The more I think about breeds, crosses, bloodlines that trace back to....the more I, well, keep thinking.
I guess I have more questions than opinions.
Because I like having a horse bred to do the stuff I want to do. I don't like the genetic weakness that comes with breeding for a specific look or ability. I guess it's that simple.
Same things with dogs. If I need to hunt, be protected, find stuff or herd sheep, well a dog bred help me would be great.
By choosing to adopt at the pound, my chances of success for a specific test are much smaller.
Except some of my best dogs have been mutts.
Here's where my thinking always goes...
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| I would love to have one of these. |
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| But I definitely don't want one of these. |
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| I have dreams of owning one of these and seeing if it would make as kick butt of a cow horse as I think it would. |
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| Same breed, ew, ew, ew. |
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I have wanted one of these for years, and I'll be honest, I love the color and the spooky eyes as much as the toughness, intelligence and loyalty.
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See what happens when people are attracted to a breed because of it's color? Merle dogs bred with merle dogs can produce deaf and blind puppies. Some are born without eyes.
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"Get a mustang," I'm told. "They are smarter, stronger, have better feet and their bloodlines trace back to the barbs that came over with the conquistadors!"
Well heck, if they all look like this Kiger, then let me jump on that boat.
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| Small problem, 90% of the kiger mustangs I come across look like this. |
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...then there are other rare gene pools that look like this, and I don't want to ride or clean up after either one of these.
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| If I wanted a big ass drooly guard dog (I don't) I might look at this. |
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Unfortunately, since WWII, the dogs have turned into this. I really don't want this.
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| I could get one of these instead. Smaller, cheaper, longer life span, same concept. |
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| I'll be honest. I like color. I really do. Except I want my Krazy Kolor Choices to look like this. |
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Not this
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| I can't imagine having a dog without a nose. |
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| However, I would send my firstborn to a convent if I could have this Pugahoula. |
Last but not least, my own beloved breed, the Quarter Horse. They have turned into too many different types within the breed. Almost to the point of no return. You can still find sound, good minded, athletic horses within my breed, but there sure is a lot of chaff to wade through before you find the grain.
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| This is what I want to ride. |
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| Not this (yawn) |
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| ...and never, ever this. |
I lost it at the naked Mole Rat.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you get one of those Shepherds before me, I'm gonna break down in spiteful, jealous tears.
Among our current dogs is an "accident" found-on-Craigslist mini Aussie/Catahoula puppy. I still can't decide if he is cute or mutant, LOL, but he definitely shares the herding mentality of our heelers and Aussie.
ReplyDeletehttp://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r95/littlebayroan/1524585_10201887993335634_1865515325_n_zpsbde40bde.jpg
Yeah the eyeless dog should have prepared me for the naked mole rat, BUT NO.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, the older I get the less I care about what breed my critter is. My horses are so far from conformationally perfect but they're not fugly either, and I like their minds, so I'm good. People throw names and pedigrees around and I glaze over. I wanna know what that horse can DO. I tend to have the similar preferences to yours. (Although I really love my snoutless dog!)
The last time I went looking for a dog, I went for a mixed, instead of going to a breeder, for the first time. I just could not not consider a pound dog, and I got one that is I believe 3/4 of the breed I like. It has had some hilarious consequenses! Her personality is not at all what I would have gotten from a purebred, but she makes up for that with being a lot funnier, and I could not be happier with my decision. But yes, it is difficult when you want a specific type of animal and the breed seems to be going a different way.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note to your bloodlines/breed observation. I'm on a couple of bloodline-specific groups on Facebook. They go after high percentage of such-and-such a horses. While I respect the intent (ie, good bone, cow sense, intelligence) - the more I see "ride her or breed her" in their mare for sale ads, the more I want to scream at the top of my lungs. Until she is proven to be what her bloodlines say she "should be," WHY BREED HER??? I've got a grade Appaloosa that heads, heels, calf ropes, breakaways, doctors cows in the pasture, runs games with a 10 year old and has taught a half-dozen kids how to rope, that I would breed way before some of the did-not-make-a-performance-horse-but-should-have-if-you-go-by-bloodlines mares that have come through our barn.
ReplyDeleteI was taught to ALWAYS look for points on the mare.
ReplyDeleteWhat breed is that pretty little buckskin?
ReplyDeleteneversummer...which?
ReplyDeleteneversummer...which?
ReplyDeleteneversummer...which?
ReplyDeleteneversummer...which?
ReplyDeleteThe fist horse, looks like a buckskin to me. The type you would like to try to make a cow horse of.
ReplyDeleteI know what my first guess is but don't people always like to think the pretty ones are of their breed. He has a very Spanish looking hindquarter though. I like him.
The pleasure horse does not even look like a real horse, it looks like a Breyer Model or someone's toy. I can't believe something so fake looking could rack up those trophies.
ReplyDeleteI guess there were other buckskins weren't there. Although I'm betting on the gorgeous Kiger being a dun. I looked at that last thing and I think my mind blocked it out in horror.
ReplyDeleteThe buckskin and the cremello thing are both Lusitanos.
