Well, why would you breed a dog to look like that? Surely they face the same health consequences as Persian cats, which are not particularly nice.
I'm not a big fan of animals being bred to look a specific way anyhow, especially as there are so many homeless pets in shelters looking for a good home AND the health risks involved as well as the fact that those that are not "good enough" often get put down.

I think if I did buy a particular breed that was expensive, I'd give the local shelter the same amount, just because I'd hate to think what they could have done with that cash as opposed to me having a "fancy" dog. And with pugs having become all the rage this past year, there will be a great deal of them bred and you'll be able to fetch a lot of them in the Tierheim within a year's time or so, when the next fashion dog comes along. Sorry I'm so jaded but with a sister who works for a vet, a friend who works in an animal shelter and knowing a lady who runs the equivalent of an old people's home for unwanted cats, I go a bit soap-boxy when I see a dog or cat that has been raised to fit our concept of cute as opposed to what nature planned for it to look like.

I really don't mean to offend, really, probably still do, I just feel we are made to suffer enough for appearances as humans and so on and so forth. Ok, I'll shut up and illustrate what I mean with one of the felines I have come across.

Nobody wanted this little chap (he's called Churchill) so he lives at SOS Chats in Noiraigue but he's one of the most affectionate cats I've ever come across:

I hear what you're saying, Kittster, and you have a certain point.

The same crap happens everytime there is a dog in a film - an increase in demand for that breed. Giving Dalmatians to other people for Christmas was a huge trend one year in the USA! People didn't know that at least 1 per litter is born deaf, and many ended up at the dog pound several months later once they were overgrown and less cute. Dalmatians are also dogs that become destructive if they aren't kept busy or being used for work. That's why they were always firefighting mascots.

Asking why someone likes a pug could be potentially offensive to a pug owner and this thread is all about our prides and our joys! Our babies! We need to say nice things or nothing at all!

I have ears like a hobbit's (among other odd features) and still have had 2 marriage proposals in my lifetime. It takes all kinds in this world - we will never know why some people like some things and others not.

My cat, Monty, is some kind of Persian mix and he's so good-looking I could eat him up! Problem is that he's not low in fat, so I have to watch it!

Monty was very obese and had a hard time being adopted at the animal shelter before I came along. People laughed at him on a daily basis because of his size. He has lost a kilo this past year! He is the perfect size to me and always has been. He fits right inside my heart!

Well me and my wife have always loved pugs, long before we met, it's not a fashion thing, I've had and knows many dogs and other pets thru my life of all sorts. In the few months we have had pixel he's given us more love and laughs than any of them put together and I refuse to feel guilty for liking a breed and not getting a rescue dog, it's not my fault some people get a dog without thinking it thru, thats them not me, if I had the money and space I'd give them all a home but i dont.

I think the problem of puppy mills and dodgy pet shops selling dogs to people is far worse than breeding certain types of pedigree dogs, afterall they all have their own problems it's not just pugs, and pugs aint new, some would say they started breeding them in china thousands of years ago.

I'm sorry if I offended you, I tend to be very brash when I see something that brings a strong sentiment in me. In fact, if you have loved pugs (called Mops in German, for those looking to extend their vocab with random words) for a while, you must not be too pleased with the current trend of the moment. Especially young women with a penchant to carry their dogs in little bags seem to have discovered them of late, which is doubly unfortunate since the breed is prone to obesity and needs regular exercise. They seem to have replaced the poor bichon frisé...

Puppy mills are bad (I assume you mean people who mass breed), they are another downside of "trendy" breeds, they try and copy them, sell them for as much they can get, sadly the animals tend to be of bad health and don't get socialised at all. So if you do fall in love with a breed, check the shelters OR go to a certified breeder, don't go for the "sensational price for toy poodles" offers you often see in the Fundgrube. My friend often sees puppies in such bad states that it takes a few days to figure out which ones are going to live at all. I know you all know this but I also know that forking out CHF 2000.- plus for a dog can be a bit much for a lot of us.

Overbreeding is another problem, as you can see with little Churchill, I bet his littermates were only marginally different but it is a fine line with special features like that.

I think it is as with most things: One should not switch off the brain when getting a dog, and mass production certainly is bad. We got our dog by chance (a neighbour passed by a farm, and the farmer was just killing puppies, so she took the last one that was alive and asked if we would take the puppy - hence the name, Felix), and he is a genuine Heinz 57, lovely, fun, smart, cute, just perfect. He has turned blind at the age of 10, which is by far too early - and certainly not the result of breeding. Those things happen.

But friends got a dog whose previous owners had apparently not treated the dog right, so that the dog turned out to be aggressive. When you have kids, that's difficult. I can also understand it when you want a certain breed because you hope for certain characteristics such as calmness, child friendliness, etc. And I recently heard of a breed called Labradoodle, a mix of Labradors and Poodles, for blind people with a dog allergy, because apparently, Poodle hair does not cause allergic reactions. Several friends of mine have bought dogs here in Switzerland, and the dogs are just great, healthy and - well, just dogs.

I was under the impression that it was no longer allowed and, in fact, no longer accepted as "beautiful" by breeders if dogs had characteristics that impaired their health. E.g., I think I heard that the German Shepherd is now bred to have a straight back rather than a sloping back, which should avoid hip problems and pain. I hope that this is done in all cases where animals suffer for fashion.

