Where did all the mongrels go?

[ColinM50]

Prompted by another thread, I recall that when I were a lad in North London in the early 60's every street had a roving pack of mongrels, or Heinz 57 dogs as we called them. But you never see them now. Everyone seems to have pedigree breeds or odd crosses like Cavapoo's and labradoodles, but not proper mongrels. And you never see a dog wandering the streets. So where have they gone? Just died out or been put down or turned into Chinese meals or what?

[mikees]

Aylesbury

[WindyCommon]

Ok boomer.

You've answered your own question! mongrels have been rebranded. Now known as Cockerpoos, Labradoodles, Sausage Retrievers etc.

Same dogs, new names.

[Roofless Toothless]

They went the same way as bicycle clips.

[Bobajobbob]

Cockerpoos, Labradoodles, Sausage Retrievers = mongrels

[Exige77]

Roofless Toothless said:

They went the same way as bicycle clips.

And Flairs !!

[alorotom]

Bobajobbob said:

Cockerpoos, Labradoodles, Sausage Retrievers = mongrels

Labradoodles are recognised by the KC as an official breed (although the original creator recently declared that he regrets creating the breed and it's his biggest mistake)

[Roofless Toothless]

Exige77 said:

Roofless Toothless said:

They went the same way as bicycle clips.

And Flairs !!

What I was getting at is that there used to be a time when if you had to go anywhere on a bike, you just put on your coat, shoved a pair of bicycle clips round your turnups, pulled your flat cap down firmly on your head and set off. Today, you have to invest a thousand or two on an expensive light weight machine and designer wear Lycra outfits in order to look the part.

It's the same with dogs. Any faithful old bitsa used to do very well, but nowadays dog ownership seems to involve expensive breeds, and preferably two or three of them. If they got ill, a trip down the PDSA did the trick, but today it's health insurance policies and operations the like of which the NHS can barely afford.

It's a matter of making a statement about yourself, isn't it?

[Evanivitch]

Even the rescue centers are full of designer cross-breeds, but there's usually a few collie X something, or Terrier X huh In amongst them.

But better neutering and spaying means dogs are less likely to shag anything that they can sniff.

[loquacious]

I think the whole 'Cockapoo, Labradoodle' thing is utterly ridiculous. So are the prices being charged for these mongrels, up to and beyond a thousand quid! When I was looking a few years ago the cheapest dog you could buy was a thoroughbred retriever!

I speak as someone with a mongrel - Chester, a Basset cross whose Father ( a Basset) made a beeline for a crossbred Collie/Springer and there are 11 fat little lumps in the world due to the union. Love him dearly but he is a mutt, a mongrel, the kind of dog that 30 years ago would have been free to a good home or a fiver at most.

He is a Bassprolley and don't you forget it

[chow pan toon]

Roofless Toothless said:

If they got ill, a trip down the PDSA did the trick,

When our childhood cat was very ill the PDSA were the only vets open out of hours and they refused to treat her even though my parents were happy to pay. So fk the PDSA frankly.

If I had a dog I'd rather have a mongrel anyway. All the breeds seem to have a load of problems (probably unsurprisingly)

[Dr Interceptor]

Pedigree = Greyhound, Beagle, Labrador, Retriver...etc.

Everything else.... They're all just Mutts.

[PositronicRay]

Also gone is white dog poo littering the place in the 60s.

[alorotom]

chow pan toon said:

Roofless Toothless said:

If they got ill, a trip down the PDSA did the trick,

When our childhood cat was very ill the PDSA were the only vets open out of hours and they refused to treat her even though my parents were happy to pay. So fk the PDSA frankly.

If I had a dog I'd rather have a mongrel anyway. All the breeds seem to have a load of problems (probably unsurprisingly)

but, with a mongrel you have no idea what the temprement will be like

[rxtx]

WindyCommon said:

Ok boomer.

Why do people say this? It's childish.

[Spare tyre]

ColinM50 said:

Prompted by another thread, I recall that when I were a lad in North London in the early 60's every street had a roving pack of mongrels, or Heinz 57 dogs as we called them. But you never see them now. Everyone seems to have pedigree breeds or odd crosses like Cavapoo's and labradoodles, but not proper mongrels. And you never see a dog wandering the streets. So where have they gone? Just died out or been put down or turned into Chinese meals or what?

I think this was me

I’ve often thought the same

You never see pushbikes stood with their pedal on the kerb either


My jack Russel was I guess a mongrel, but still a jack Russel

Never having a pedigree dog

I like seeing mongrels on holiday

[Evanivitch]

rxtx said:

WindyCommon said:

Ok boomer.

Why do people say this? It's childish.

OK, snowflake.

[DaveGoddard]

I was half expecting this thread to be about this - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mongrels_(TV_series)

Funniest and darkest TV series I've ever seen.

[Spare tyre]

I guess neutering became free or cheap and the pedigrees are big money

My old never work a day in their lives social housing neighbours knocked out a couple litters of boxer dogs a year. Not sure how much you’d make from say 12 boxer puppies but I know it payed for their USA holidays etc, whilst they got their housing for free, naturally

[ApOrbital]

I have a labradoodle it's not right in the HEAD.