You have decided that there is a profound lack of teethmarks in your furniture and you hate your clean carpet; it is clearly time to get a dog. What kind of canine pal should you introduce to your home? A hard working retriever? A fluffy Husky? Possibly a "so ugly its cu- now wait, its still ugly" rodent style model? How about a mutt?
There are so many good dogs out there without papers. What were you going to use that pedigree for anyway? A dog is for digging holes, catching frisbees, and holding the floor down. They play with you, drool on you, forgive you for being a jerk and let you know when you scratch the right spot. They teach a kid about responsibility and unconditional love, and sadly but necessarily, about death and how to mourn. Dogs do not need papers to be dogs.
Some people use dogs for functionality and I can respect that. They need an animal to retrieve their dead ducks, or be their eyes, or sniff out drugs and explosives. I am glad that these kinds of dogs exist and I realize that some of these require specific breeds. That's great. Are you one of these people? Do you need a specific breed?
Maybe you don't buy it. Maybe you are thinking, "sure, but I want a smart dog or a high energy dog or a loyal dog." Let me assure you, collies don't have a corner on intelligence, labs don't have a monopoly on ADD, and goldens aren't the only dogs that will dote on your kids and stick with you to the bitter end. Mutts can be all of these things, sometimes at the same time.
Here's the deal; go to the local shelter and tell the people working there what you want in a dog, and they will probably give you a handful of candidates that they have on hand. Spend a little time with the mutt in the play yard or take her on a walk, pet her, feed her, give yourselves time to feel each other out. Trust me, dogs are not complicated. You will know just about everything you need about that animal within thirty minutes, and then you can make a decision. If you make a mistake and the relationship doesn't work out, take it back. If you don't find one that you like just wait a few weeks, there will be more. If this sounds like too much time to invest in purchasing a dog, you probably aren't ready to own one. Get yourself a hamster instead.
Shelter dogs are cheaper than purebreds. Maybe it's just me projecting onto them, but I think they have more personality and less pretension. They can have better health in the long run (careful on this one), and they are more grateful to be in your home. If you remain unconvinced and must have a purebred dog, at least get in contact with a local rescue group. There are too many unwanted animals out there already, please do not create demand for new ones.
