Some time ago I saw a beautiful, big, black dog that I didn't know. Once at home I scoured plenty of photos of the different breeds, and found out that is was a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog! Here's an extract of what Wikipedia says about this breed:
The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, or Großer Schweizer Sennenhund, is the largest of the traditional Swiss herding breeds, the Sennenhunds, a grouping in which the Bernese Mountain Dog, Entlebucher Mountain Dog, and Appenzeller Sennenhund are also included. The Greater Swiss Mountain Dog has a reputation of combining protectiveness with a gentle nature, particularly with respect to its love of its family, especially children. These dogs are strong, active, and remarkably agile for their size. They are protective of their family and training is important for them to learn their place.
Wow, beautiful, strong & protective but gentle and loving! This sounds like a perfect match for what I would desire from a dog!
Here are some videos:
As briefly mentioned in my previous first post, I'm considering the addition of a new member to my family. Mescal is a great companion and I'm very proud of him - however I've always wanted a dog but for various reasons I never managed to have one. When I lived with my parent they absolutely didn't want it, and now that I live on my own I don't have enough space for him/her. I plan to move out of the city in a couple of years though, possibly in a bigger house with some green space around it. Then, finally, I'll be able to have a dog and give him a proper and enjoyable environment. (yes, I know you're probably arguing that a dog can live everywhere if his owner is willing to take him out enough for a walk or a run...but come on, life outside the city, in bigger spaces and with less chaos, is better for animals!)
I started reading books, newsgroups and forums, and reached the conclusion that I love Labrador Retrievers! They are loving, affectionate, patient, highly intelligent, loyal, willing...and beautiful. Because of these reasons (and NOT because Labs are fashion dogs features in TV ads, movies etc.!) I think I'd love owning a Labrador, and am thinking about purchasing a purebred, at the right time. Today however I had a pretty serious discussion with a friend of mine, Stefano (who also has a profile here: see him, his dog Lisa and his cat Drugo), who is contrary about purchasing purebred dogs and is instead a strong supporters of mixed-breed dogs, especially is rescued from a kennel. He says a mixed-breed can be as intelligent, loyal and lovable as a purebred...and by taking it from a kennel you are probably saving a life, and saving money at the same time. I do definitely agree that a mixed-breed can possibly love you as much as a purebred, and maybe even more if they realize you're saving them from a sad future. However, my argument is that if you take a mixed-breed puppy, you don't really know how it's gonna grow, if it's going to be a clam or aggressive dog (and I guess it's NOT all down to how you grow and educate it), if it's going to be easily trainable or not, and also how it's going to look like. These may sound as superficial reasons...isn't the love of your dog the only thing that matters? Well, for some people it is. For others, the behavior, character and look of the dog play a part as well. I'm not saying that you should appreciate more a purebred that a mixed-breed, I'm just saying that with a specific purebred (of a breed you've carefully chosen according to your taste and needs) you're just more likely to be fully satisfied and content of your dog. Of course, if you have a purebred Lab or German Shepherd, but you don't care of training it, you cannot expect the dog will learn and understand what you want from him on his own.
I also thought that purebred dogs, for which you know the parents and grandparents, should be "safer", talking about health, than mixed-breed dogs, because you know where the genes come from, and whether they are good or not. I however found this article on Wikipedia, that talks about the pros and cons of pure-breeds and mixed-breeds:
The mature appearance and behavior of purebred puppies is more predictable than that of mixed breeds, including cross-breeds. With purebred dogs, the genetic variations are well documented and a breeder has a fair estimation of what type of offspring a given pair will produce. Still, there is variation within breeds; for example, two champion sheep-herding Border Collies might produce offspring with no interest in sheep herding.
Overall, mixed breed dogs tend to be healthier. They have more genetic variations than purebred dogs. Often, breeds can be associated with specific health problems. Breeding dogs who are prone to similar health problems greatly increases the chance of health problems in the offspring. By breeding dogs who are prone to different problems, the chances of serious health problems are lowered. Genetic variety increases the chances of good health.
Two mixed breed dogs from Central AmericaSome trainers believe mixed-breeds exhibit higher average intelligence than purebreds, but others believe mixes are no more intelligent than purebreds. Both sets feature both slow learners and dogs with high learning capacity. For example, Benji, the hero in a series of films named for him, was a mixed-breed terrier. It may be more difficult to predict the trainability of mixed-breed dogs when they are very young. Most Golden Retrievers are eager to please, but a cross of a Golden with the independent Siberian Husky could inherit either dog's trainability—or could result in a dog with the endurance and athleticism of the Siberian and the trainability of the Golden.
Many people enjoy owning mixed breeds, valuing their unique appearance and characteristics; while purebred dogs exhibit little variability of appearance within their breed, mixed-breed dogs exhibit often unique appearances. Although some dog owners prefer the status of owning a specific breed of dog or have a nostalgic attachment to a breed they wish to acquire, many others enjoy mixed-breed dogs that exhibit characteristics similar to their favorite breeds; in fact, with a mixed-breed, they can enjoy some aspects of appearance and personality of two favorite breeds with a single dog. There is usually an abundant supply of mixed-breed dogs wanting owners, available at negligible prices, while pedigreed dogs can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars and reputable breeders can be hard to find.
Some owners value a dog's pedigree as a status symbol and, therefore, have no use for mixed-breed dogs; others particularly appreciate the physical or behavioral traits of certain breeds; still others ignore pedigree and, instead, value a dog's personality and health. In short, most dog owners believe that their dog's breed—and specifically their own dog—is the best sort of dog there is.
Local animal shelters adopt out dogs of both purebred and mixed ancestry, emphasizing each dog's personality and suitability as a companion for each potential owner's lifestyle.
Reading this, it sounds like I was wrong on this point. I think however they refer to mixed-breed dogs for which you know their parents and grandparents anyway. In that case, I have no problem believing that piece. In general however, when you take a dog from a kennel or from someone that offers them in some listing, you have no idea if the parents are healthy, what problems they have, etc...and you go blind. You may be very lucky with the puppy when it grows, or maybe not. You may be out of luck even with a purebred from a shelter, but I guess it's less likely.
The argument is complex and controversial, and I surely can't pretend to consume it here (I don't even have the knowledge to try). Ethical arguments about "buying a living being" might be raised, and much more. The bottom line of my thinking is simply this: a dog is for life, and both you and your dog must be happy of each other - because of this, it is best to know your dog as much as possible in advance, carefully choose it and plan its arrival, and then hope in luck and love!
Your take?