Dog Stereotyping

A number of people have this belief that there is some sort of hierarchy in the dog kingdom, and we're not talking about the scientific aspect, but rather the "class" structure; pretty much similar to the human social strata. They view the order this way:

1. Purebreed
2. Crossbreed (crossbreeding 2 purebreds)
3. Mixed breed (mixed heritage where 1 parent is purebred)
4. Mongrel (unknown heritage)

This hierarchy is pretty much the standard order. Number 4 on the list of 4 is such a sad sad situation (and they say 1 is a lonely number!). It does give mongrels the automatic heave-ho even in the first stage of the family caucus, when deciding to buy a dog.

In certain cases, a mongrel or a mixed breed can pass up as crossbreed if it has a very recognizable feature of a purebred. Unfortunately, mongrels tend to have no prominent purebreed feature, hence, they end up in the lowest wrung of the doggie ladder. With that said, it's tough to make people see mongrels in a different light because there's this dog social caste system hovering around their minds like a dark cloud bursting and spewing negative (and often inaccurate) perceptions.

What needs to be realized here is that mongrels and mixed breeds can be awesome pets and may even be better companions compared to their counterparts in some respects. The key is to break the dog stereotype and see the potential of the dog as a family pet, a companion, a guard dog, or whatever function it has to fulfill as part of the family.