there are not a lot of reputable Pomsky breeders that I am seeing on the net.

Yeah, that will be the case for the less mature breeds, because fewer breeders are involved. The temperament and ‘look’ will also evolve a lot more in the early stages.

Another possibility is to adopt an adult dog that is of our target breeds. In this way, the temperament of the dog will already be established.

Thank you for taking a moment to respond. I only learned about that breed once I began doing research on the Pomsky. My understanding of the breed is that they can be a little skittish/have socialization issues and also that you can’t let them off a leash. I do plan on informing my readers about the Alaskan Klee and other alternatives. Because, frankly…there are not a lot of reputable Pomsky breeders that I am seeing on the net.

Btw. if you are looking for a smaller Husky, the Alaskan Klee Kai may be a possible candidate.

I think petfinder is another great resource. I spent many hours on the site, going through pictures and descriptions, when I was looking for a second dog.

Your article says do not buy from pet stores or online stores. What do you mean by an online store and if not from these two sources, where should someone by a dog from?

I am putting together information about the Pomsky designer breed but am concerned about leading readers to unscrupulous breeders.

Should we breed dogs to achieve a certain look, if it also means that it may cause some health issues down the road?
Also, larger dogs tend to have shorter life-spans and are susceptible to issues such as bloat, hip issues, etc. – so does this mean we should only try to breed smaller dogs?

Very interesting questions.

Here is a passage from the Labradoodle page on Wikipedia together with reference articles –

Although Guide Dogs Victoria no longer breed Labradoodles, they are bred by other guide and assistance dog organizations in Australia and elsewhere.[5][6] Labradoodles are now widely used around the world as guide, assistance, and therapy dogs as well as being popular family dogs.[7][8][9]

I am no expert on Labradoodles and have not read any articles pertaining to what you describe. If you would provide some reputable links to such articles, I would love to read them and include them in the article.

Nevertheless, whether Labradoodles in particular were successful or unsuccessful does not negate the value of cross-breeding to combine genetic strengths or counter genetic weaknesses. After all, we have had much success with this in our current purebred dogs.

Now, if you are arguing that all types of breeding and indeed dog domestication in itself is undesirable, then that is a different, albeit still interesting discussion.

They aren’t hybrids.

The term hybrid can be used to describe both inter and intra species breeding.

The second meaning of “hybrid” is crosses between populations, breeds or cultivars of a single species.
This second meaning is often used in plant and animal breeding. An example of an intraspecific hybrid is a hybrid between a Bengal tiger and an Amur (Siberian) tiger.. ~~[Science Daily]

In any case, it does not matter to me which terms are used. That has little relevance to the discussion.

Purebred dogs were hybrids in the past. The problem is not with the cross-breeding of dogs but rather with bad breeding practices and lack of controls/laws around those practices. This has little to do with whether a dog is purebred, hybrid, mutt, or whatever term we choose to use.

As you say, education and positive communication are key. Shouting, personal attacks, and righteous condemnation are generally poor ways to convince others of a certain point of view.

2. They aren’t hybrids. Hybrids are the result of crossing species. All dogs are the same species. Cross breeding does nothing as far as genetic issues go when you cross breeds that share those problems or carry problems that only require one parent to be afflicted.

3. Yes there are bad breeders on BOTH sides. Which is why education of the dog buying population is key.

4. The number of BAD breeder has always outnumbered any possible ‘GOOD’ breeders breeding mixes. 80-90% of them do no health clearances at all let alone provide decent health guarantees.

5. The less than nice feelings towards “designer dogs” has ALWAYS been do to the fact there has never been a shortage of mutts, ever, available at one’s local shelter/rescue. Fact is anyone who spends more than what any shelter or rescue would charge for that same mutt needs their head examined.

6. 99% of mutt breeders are breeding just to capitalize on the current fad. They certainly aren’t doing it to produce new and better breeds or healthier animals. There are 400+ breed worldwide. Many of which are perfectly suitable for people with allergies and unlike mutts have a more consistent tract record.

I do not think that anybody here suggests that all hybrid dogs are badly bred. As I described above, there are badly bred purebred dogs as well. The key is to be careful in choosing a good breeder, and it seems that that is exactly what you have done.

Sadly, there are also many bad breeders (of hybrid, purebred, and whatever else dogs). If you buy a dog from the pet store or from an online store, then you really do not know what conditions these puppies grew up in. The Animal Cop shows on t.v. frequently show puppy mills that they visit – and it is a really sad situation. It is not just one or two, but many of them over multiple episodes.

I have also seen many online advertisements that talk about having several litters per week, and they are run by just two people. It is just not possible to keep dogs in good conditions and still achieve those types of numbers.

The way I think about it is as follows – If you truly cared about something you would want to make sure they had a good life. Therefore breeders who truly care about their dogs would want to see who they sold their puppies to (like the ones you bought Teddy Bear from), and as a result would not sell through pet stores or online stores.

It is not about purebred vs. hybrid, or adopted vs. hybrid. Rather, it is about visiting breeders and getting a ‘well-bred’ puppy from a responsible breeder – which is what you have done.