Houston Chronicle Article
More dog lovers are seeking out mixed breeds
Reuters News
Service
WASHINGTON -- Move over chocolate lab, the labradoodle has arrived.
Why walk a corgi when you can have a dorgi? Or coddle a poodle when
you
can cuddle a yorkipoo?
Mutts, by any other name, are all the rage.
Mixed-breed dogs, once
the domain of U.S. animal shelters, are being
sought by an
increasing number of Americans looking for special pooches.
Intentionally bred and cutely named, today's special-order mixes
have
newfound status -- and a purebred price tag.
"When there were a bunch of
them around and a lot of them were in
the shelter, you'd call them mutts,"
Stephen Zawistowski, science
adviser at the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, said of the popular mixes that used to
accidentally appear.
Sought-after mixes, some of which can fetch up to
$4,000, are the
labradoodle, a cross between the Labrador and the poodle;
the
schnoodle, a schnauzer-poodle mix; the goldendoodle, a golden
retriever-poodle mix; the cockapoo, a cocker spaniel-poodle match;
and
the yorkipoo, a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and a poodle.
Even
Britain's Queen Elizabeth is in on the mixing trend. She has
owned more
than 30 Welsh corgis since she was 18 and has bred
several dorgis, or
dachshund/corgi mixes.
"Right now, there is a stronger interest in crosses
than in
registered breeds," said breeder Jennifer Connell of Breezy Hill
Kennel in Hartsburg, Mo.
`Doodle' dogs' popularity stems from the
combination of the poodle's
non-shedding, allergy-friendly coat with the
intelligence,
temperament and size of Labradors, golden retrievers,
schnauzers and
Yorkshire terriers.
Breeders all over the world report
long waiting lists for special
mixes. Depending on Mother Nature and what
specific criteria a
potential owner wants, the wait can be anywhere from a
few months to
more than a year