#as if there aren't so many poodle mixes in shelters

[l3irdl3rain]

people online will see someone who owns a poorly bred animal and be like "wow. dislike. you support animal abuse" as if there is no way you could end up with a poorly bred animal rather than buying it from a breeder

[firelightfoxes]

i saw a post recently that made me want to state my opinion on something.

i do not hate doodles. in fact, i would say i'm pro doodle. as long as the doodle is bred or acquired ethically, i have 0 problem with them existing.

obviously doodles can have problems much like many other breeds. many. most of them. but that doesn't mean they shouldn't exist! and uninformed/uneducated buyers will unfortunately always be a thing. it doesn't mean that whatever they're buying shouldn't exist.

i don't anymore, but i worked in the animal industry (pet retail, shelter, and veterinary) for about 3 years. i NEVER saw a doodle that was as awful as so many people paint them to be. i'm not saying they don't exist! just anecdotally, i interacted with plenty of doodles that were totally fine. not my cup of tea as far as dogs go, but non problematic. in fact, most of the nervy messes i can remember were purebreds (looking at you schnauzers). that does not mean i think that schnauzers should not exist or that we should witch hunt the people who breed or own them.

in my experience working in rescue, i very rarely saw any dogs that could've been a poodle mix (think curls or furnishings) - and when i did, they wouldn't last more than a day there before getting adopted. people like doodley dogs! i understand this may differ regionally, but where i'm located, we don't have an overpopulation problem of doodles. we DO have a very clear overpopulation of pitbulls and bully breed mixes.

but back to the point. people hate doodles for all sorts of reasons - they're designer dogs, they're a fad, they're bred for money, their coats are bad, etc etc. okay fine, you're entitled to that - but you CAN'T hate doodles for those reasons unless you also hate all the other breeds or mixes (sport mixes!!!) that fall under the above criteria as well. doodles aren't special. they're not different. they're just another type of dog and people like them. popularity isn't a sin. lots of breeds have had their time in the spotlight and yet their owners aren't verbally flogged for having them.

i'm pro rescue and adoption. i'm pro ethical breeding. i have a rescue mutt from a shelter and i have a purebred dog from a breeder. and i believe that doodles fill a niche in a lot of homes that other breeds don't. hence their popularity. if you hate doodles, i think you should really try to think deeply about WHY. like, i'll most likely never own a doodle because they're not what i want in a dog - and if you groomed them and thought they were always annoying and you dislike them - fine! but when you think that every single doodle is the scourge of the earth and people should be ashamed for owning them, you need to sit down and think about that, because chances are you've fallen prey to some sort of anti-doodle propaganda without truly examining the facts.

[science-fiction-is-real]

Opinions about dogs.

1) the adopt don't shop crowd is wrong. There are a very large number of legitimate reasons to want a puppy instead of an adult dog, to want a pure bred with a predictable temperament and predictable health outcomes instead of a dog of unknown origins. You are not hurting dogs by going to a reputable breeder. It sucks that there are lots of dogs in shelters but you aren't a horrible person because you want to be picky about a (potentially dangerous!) animal that you bring into your house.

2) yes, that poodle mix is probably from a backyard breeder. Backyard breeders and puppy mills are one of the main reasons why pure bred dogs often have so many health problems. If you want a puppy do your research and make sure the breeder is doing extensive genetic testing, and that their dogs are being "proven" in some way such as through show, sports, or obedience classes.

3) mutts are not necessarily healthier than pure breds. A mixed breed dog can still have genetic problems. My dog was a mix of more than 10 different breeds (DNA test) and he still inherited really bad dry eye from his schnauzer ancestor four generations back. He also had horrible arthritis. Breeders who do genetic testing are the key to making sure future generations of dogs are healthier

4). Even if a dog breeder is a member of a prominent kennel club, even if they breed to standard, genetically test, only breed dogs with the best temperament, that does not make them an ethical breeder.

Many of these breeders are still pairing dogs that are close genetic relatives.

And also, there are some breeds of dog that CANNOT be ethically bred. The only way to ethically breed such a dog is if you are crossing it with something else.

Brachycephalic breeds need to go extinct. Pugs, bull dogs, boxers, Boston terriers, there is no ethical way to breed these dogs because the main characteristic that makes them the breed they are is actually a horrific genetic deformity that causes the dog to suffer.

Shar peis with their extreme wrinkles should go extinct.

Dalmatians should go extinct because the same genes that cause them to be white with black spots also cause them to be prone to deafness and kidney problems.

And there are other breeds that are like this.