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Much Ado About Poo -- A Rebuttal, Part 3

© John Hopkins

This is the third and final article written in rebuttal to the widely read Web article, Much Ado About Poo. In this article I will counter its most demeaning and bigoted claim; that ALL breeders of "Poos" are either "unscrupulous and deceitful" or "simply ignorant of responsible breeding practices and unaware of what they're really doing".

According to the writer of Much Ado About Poo: "Truly responsible breeders are honest and knowledgeable with a strict code of personal ethics. They care about the puppies they produce and the people who'll buy them." She then goes on to ask, "Would a responsible breeder deliberately mix any breeds, when they know the results will be completely unpredictable?" My answer to this question is an emphatic no. Responsible breeders of poodle mixes and other mixed-breed hybrids do know, through the scientific predictability of genetics, what their results will be.

Each of the claims made in Much Ado About Poo have already been answered in my previous articles: Much Ado About Poo -- A Rebuttal, Part 1, published February 27, 2001; Much Ado About Poo -- A Rebuttal, Part 2, published April 26, 2001; and So What is a Good Breeder Anyway, published May 15, 2001. These articles demonstrate that, even by her own strict standards, many breeders of mixed-breed dogs and in particular poodle mixes, are clearly knowledgeable and responsible breeders. Are all breeders of poodle mixes and other mixed-breed hybrids knowledgeable and responsible? No, sadly they are not. However, I can also say with equal certainty that not all breeders of purebred dogs are knowledgeable and responsible either.

The closing thought of Much Ado About Poo is that many wonderful dogs of all shapes and sizes can be found at your local animal shelter. This writer wholly concurs. However, if you have specific needs in a pet that cannot be met by a shelter dog, do not fall into the trap that your needs can only be met by a purebred. Poodle mixes and other mixed-breed hybrids offer a wide variety of dogs that could be exactly what you are looking for. Why not check them out for yourself.