The other day, I heard a lady at the supermarket go on to her companion about how delightful her new Puggle was. Being the editor of a pet magazine, I make it my business to know anything related to pets that is not already in my knowledge. So, I asked her and she informed me that a Puggle was a cross between a Pug and a Beagle. She showed me its picture on her mobile phone and the resemblance of the two breeds was striking in the puppy. It had the body of a Beagle with a ‘Puggish’ face. Intrigued, I soon googled the word ‘Puggle’ and was led to a webpage featuring a Puggle puppy. It said in bold, “Cuddles, muddles, playful and joyful Puggle puppies.” Further, “These pups are very charming. Having attitude of Beagle and activeness of Pug. ’’ A couple of days later, I came across the adorable, toy-like Bichpoo, a Bichon Frise/Toy Poodle hybrid. Clearly, the trend that was on the rise four years ago in the US had hit our shores. Crossing dogs, an artA designer dog or a hybrid breed is a mixed breed with a fancy name. They are the fabrication of two different pure breeds that have been purposely mated to produce a desired effect. The primary identifying mark of a crossbred ‘designer dog’ is that the resulting puppies are called by a port-manteau word made up of syllables (or sounds) from the breed names of the two purebred parents, such as Schnoodle (Schnauzer and Poodle). For better or worseGiven the roughly 350 inherit-ed disorders littering the dog genome, crossing two purebreds and expanding their gene pools can be “a phe-nomenally good idea” according to some canine geneticists — if done conscientiously. Phani Kumar, research associate at Bioaxis DNA Research Centre Pvt Ltd, a firm that engages in DNA testing of animals, plants and humans, says, “Only a professional canine geneticist should indulge in the mixing of breeds. Breeders must pursue the breeding guidelines of an established kennel club and adhere to them strictly. Our firm receives various queries on genetic testing. Therefore, if a breeder is keen on engendering a new breed, they should engage our services to assess the risks involved for the off-spring.” Traditionalists see mixing breeds as somehow irresponsible in and of itself. “People who are doing this under the deceitful garb of trying to eliminate diseases should realise that only trained animal geneticists or scientific breeders are equipped with the know-how to understand which breed will compliment another,” says K S Massey, a breeder of purebred Boxers. Fans of designer dogs respond that all modern dog breeds were created from earlier breeds through the same kind of selective breeding that is used to beget designer dogs. The Toy Poodle was bred down in size from larger Poodles, most likely, by crossing with various Bichon types, such as the Maltese and Havanese. A majority of the modern breeds have ancestries that include various older dog types and breeds. Still, dog purists are crying fowl. They believe it is unfair to label mixed breeds ‘designer’ when they’re really mutts with fancy hairdos. “Hybridisation is a grey area — unfortunately, in our country, this is still a largely disorganised trade. Physical and personality drawbacks may get multiplied in this practice, causing disastrous results,” warns Dr James Rappai of JRG Vet Clinic, Noida, NCR.D for designerDesigner dogs may only promise what dog breeding always has — the opportunity to create a custom-designed ideal; a more convenient, useful animal suited to our needs. So, then, to what extent are these new mutts a remedy for what’s wrong with our old dogs and to what extent are they a symptom of what’s wrong with us? Who is to decide that a Pug + Beagle is more desirable than a dog of unknown parentage? Why must we follow the rule of ‘Designerdom?’ “People want whatever is the flavour of the season. Right now, the big fad is designer dogs. And it’s just a fad,” prophecises Ravi T, a breeder of purebred Pugs. Lovers of hybrids feel there is unnecessary negativity around the subject. “So, I like the way my doggy looks different. What’s so bad about that?” questions Sharad Kachroo, who owns a Boxador.(Rutaksha Rawat is the editor of Creature Companion magazine. She lives in Pune with her husband and dog, Eddie Rawat)
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