ReplyDeleteFYI
ReplyDeleteIf somebody says buckskin, I immediately include all the duns, and maybe even a few light bays.
Then , I don't correct them, because it just doesn't matter to me.
My mare Loki, a bay, was registered a dun because she was stripey, stripey, stripey.
Madonna, registered as a palomino, is again, more than likely a red dun. Dark legs, dorsal, and in the summer, bars on her forelegs.
Mort was a dun...or a grulla...kind of one thing in front and another in back. He was registered as a buckskin.
I understand genetics play in all of this...but seriously, I like red horses and all this yellow horse nuance makes me tired.
Plus, that Lusitano could easily be a gray...if he's under six or so. See? Now I need some Tylenol.
ReplyDeleteI found my Catahoula abandoned and tied to a tree with a rope around her neck in the park across from my house. She is just as neurotic as every other Catahoula out there but she is the BEST BARN DOG EVER.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear these great props for the Catahoulas...
ReplyDeleteSO MUCH AGREEMENT with the dogs with no snouts thing. It should be banned, like tail docking in this country recently (and don't the young Rotties look gorgeous with their beautiful, healthy tails wagging as they should! We do have progress occasionally, even if a few coffee tables get *ahem* "cleared" in the process.)
ReplyDeleteI got the canine "love of my life" last spring. He's a young male German Shepherd that was on his way to the dog pound when my husband intervened.
ReplyDeleteI adore this dog! It's been a learning curve though, he isn't a dog you can just stick in the back yard and ignore- I've never spent so much time walking in my life!
And we have to keep all the doors to the house locked unless we want him to come in/ or out- he can open them all, even the round door knob style ones.
"SO MUCH AGREEMENT with the dogs with no snouts thing. It should be banned, like tail docking in this country recently..."
ReplyDeleteWhy would you ban that? Flat faced dogs are born that way, it's not a human intervention thing.
I totally understand why some people wouldn't want one -they're not for everybody - but if you choose a healthy one and take good care, they're fantastic. Kind of like most dog breeds???
Heidi - I'm sorry we always end up picking on pugs. It's not on purpose, I swear.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought the Naked Mole Rat,I mean, Neapolitan Mastiff would have been the target for the day.
I for one, completely get Pugs. They are funny, generous, loving dogs. Where I get crazy is when breeding goes wrong. Flat faced is winning? Well then, let's breed them so flat they don't have a nose!
I take issue with breeding for excess, not the breed.
As for tail docking...that's apples and oranges. It's not a genetic alteration and a discussion best left for another day.
Our family dog is a Husky/Golden Retriever mix with one blue eye that we got from the shelter. Has the Husky brain and the Golden's affection. Couldn't ask for a better family dog!
ReplyDeleteWe "built our own" Quarter horse. Rescued a PMU from Alberta and filled him full of lots of nutrition. Gorgeous, well built, smart, and loving. The trainer couldn't believe he was a PMU, as he said all of the PMUs he'd seen were scrawny. He's been registered with AQHA, as the rancher was savvy enough to use registered stock. No "beefy" horse or peanut roller here! :)
Mugs, as the owner of an Azteca (half QH/half Andalusian, I must say - You gotta git you one of those! The Lusitano and the Andalusian are pretty much the same horse (One is Spanish and one is Portuguese, but the horse is the same.)
ReplyDeleteBut with the Azteca, done right, you get the best qualities of the QH crossed into that Andalusian/Lusitano body. Plus, they were bred for bullfighting so they're all kinds of cowy. If nothing else, you've got to get a ride on one. You won't regret it. I don't every time I step into the saddle.
Here's to hybrid vigor!
I agree on almost all accounts. I'm not sure what was wrong with that second Appy, though. He looks like a cute old relaxed dude. :) Do tell!
ReplyDelete"Flat faced dogs are born that way, it's not a human intervention thing"
ReplyDeleteYes, it is - selective breeding has produced the flatter faces. That's what this post is all about. Look at this pug from the Victorian era (and there are quite a few similar ones I have found via Google images:
http://www.artistsandart.org/2010/04/horatio-henry-couldery-18321893.html
Now this looks Ex - Act - ly like my Pugalier (pug-cavvy cross.) He's a rescue, so I wasn't looking for a pugalier or anything, but I became interested, as you do. Apparently pugs came into being in part via cavvies, so a pug-cavvy cross today is (IMO) a logical step to restore some length to the snout and allow the animal to breathe.
Pugaliers FTW! Cuteness without suffering.
Hey Mugs, it's ok, I know you're not bashing my favourite dog! I totally get what you're saying... Whatever is winning gets bred to exaggeration. Like, flat face turns into concave face. Did I ever tell you about the breeder we bought from? She swaps out her stud every two years to avoid inbreeding. Her dogs went for a 30 minute chaos scramble across the field every day. She used to show her dogs but didn't anymore (we didn't dig as to why...) Her dogs were healthy and polite and her house smelled clean. SOLD.
ReplyDeleteBut now I'm stunned ... Because the naked mole rat was a neopolitan mastiff????!!!!! I wasn't totally sure about the first picture but holy smokes!! Whose bright idea was it to develop a breed into that?? Does anybody look at that dog and say "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" ?????
