Question in the title really. I think I have seen just one mongrel and that could have been a strange looking Swiss purebreed. when our girl asks what sort of dog she is looking at, I can confidently say GSD, Weimeraner, Labrador, Golden retriever, dachshund, yorkshire terrier etc. Are mongrels put down at birth or even more sinister is it a requirement of Zug kanton that your dog have papers?

Hmm then again there's alot of Bratwurst, Cervelat etc. all over the place...

Mines a mutt..you are welcome to come over and stare at him for a bit if you like.

Yeah we had a mutt too, but it was an import. Maybe mutts are not as much of a status symbol..

What a very kind offer, but I'll have to turn you down. Our daughter is desperate for a pet - cat or dog but dog would be the top choice. Nasty Mummy says not until we decide how long we will be staying. She has stick insects, what more could she want?
Our girl lives in fantasy world, she has written to Father Christmas and asked for a real reindeer and a giraffe. Both have to be living and breathing. I have tried to explain that they won't fit in our flat and I'm not clearing up the mess. She is so artful though she said it would be better to have a dog then!

Stick insects can be joined at extremities and trained to walk well like a dog.... barking on the other hand is trickier


Are you considering getting her a mutt then? If so, you might want to check around farm houses, thats were I've seen them before.

No, we won't be getting anything furry wiht a pulse until we know where we are going to settle. I had to have two cats euthanised when we left Oman, we couldn't find a home for them and it was unfair to put them out on the streets. Couldn't go through that trauma again. I am a sensitive flower

Hey, it's not necessarily a fantasy world, I requested a big brother for Christmas in 1987 and those of you who were at the breakfast buffet will be able to confirm that I have indeed now got one, all 6'4" of him.

About the dogs, depends on what you perceive as a mongrel (the German word is "Promenadenmischung" and the French call them "un-petit-coin-de-rue"). My sister's dog, Rory, is a mongrel and I think she's absolutely gorgeous.

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Hi Zug bound, I too would love to own a hound, but due to work hours, it's just not possible, so to get my "mut" fix I go down to the local dog shelter in Kloten where they willingly let you take their dogs out for walks. I know it's a bit far for you but here's the link incase you're tempted:
http://www.tierambulanz-verein.ch/Gassigehen.htm

You need to present your permit as ID, but they provide the lead (and dog!!) and you're welcome to take along any little treats. Various models of dog in varying sizes available too to suit the walker

Good luck!

I can't believe you had your cats put down. I personally, could never ever do that.

But I totally agree with the OP, most of the dogs I see around Zurich appear to be pedigree.

I doubt if the cats enjoyed the trauma either.
dave

Half lab, bit Spaniel, bit something else, all stupid.

Here's one from the shelter near the Zurich airport:


A Podenco-mix, very sweet, loves to run. Go take him or his brothers/sisters for a run or long walk.

find out when the zoo keepers clean out the poop in giraffe/zebra/whatever cages, and take your daughter there then. i doubt she'll still want any animal that big anymore.

if you've seen the bums along the limmat in downtown zurich, you're bound to have seen mutts. they def seem to be a status symbol in that milieu.

btw aren't little girls supposed to want ponies? what's wrong with kids these days that a cute little pony isn't good enough?!

also, how awesome is it the thread title was truncated at "since arr"?! ef is being overrun by pirates!

Chemgodess, we didn't have our cat's put to sleep casually. As soon as we knew we were leaving (9 months notice) we began trying to find new homes for them. Sadly, Arabs don't have much interest in domestic pets and the ex-prats in the Middle East are a fluid community. We did have an offer to home the girl but this was withdrawn when the family were sent to Amsterdam. It would have cost us around 10,000 dollars to get them to Thailand where their life would not have been fun. they were both rescued from a bin at the aged 4 weeks, their mother had been poisoned and their 4 siblings were dead too. it cost us a lot of money and time getting them vaccinated, neutered and into good health. We gave them three years of happiness which is probably 2 3/4 years more life expectancy than the normal bin cat in Muscat. It truly wasn't a decision we took lightly.

Just noticed this thread and thought I'd share something I saw a few weeks ago.

While driving down the highway in Florida I saw a big billboard sign which advertised proudly - "Mixed breeds - Florida's new pedigree". I would have tried to photograph it, but I was creased over with laughter.

Does the shelter at Kloten do adoptions as well, or is it just for casual dog walkers? Come the new year I'll have the free time to look after a dog and I'm doing research at the moment to find somewhere that I can find a nice pooch to keep me company while working from home

(Ideally a black lab x collie, if anyone spots one )

If anyone wants to go sightseeing for mongrels, come to Bern, especially around the Bahnhof.
The Needlebobs all have at least two, as they receive cash from the Stadt to feed them on ...

That's a bit holier-than-thou.