Responsible Dog Ownership Day (cont'd)

AKC's RDOD in Madison Square Park, NYC went very well. We had gorgeous weather and a nice turn out. Bonnie and Kirk did great as our mastiff ambassadors and we had a little help from Isabella (Hummer x Mia) and Kane who stopped by. It was interesting watching our dogs interact with their "city cousins". Many of the city dogs are "close talkers". They are used to being in close quarters so they just come right up to another dog's face. I don't recommend that owners let their dogs do that. Better to ask the other owner if their dog is good with other dogs before finding out the hard way! Thankfully our guys didn't take any offense and there were no issues.

In years past we have seen quite a few poorly bred mastiffs at this event who resemble danes more than mastiffs. This year there was none of that. Sadly we did meet quite a few puggles, -poos and -doodles. Their owners were very happy to tell us that they had spent well over a thousand dollars for these "designer breeds". There is no nice way to say it - these dogs are simply mutts created by people hoping to turn a quick buck. There is no consistency in any of these "breeds" and for the life of me I can't understand why you want to mix some of them to begin with! The breeders of these mutts are giving no thought health and temperament. For the same money you could go out and buy a well bred purebreed dog and have some clue of what you are going to wind up. Or better yet, go down to your local shelter and adopt a new family member. Take the money you save NOT supporting these irresponsible breeders and put it towards training classes and you will still be far ahead of the game. And you will have saved life!