Pure-Breds vs. Mutts

I had a discussion with my dad the other day. We have different opinions on what type of pets are better... pure-breds or mutts. It all started when my family's pet died last week. She was getting pretty old (about 10 years old); she had arthritis in all 4 of her legs and had a huge tumor around her liver and spleen. My mom decided to put her down.

Two days after Happy died, I stopped by my parents' place after work. I hung out with my sister until my parents got home from the store. When my dad got home, he went into the kitchen to make some lunch. I decided to sit in the kitchen to keep him company and chat with him. While we were talking, he expressed sadness over losing Happy but was content with the idea of not having to take care of a pet. After 25+ years of having pets non-stop in the home, my dad was ready for a break.

We were sitting in the kitchen discussing animals (mostly Happy) when the news came on. Every Friday at 6pm and every Saturday at noon, the local news showcases a pet from the local shelter in need of a home. I took full advantage of that and pointed out how cute the little puppy was. The biggest selling point was that it would only cost $20 to adopt her.

My dad scoffed at me and said "she's a mutt." I could have kept my mouth shut but decided that I wanted to voice my opinion. If you know both me and my dad, you know we have the same personalities and we're both stubborn. I sat down next to my dad and casually asked him "Are you telling me that Happy was better than Frosty?" Happy was a pure-bred Scottish Terrier and my dog, Frosty, is a 2 year old Lab/Chow mix. My dad said no, but pure-bred dogs are better. I asked him to tell me why. He danced around the answer but eventually came to the conclusion that pure-bred dogs are better simply because they're pure (and expensive).

Honestly, I have to complain about that. Whoever thinks that pure-bred dogs are better compared to mutts has to be incredibly moronic. Sure, they'll net you a whole lot of money if you decide to breed them off and if you're a dog-show loving type of person, you might want to enter your precious little Sparky in the show in hopes of winning the award. But other than earning you money and winning an award, how are they better than mutts?

I think it's terrible that people are out there breeding dogs (and cats? I haven't actually heard about breeding farms for cats but it's possible) while there are thousands of dogs and cats being put down everyday because they couldn't find a home.

My own dog, Frosty, was found off the streets. He was wandering alone in an area with lots of shops and warehouses when someone I know found him. He was 12 weeks old at the time. The guy brought Frosty to a picnic we were having that day and asked around if anybody wanted a puppy. I hadn't planned on taking Frosty home, but I was keeping an eye out and hoping someone would take him. Ultimately, I knew that if no one would take Frosty, he'd end up at a shelter and some months later, if no one adopted him, he'd be put to sleep.

If you've ever looked into Frosty's eyes, you'd know how I felt that day. I couldn't leave Frosty's fate in the hands of another person so I took him home. And I do not regret it. He's the sweetest dog in the world and he's definitely equal to (if not better) all the pure-breds out there.

Bob Barker wouldn't have to remind everybody to spay and neuter our pets every day after the "Price is Right" if people would just go out and adopt more animals.

So do me and the thousands of cats and dogs a favor.... next time you want a pet, PLEASE check out a local shelter and adopt one instead of spending $600 on an animal that might end up giving you a headache.

I'll like you better for it.