Originally Posted by Sunshine
We thought of getting a mutt from the pound (or no kill shelter) but our friend just went though the cost of hip replacment surgury for her mutt. $3000+ for 2 hips
The breeder we're looking at has tried to breed out hip/knee/joint problems, and has a very good success rate. I don't care if my dog has AKC (CKC here) or not, because we don't intend to show or breed her. We just want a family pet. The mutts I've had in the past were dogs of wonder....the first was a mutt from a Northern reserve and had some problems. At 4 months old I had to give her up because she tried to rip the hand/leg/arm/whatever off of anyone who came close to her. I tried puppy training, treats, anything that I thought might work, but she was a real nut case. The second mutt was so sick when I got her, the Vet thought it was a miracle that she survived. My ex has her now. The dog is totally blind now and very old.