, into mylap, and starting licking my face. Done deal in three seconds.” Such isthe power of the mutt!

Mixed Reviews—What It Means to Bring a Mutt Into Your LifeBringing a mutt—or any dog—into your life is a decision you shouldnot make lightly. In many cases, a dog is a 10- to 15-year commitment.Will you be able to take care of a pet for all those 15 years? That willinclude feeding, playing with, exercising and grooming your dog everyday.You will have to ensure that he is healthy by taking him to the vet-erinarian regularly for a health check and vaccinations.You will have tobring him to the veterinarian when he is sick.You will have to clean upafter him, provide a stable environment where he can’t be hurt or getout and become lost, and you will have to provide for his basic needs:food, water and a place to eliminate.

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Fred, a Westie-Bichon mix, is owned by Phyllis DeGioia.

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Surprisingly, many people equate the purchase price of a pet withthe actual cost of dog ownership. Nothing could be further from thetruth! There’s no such thing as a free dog.When you consider the costof veterinary care, daily food, supplies and the cost of your time, everydog is a very expensive companion indeed.

But there are benefits as well as costs. Bringing a mutt home meanshaving a companion who is happy to see you every day.When the worldis against you, your mutt will be there ready for you to pour your soulout to him. If your mutt is big, he can be a deterrent to criminals; if he issmall, you may have a shopping companion or a pal you can take wher-ever you go. If your mutt is athletic, he can share your enthusiasm forsports and even introduce you to exciting sports such as agility or flyball.

We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ PedigreeIt may surprise you to learn that all dogs have pedigrees. It’s true! Fromthe highfalutin winner of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show to thedog you see raiding garbage cans on trash day, every dog has a pedigree.

What is a pedigree, you might ask.A pedigree is a listing of ancestry.That means if your dog had ancestors (a mother, father, grandparents,

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Ginger, a terrier mix, is owned by Phyllis DeGioia.

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etc.), he has a pedigree. It may be an unknown pedigree, but every mutthas a pedigree.

So what does a pedigree mean? It depends largely on the dogs inthe pedigree. Some dogs have impressive ancestors who won dog showchampionships or earned obedience, tracking, agility or herding titles.The pedigree establishes that the dog with those particular ancestorsmight have those same talents. But if this owner is unwilling to worktoward those titles, that dog is no more valuable than your mutt. In fact,some mutts, such as Alaskan Huskies, are more valuable than purebreddogs.

Working Mutts—The Alaskan Husky Sled DogWhich brings us to the subject of performance dogs.A group of mutts,sometimes referred to as a breed, are the Alaskan Huskies, who oftencompete in sled dog competitions.

What is an Alaskan Husky sled dog? Well, they are pedigreed mutts.They are dogs who come from established bloodlines that can be tracedback to kennels that took Native American and Inuit dogs and bredthem for racing. Over time, mushers (sled dog drivers) added variousbreeds into the Alaskan Husky lines. These add-ins includedGreyhounds, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Border Collies,Irish Setters, Dalmatians, Borzoi, Salukis, Gordon Setters, GermanShorthaired Pointers, Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds,English Pointers and even wolf hybrids.

In the Alaskan Husky, there are two distinct types: hounds andhuskies. The huskies look typically like Northern breeds, while thehounds tend to be slimmer and racier. Mushers may choose either,depending on their preferences and how they use their dogs.

Alaskan Huskies typically have some very elaborate pedigrees, manygoing back 10 generations or more.These sled dogs may cost anywherefrom hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the bloodlines and the person selling the dogs. For example, a dog from an Iditarod-winning kennel may cost thousands of dollars, while a local dog maycost a few hundred or may even be free.

Alaskan Huskies may well be the best canine athletes. They’veproven themselves capable of running over 1,000 miles in less than nine days, while eating the equivalent of 25 times an average person’sdaily diet.They’re able to run 100 miles or more a day and enjoy doingit. In sprint races, many Alaskan Huskies are able to run 25 miles per

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hour or more for six to 12 miles. Most purebreds can’t match theirspeed or versatility.

