Designer doggies

The dogs are cute, and their names are even cuter.

“Puggles,” “Yorkipoos” and “Labradoodles” are just a sample of the growing market of hybrid “designer” dogs being sought out by puppy lovers everywhere.

Jessica Simpson last July got a toy “Malti-poo” for her birthday, and Internet sites run rampant with people demanding to know where they can get one. They’re willing to pay $2,500 or more to get the right mix.

Michael V. Martina / The Herald

Connie Hillin of Everett is the proud owner of a “puggle” named Pandora. A puggle, a mix between a pug and a beagle, is one of the new boutique dogs like “Labradoodles,” a mix of a Labrador and a poodle, that is gaining popularity. Buster, Hillin’s 7-year-old Boston terrier plays in the background.

Breeders and pet stores that sell the mixes, which generally blend one pure breed with another, advertise them as the next great thing in pet ownership.

They say the mixes exhibit the best qualities of each breed, have fewer health problems, can benefit people with dander allergies and are just plain adorable.

But these peek-a-poms, sniffons and Yorkteses have ruffled the coats of strict breeders, animal rights activists and the American Kennel Club. Because the mixes are so new, critics say, their health and temperament can be unpredictable.

The designer doggies also might be left unwanted if problems arise, they say. Purebreds, on the other hand, generally have rescue groups dedicated to saving them.

“Everybody’s trying to look for the next great big fad,” said Dr. Gail Miller, a veterinarian and canine reproduction specialist at Snohomish Veterinary Hospital.

“These pseudo-breeders really don’t have to meet any particular AKC (American Kennel Club) restrictions or specifications,” Miller said. “They can do it privately and the goal is maybe a little status, and to charge by giving it a breed name and having people pay for it. But it’s a mixed-breed dog; most of those are given away.”

Connie Hillin of Everett bought Pandora, her puggle – a pug and beagle mix – about five months ago and instantly fell in love.

“We were one of the first ones around in this area to have her,” Hillin said of her soft-coated, wrinkled-faced, floppy-eared, curly-tailed pup. “Lots of people that see her say, ‘I want one.’ She’s something else, too.”

Hillin, who has worked at Pet Pourri in Everett for 10 years and got her dog there, believes many of the new mixes will eventually become recognized breeds. The puggles generally sell there for $500.

“I don’t think there’s anything really wrong with them,” said Hillin, who also has a 7-year-old Boston terrier. “The Boston terrier is just a French bulldog and terrier mix and it’s become a breed over the years.

“The breeders don’t want this to happen because it takes money from them. But it happens all the time. Something was crossed with something else to make something new. It’s just inevitable.”

Lisa Peterson, public relations manager for the American Kennel Club, said it can take decades for a new breed to gain recognition. The Labradoodle, which was developed in research centers in Australia in the late 1970s, appears to be the only one of the new mixes on that track, she said.

“If people are truly passionate about the breed and the health of dog, they will spend decades and generations on refining the breed into something that can become a purebred dog,” Peterson said.

“People who impulsively bought a puggle because it was cute – the puggle has no purebred rescue to go to. It doesn’t have champion of the puggle to pick up the pieces.”

While most of the new designer dogs are still being bred from one pure breed to another, Labradoodles have been breeding one to another for a couple of generations.

Labradoodle breeders like Gail Widman of Bellingham are keeping the necessary records, taking the necessary photos and passing the necessary tests to become recognized by the AKC.

“We’re doing everything we can do to make this a very, very healthy, strong breed,” said Widman, who owns Whispering Winds Labradoodles.

She charges $2,500 for a puppy and has sold 30 since she started in 2001.

“We’re focusing on quality and temperament, structural quality and personality.”

Miller, the veterinarian, said there is merit behind the concept of hybrid vigor, which says fewer health problems could arise with mixes. Pure breeds are sometimes inbred because the gene pool is so small. By introducing a second breed into the mix, the gene pool is broadened, she said.

The main issue, in terms of health, is to ensure that you’re buying from a credible breeder and that you can find out as much as possible about where a puppy came from, Miller said.

Puppy mills and back yard breeders – which are in business purely to make money and take little or no care of their puppies – are likely to try to cash in on the growing trend.

“If a breeder won’t let you come over and see the dogs, that’s a red flag,” Miller said. “A pet store should be willing to tell you and provide the dog’s pedigree, the name of the breeder or breeding kennel. If they can’t tell you where they came from, that’s a red flag.

“It’s buyer beware,” Miller said. “It’s a cliche, old-fashioned term, but you do still need to do your homework.”

Reporter Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet .com.

What’s in a name?

Here are some popular mixed breeds.

Poodles are often used in designer dog mixes because of their lack of shedding and their relative ease on people with allergies.

For more information on other mixes, visit www.dogbreedinfo.com:

Boxerdoodle: Boxer and poodle

Cockapoo: Cocker spaniel and poodle

Labradoodle: Labrador and poodle

Pomchi: Pomerianian and Chihuahua

Malti-Pom: Maltese and Pomerianian

Malti-poo: Maltese and poodle