(Dobby thanks you for the love!)
Totally don't want to hijack this and turn it into a pug thing, but I just have to say, it's probably a much older breed than most people think. They've been around for centuries and other than getting shorter legged and flatter faced - both sometimes to unfortunate extremes - they've been generally recognizable as a breed.
ReplyDeleteAnyways I agree - those crossbreds are awesome! And also have to say that my pug breathes well. The extreme heat is hard on him but I think a lot of dogs suffer in the heat. And it looks like we're all in agreement here that breeding animals to extremes is generally a long term bad idea.
(Anybody else afraid to look at some of the pix in his post!!??!!)
Well, I'll be all kinds of controversial here. I have two dogs, a purebred and a mixed breed pound dog that I couldn't leave at the pound. Which do I like better? The purebred, hands down. The pound dog is a nice dog, but the purebred's breed characteristics just fit me better. One is a Min. schnauzer ( I have opinions on tail docking and ear cropping if we are ever going to go there.)and one is a spaniel cross. I am a terrier person, not a spaniel person.
ReplyDeleteI like purebreds, always have. But showing has never been important to me, in horses or dogs. I bred dogs that had never been shown based on character/personality alone. That said, dog breeding and horse breeding are, IMO, two different animals. Ahem.
Dogs can be ugly little companion animals with no purpose in life other to bring joy to their owners a lot easier than horses can.
WyoFaith
Wyofaith - I don't think you're being all that controversial, you're fitting right in to things. I like mutts, crosses and purebreds. I'm pickier about how my horses are bred, as in more careful, but I have some crosses in mind there too. They're crosses though, not random blends.
ReplyDeleteHad a Catahoula for 15 yrs.....smartest, most complicated dog I ever owned. Fiercely devoted to HER family, thrilled to attack anyone else. Got her as a puppy, socialized the hell out of her. I would take her places & people always wanted to touch her because she was so striking. "She bites" I would say, one hand on her collar. "But she's wagging her tail! She looks so sweet!" they would say. "the thought of biting you makes her happy" I would reply as I backed up. She got old and mostly deaf and could barely get up to go outside. My husband dug a hole and I made an appt with the vet and then canceled it. Finally did the deed several months later. Drove to the vet with the window down so she could hang her head out even though it was freezing. Held her while they inserted the IV b/c she wanted to bite the vet, as she had every vet visit of her life. I cried like a baby and I still miss her, but I'm not sure I'd get another. Now I have three JRTs, guess I just don't like "easy" dogs, lol.
ReplyDeleteHad a Catahoula for 15 yrs.....smartest, most complicated dog I ever owned. Fiercely devoted to HER family, thrilled to attack anyone else. Got her as a puppy, socialized the hell out of her. I would take her places & people always wanted to touch her because she was so striking. "She bites" I would say, one hand on her collar. "But she's wagging her tail! She looks so sweet!" they would say. "the thought of biting you makes her happy" I would reply as I backed up. She got old and mostly deaf and could barely get up to go outside. My husband dug a hole and I made an appt with the vet and then canceled it. Finally did the deed several months later. Drove to the vet with the window down so she could hang her head out even though it was freezing. Held her while they inserted the IV b/c she wanted to bite the vet, as she had every vet visit of her life. I cried like a baby and I still miss her, but I'm not sure I'd get another. Now I have three JRTs, guess I just don't like "easy" dogs, lol.
ReplyDeletePlease please tell me that last pic of a quarter horse is photoshopped and not real... I've never seen anything like it.
ReplyDeleteClancy
"the thought of biting you makes her happy." That is so so funny!! I laughed out loud!
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI grew up with Irish Setters. They had a reputation for being sweet and goofy - nothing was further from the truth. Hig energy, SMART, and protective. Had to teach a couple of them the basics of protection work so that I could control the agression towards strangers. At the time I really disliked German Sherpers. We did obedience and they were usually my toughest competition. Fast forward many years - we are on our third European bloodlined shepherd. And just LOVE the dogs. They are sound mentally and physically, unlike the small, weedy, cowhocked American bloodlined dogs. They are still high energy and smart - a job for them is vitally important or else they make jobs up - like collecting dirty underwear, altering the chairs to 3 legs, shredding the Sunday news, etc. I am over the showing thing (dogs or horses), but the current dog is working at Open level obedience, expert rally, Schutzhund I, and basic agility dog. He will be four years old this year and loves to learn - he gobbles up all of the information that I can give him.....without all of his little jobs he'd be a basket case (so don't get one if you can't invest the time).
Haven't stopped in for a while but - yes! To all of this! Also is anyone else annoyed with the gross misrepresentation of cross bred (cough completely mongrelized) dogs being touted as pure bred dogs or even better suuuuuuuuper special rare breeds by rescues/shelters???? Maybe it's just us up here.... They're trying to pass a gold coloured spits/huskey build mix off as a "golden retriever" in ours right now. Other than the color it has absolutely nothing that's remotely close to a golden... Sigh...
ReplyDelete