DESIGNER DOGS

 

            “My daughter just bought a Puggle,” said my friend, Mary.

            “A what?” I asked.

            “A Puggle,” she repeated.

            “A puzzle?”

            “No. A Puggle.”

            “What is a Puggle?” I wasn’t remotely familiar with the word.

            “A Puggle. It’s a cross between a beagle and a pug,” she explained. “They’re all the rage.”

            “Oh, you mean a mutt?” I smiled.

She didn’t. This particular mutt cost $1,200.

Designer Dogs are the rage today. You may ask, what exactly are Designer Dogs?  It’s the mixing of popular breeds together, like the Labradoodle, a lab and a poodle and the cockerpoo, a cockerspaniel and a poodle. It seems the sillier the name, the higher the cost, i.e., Foodles (Toy Fox and Poodle) Shnoodles (Schnauzer and oodle)Goldendoodles (a golden retriever and poodle) and Bagelhounds (Beagles and Coonhounds).

Personally, they sound more like pastries, than dogs.

            “Anything with an oodle (poodle crosses) doesn’t shed. Isn’t that marvelous.” She beamed.

            “Marvelous,” I said mockingly.

When I was a kid, the rage was poodles, collies and shepherds. Most resulting from the Rin Tin Tin and Lassie movies. And then there were the dogs most of us had, namely your quintessential mutt.  Usually a mixture of five or more breeds. The result, a sturdy dog with quirky looks and multiple personalities.

I recently ran into a neighbor who was walking an odd-looking dog.

“What is that dog? I’ve never seen anything like it.” I said.

“It’s a cross between a bulldog and a Shih Tzu.”

“I guess you would call it a Bullshitz dog.”

 “And you’re a Blabador,” she retorted as she scooped up her strange looking dog and huffed off.