Rescue Dog Competed at Westminster

[AussieLoverParticipant]

AussieLover

Participant

It’s not very often we hear about a mix breed, much less a rescue dog competing at such a prestigious event but it happened. I think this is really cool because it goes to show that you don’t need a pedigree to have an awesome dog. My past border collie/husky mix was a rescue that I had trained in agility just for fun. She loved it and had the ability to compete in my area with a spayed mixed breed rescue were available I’m sure she would have taken a few titles.

I hope this turns into a trend among all breed clubs, allowing fixed rescue/mixed breed dogs to compete alongside their purebred cousins.  As of right now, I’ve had a tough enough time finding a club that would allow my purebred Toy Australian Shepherd compete, but I finally did 🙂

Here is the news story about the rescue dog at Westminster: http://jezebel.com/afternoon-sob-pup-rescued-from-kill-shelter-goes-on-to-1520779232

[BreeParticipant]

Bree

Participant

Way to go, Emma!

I understand why there are no mixed breed dogs in the confirmation show – no standard to judge them by, not to mention there are a million different permutations beyond the 147 accepted breeds – but is it just me who thinks its kind of dumb that mixed breeds can’t compete in events like agility that have nothing to do with their genetics or how they look?

[AussieLoverParticipant]

AussieLover

Participant

Exactly. I think they should be allowed to compete in sports, and it should be more widely accepted. Mix breeds, depending on each individual, can be amazing working or sporting dogs, and competing is a great way for a handler to challenge themselves and their training skills. It goes beyond just having a companion, but helps the two bond closer and work as a team to accomplish one goal – a dog’s pedigree should not interfere with that.

I know there are some clubs that are open to rescues, but not that many. I will be competing with my Toy aussie in TDAA soon enough, and I believe they allow ANY dog, purebred, mixed breed, altered or not to compete as long as they are under 20″ (this is for toy sized dogs, after all.)