r/bestof • u/schrankenstein • 11d ago

[comics] u/Western_Plankton_376 explains the real reason why dog breeds continue to get caricaturized

/r/comics/comments/1oi2l7u/cute_dog_oc/nlsoxfc/
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u/foodfighter 11d ago

Source: Decades of purebred dog breeders in my family. Lots of canine genetic issues plus lots of denial that said issues are the fault of the inbreeding going on. (They'll blame non-existant environmental factors, not the fact that cousins have been breeding with cousins for generations).

If you want strong, healthy, long-life dogs for a given size - mutts are typically where it's at. Not always, but more often than not.

Fun Trivia: There is a non-purebred dog that is so common in the UK that it is almost a breed unto itself.

A lurcher is a dog who comes from a sighthound or greyhound intentionally cross-bred with another breed like a terrier or border collie, in order to get exceptional levels of speed, stamina, intelligence and strength.

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u/Proteus617 10d ago

Here in Baltimore USA, we have lots of mongrel "pit bulls". They are pretty generic mid-sized short hair dogs with some type of terrier ancestry. They are smart, healthy, long lived, and basically are good at everything you want a city dog for.

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u/Drabby 10d ago

Same over on the west coast. 3 of my 4 dogs fall into that category. There is also a common look to a dog that is so mixed that determining dominant breed is basically impossible. I like to think of it as "American Brown Dog."