A Great Marketing Idea!

Like everyone else, I have a few "pet peeves" and one of them happens to be the current craze for "designer dogs." What a marketing scheme! Call a mixed breed a "designer dog," slap a clever name on it to define its parentage, and charge people a whole lot of money. Whoever came up with that one deserves a marketing genius of the year award.

I have absolutely NOTHING against mixed breed dogs. Every dog my family had when I grew up was a mixed breed, and each one was a wonderful, loving pet. What I have a problem with is the marketing hype. For example, potential buyers might hear that the designer dogs are "healthier" than their purebred parents. Hmmm…does anyone have a clue about genetics? They might hear that they are "easier to train" or are "hypoallergenic" or "do not shed" or "do not mat." Many of these poor mixed breeds are flooding animal shelters because what buyers got did not live up to the hype. Some purebred dog clubs are assisting with rescue of the mixed breeds related to their purebreds but others are not. Rescue is expensive and many clubs' human and financial resources are limited.

If you want a mixed breed, labeled as a "designer dog," by all means spend a lot of money and go buy one. But, as any breeder of purebreds will tell you, research, research, research before you buy. Research the breeds that created the mix, research the breeder, think about how the toss of the genetic dice might turn up for the particular puppy you are attracted to. Don't fall victim to a marketing scheme or a cute "breed name."

So, today I open myself to criticism as I share with you a poem I wrote one day when I was in a stew about "designer dogs." Actually, it was originally written as a song, but you'll have to settle for reading it as a poem!


Designer Dog Lament
by Joyce Johanson

Oh, there are Labradoodles and Skye-oodles a playin' on the floor.
There are Lhasa-poos and Cocka-poos and Dachsie-poos galore.
Where e'er you look nowadays "designer dogs" abound,
But if I wanted to buy a mixed breed, I'd just go to the pound!

There's a Puggle and a Poogle that live just down the street.
And my neighbor has a Yorkienese he thinks is really neat.
There's a "great designer" cross with a Westie and a hound,
But if I wanted to buy a mixed breed, I'd just go to the pound!

Oh, there are Puli-oodles and Dal-oodles a playin' on the floor
There are Pug-a-poos and Shihtza-poos and KeeShiTzus galore
Where e'er you look nowadays "designer dogs" abound,
But if I wanted to buy a mixed breed, I'd just go to the pound!

The guy who mows my lawn paid three thousand bucks – it's true!
To buy a Shih Tzu-ranian –-- or was it a Pomer-Tzu?
"Designer dog's" a label, as fancy as it may sound
For quite a lot of mixed breeds you can pick up at the pound.

Oh, there are Maltes-oodles and Haven-ooddles a playin' on the floor.
There are Griff'N'poos and Shiba Tzus and Peke-a-poos galore.
Where e'er you look nowadays "designer dogs" abound,
But if I wanted to buy a mixed breed, I'd just go to the pound!

The unsuspecting public has fallen for a scheme!
They pay big bucks to buy a dog that's not what it may seem.
Yep, it seems to me there's lots 'n' lotsa silly folks around,
Cuz if they want to buy a mixed breed, they should just go to the pound!

Oh, there are Dobie-doodles and Chow-oodles a playin' on the floor.
There are Yorkie-poos and Beagle-poos and Boston-Tzus galore.
Where e'er you look nowadays "designer dogs" abound,
But if you wanna buy a mixed breed, why don't ya go to the pound?

Bye for now…and remember: Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce