I have more important things to worry about...

[Diver01]

As much as I love dogs, they are a handful! I have a mutt. One of teh best dogs I have ever had. He is a little high strung but it is manageable.

1 problem I do have with him is seizures. Seems that when he gets frightened, it triggers a seizure. They are infrequent and the vet does not recommend medication for it. It makes it very difficult to go anywhere out of town. Nobody feels confortable watching him becuase of his illness, awhich means I have to take him to the vet, which means he gets scared and could have a seizure.

From what I am told this kind of condition usually occurs in Full Bred dogs that have been breeded to close to their bloode lines. What ever the case, I love the guy and it kills me every time it happens to him..

[Sunshine]

I'm sorry to hear of your poor puppie's illness. It just breaks my heart when I see an injured animal and there's nothing that can be done to help them. All you can do is comfort your little darling and let him know that you're there. That usually makes it a bit better on them.

[hudsonsmith]

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.

I would be very skeptical of any breeder that claims they can eliminate hip/joint problems. Certain breeds are genetically predisposed to hip dysplasia. You might want to take a look here . The site also has statistics by breed.

As far as insurance, assuming you are not looking for new coverage, your policy should spell out any limitations relating to specific breeds. While certain breeds might place you in a different risk category from a rate standpoint, I don't think they can deny you coverage for a dog unless the breed is specifically excepted in the policy. Your agent should be able to tell you immediately.

[Archer]

Just get the dog and tell them its a mongrel whos going to argue the point?

[Sunshine]

I would be very skeptical of any breeder that claims they can eliminate hip/joint problems. Certain breeds are genetically predisposed to hip dysplasia. You might want to take a look here . The site also has statistics by breed.

As far as insurance, assuming you are not looking for new coverage, your policy should spell out any limitations relating to specific breeds. While certain breeds might place you in a different risk category from a rate standpoint, I don't think they can deny you coverage for a dog unless the breed is specifically excepted in the policy. Your agent should be able to tell you immediately.

Oh, I wouldn't believe them if they said they can or have eliminated hip/joint problems. This breeder has very few instances, not none.

I don't recall seeing anything specific to dogs in the policy, other than coverage for hospital/medical treatments, but I'll look again.