Obedience, Agility and Other Performance EventsYou may be surprised to learn that mixed breed dogs earn titles in com-petitive events such as obedience, agility, flyball and flying disc. Indeed,in many areas mutts excel in competition over their purebred counter-parts. Mutts are among the top dogs in flying disc and flyball, compet-ing against purebreds. Mutts do well in agility trials sponsored by UKC,USDAA and NADAC. They also compete against purebred dogs inobedience trials in UKC and AMBOR events. (Do all those organiza-tions look like alphabet soup to you? Have a look in Appendix A, whereI have sorted it all out.)

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Sweetie is an Alaskan Husky, a type of mixed breed made forsled dog racing. She is owned by the author.

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Founders of New BreedsNot surprisingly, mutts have become the foundation for new breeds.Indeed, it’s hard to determine precisely when a group of dogs collec-tively becomes a “breed,” except when they’re recognized by an officialkennel club such as the American Kennel Club (AKC) or the UnitedKennel Club (UKC). Most founders of breeds discover one or twoindividual dogs who they consider the ideal type for a particular job,and carefully select other dogs within the region who look similiar.Breeds such as the Labrador Retriever, the Alaskan Malamute and theKeeshond were developed in this manner.

In some cases, such as the Chinook and the Alaskan Klee Kai, thefounding dog was a particular mutt who caught the eye of a breeder.The breeder then bred other dogs with this single dog to produce off-spring who would become the foundation stock for a new breed.

From the Wrong Side of the Tracks—Famous Mixed BreedsThe most famous dogs aren’t purebred—they’re mutts! With the versa-tility and intelligence we see in mixed breeds, little wonder that muttshave often taken center stage.Take a look at some of the most famousmixed breeds:

• Balto: In 1925, when a diphtheria epidemic threatened thepopulation of Nome,Alaska, mushers raced to bring the vaccinefrom Anchorage, nearly 1,000 miles away. Gunnar Kaasen’s lead

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Robyn, a Cocker-Golden mix, negotiates a seesaw in an agility course.

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dog, Balto, is known for leading his team through a blindingstorm and –70°F temperatures.The relay made the long trip injust six days. Balto was not a purebred Husky, as some peoplethink, but rather a mixed breed dog imported from Norway.

• Mut: Costarred with Charlie Chaplin in the 1918 film A Dog’sLife.

• Laika: Laika was the first living Earth creature in space.A mutt of indeterminate origins, Laika sadly paid for her famewith her life. Other mutts followed Laika to fame, and weresafely recovered.

• Spike: Spike, aka Old Yeller, was a yellow flop-eared pup whomtrainer Frank Weatherwax adopted from the Van Nuys AnimalShelter. Most famous for his role in the movie Old Yeller, Spikehad sons who also starred in various motion pictures.

• Fido: Abraham Lincoln’s dog was a midsize mutt and was thefirst presidential dog ever to have his photo taken.

• Chinook: Arthur Walden’s famous lead sled dog, who laterbecame the founder of the Chinook breed, was a mixed breedof Inuit Dog, German Shepherd Dog, Saint Bernard or anotherpurebred.

• Benji: This lovable mutt has made his way into the hearts ofmillions in feature films. Benji is ranked as one of the Top 20Must-See Movies for children by People magazine.

• Murray: Starred in the television series Mad About You from1992 to 1999.

• Freeway: Starred in the television series Hart to Hart from 1979to 1984.

• Scruffy: Starred with Hope Lange in the television series TheGhost and Mrs. Muir from 1968 to 1970.

• Skip: One of President Theodore Roosevelt’s favorite dogs;Teddy found him on a bear hunt.

This list is by no means complete. No doubt, you can think of otherfamous mutts and mutts who do extraordinary things.

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