In these parts there are lots of doodles, and they go for thousands, way more than many purebred dogs. It’s ridiculous. My daughter has become a master groomer, specializing in doodles, and she does maybe five dogs a day, and depending on size, it’s up to $100 a dog.
It’s a whole world I wasn’t fully up with until we got ours. She has a business arrangement with a big place, and they provide all the work she wants, they split the fee 50-50, and she keeps all the tips, which are quite a lot on top, too.
The temperament of the dogs is excellent. Our Bernedoodle occasionally has ear issues, but we just make sure we keep them clean and he’s fine. They don’t shed much.
The Jack Russell puppy is a feisty little bugger, and if she had any size to her, she would batter the pair of them, no problem. As it is, they are bemused by her.
I read a lot of dogs have been bred to accommodate the modern living trends… small dogs, small legs, hence not much exercise needed, so are happy if they are stuck in an apartment all day while owners are at work…
Speaking of mixing up the gene pool, the breeder we got our dog from imported a sire from Scotland to America. They are probably the number one breeder of labradoodles in the Midwest, very ethical, with trainers, vets, a boarding kennel, and a groomer (my daughter) all working on a lovely farm property not so far from where I live.
I’m not sure if I agree entirely with their cute/cruel delimitation. It’s more a case of whether they can function properly as a cat.
Spynx cats tend to be housebound as they can’t survive in colder weather and I have friends whose Maine Coon developed painful arthritis due to it’s excessive size.
On the other hand, Manx cats are a natural mutation, and whilst that mutation will cause kittens to be stillborn if doubled, the rest of the cat is evolved to accommodate it.
As ever, it is the selective breeding that causes issues.
This is why you go to properly qualified breeders… They breed out the worst traits to specific breeds. But there are plenty of fly-by-night operations that breed for those “cute” traits which are actually degenerative and harmful to the breed.