But where no such health issues arise: Long live healthy, fun, loving little pugs like Pixel!
Enjoy all your furry (and non-furry) companions!
Idgie

Pixel is a great name, by the way.

Yeah, the Labradoodle is a new thing. Yorkies are also good for allergy sufferers as they have real hair. I wouldn't get one because I'd be afraid to step on it but each to their own, right?

As one might guess from my user name, I have a thing for collies (and shelties).

I have no quarrel with responsible breeders who ensure that their dogs go carefully screened homes, and who offer lifetime support to their line. But I see the problems created by unscrupulous breeders/puppy farmers, and there seem to be far more of those around. I got involved in rescue partly because my favorite dogs are especially vulnerable to whims of fashion - and too many are dumped once the fleeting fancy passes.

The popularity of blue merles in collies, shelties, and aussies is a growing concern. Because they are relatively rare, merle pups can command very high prices. However, the gene that creates such a stunning coat also carries a risk of serious health problems. Merling is recessive; one can safely breed a merle to a tri, but the probablilty of producing a merle pup in any given litter is quite low. Breeding a merle to a merle improves the chances of producing merle pups (and making more money) - but doubles are likely to be born blind, even without eyeballs, or deaf, or both. Breed clubs have outlawed double merle breeding but many unscrupulous greedy b*stards are still doing it.

So when that fluffy blue pup you paid hundreds/thousands of dollars for turns out profoundly disabled...

Another heart breaking part of collie rescue is 'Lassie syndrome'. Every time a new movie comes out, or the TV series is re-run, six months later you can bet there will be wave of dumped dogs. People want the fictitious character, not a real live dog - and few collies have anything in common with Lassie. (Hey, if it was up to my crew, Timmy would still be stuck down the well. ) Many numpties/impulse buyers have no idea of what collies are really like, don't understand that a pup needs training and socialization, or have even given a thought as to whether a collie is appropriate to their lifestyle. Once the novelty wears off - out goes the dog.

(Stepping on soap box...)

I get very irked at the 'designer dogs' marketing - a labradoodle, goldennoodle, sprollie, cockapoo, etc. is simply a cross breed. Not that there is anything wrong with that - all dogs of all varieties are beautiful and equally worthy of love in my eyes. But there is no need to line the pocket of irresponsible puppy farmers. Pounds and shelters are already overflowing with similar gorgeous dogs.

It takes many years and generations of careful crossing to stabilize a new trait - with these designer crosses it's still a roll of the dice as to what genes will carry through. Some Labradoodle offspring may have the poodle hair, some will not. Many years down the road there might be a stable, replicable 'Labradoodle' - but at this point it's not much more than marketing hype.

But people flock to the latest catchy name or trend, ready to spend money ... and unfortunately dogs are being bred to meet that demand, with little thought to the consequences.

(Stepping off soapbox...)

If you are thinking of adding a dog to your life, please consider rescue. Pure bred, designer cross, or good old Heinz 57... your dream dog is probably already at a shelter, waiting for you to take him or her home.

I once knew of a Bullmastiff who got it on with a very petite mini Dobi (to the surprise and fear of their owners).

She had a very difficult labor to deliver those puppies!

The French have a lovely name for a Heinz 57 dog: "un-petit-coin-de-rue", which literally means "a little street corner".

Shelter dogs and cats often seem to understand that you essentially gave them a second chance and become particularly devoted pets. Also, mad mixes tend to have lovely, silly characters, farm cats tend to be healthy for most of their lives. My dad's sadly deceased cats were common European Housecats and two of them lived to be over 20 years of age! But to be honest, my dream cat is a Skogkatt or Norwegian Forest Cat, they are huge, have long fur and are apparently mild tempered fellows that don't object to being put on leashes and some of them even like to do the things dogs do such as running after bouncy balls and bringing them back. They look like this:

And this:



But essentially, just any cat would be fine, as long as it doesn't mind being cuddled and played with a lot.

Definitely. They are usually the most loving ones.

They sound a lot like Maine Coon cats, which tend to be quite huge and friendly.

I had a black kitty who used to play fetch with me and pompom type balls. He demanded fetch time. It broke my heart to leave him in America, but he had a chronic cold and it would have been difficult to get him through customs here as when he sneezed it was, well, gross. I'm sticking a photo of him and one of his snotbubbles in the picture thread. Still breaks my heart I had to give him away

with my older dog just coming up to 13 years of age, we've earmarked a 10-month-old Alsation/Rottweiler bitch who is currently at a rescue centre and is lovely - but nobody wants her as she shows her teeth when she wants to play.

As we got our younger dog from that place and they love his return visits, I think they have complete faith in our ability to "rectify" these damaged dogs. Apparently our 35kg Amstaff male is one of two dogs there to have NEVER bared teeth at any person nor dog (they had him 18 months). In fact, one dog escaped from the pen next to him and slept under his chin. Awwwww

Cheers about the name, theres also the Puggle now a cross between a pug and a beagle.

We thought long and hard about getting a dog, pretty much did research for almost a year before we found a breeded we liked in switzerland went to see the puppies when they were about 4-5 weeks old, then went back to pick up Pixel when he was around 10 weeks. It's was a 4 hour drive there and back and he was great in the car.

It's a shame you dont like Pugs, they really are the jokers of the dog world, Pixel goes from the most adorable little well behaved thing to a naughtly little boy in a flash sometimes and when they start Pugtona (running laps around things for no apparent reason) it's really funny to see.