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Will Paris trade in Tinkerbell for a puggle?

LISAN JUTRAS

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 4:34 PM EDT 04/05/07

The chihuahua may have been relegated to the dustbins of history, but the popularity of the puggle has exploded ...Read the full article

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  1. Karine Private from Canada writes: Now that you have mentioned about Marie Antoinette's dog there is another royal dog that went through the execution: coincidentally another Marie - Marie Stuart (Mary, Queen of Scots): here is an extract from wikipedia:

    "Another well-known execution story concerns a small dog owned by the queen, which is said to have been hiding among her skirts, unseen by the spectators. Because her dress and layers of clothing was so immensely regal, it would have been easy for the tiny pet to have hidden there as she slowly made her way to the scaffold. Following the beheading, the dog rushed out, terrified and covered in blood. It was taken away by her ladies-in-waiting and washed, but it did not survive the shock."

    I think both of those stories shed the light why many people like dogs so much - they seems to be more devoted than humans. And did you read that story yesterday about the russel terrier George who saved 5 kids from attack of 2 pitt-bulls? It is such a shame that those young people (fortunately not all of them) buy their pets as temporary fashion accessories and could not appreciate all the love and devotion that comes from these dogs.
  2. Beer N Salsa from Canada writes: Yes dogs are loyal creatures. It is too bad that humans can't learn any lessons from canines. All of those young women who turned in their dogs to the SPCA should have been given a bill for a minimum of a thousand dollars so that they learn there are consequences to every decision but especially one that traumatizes a living creature. Heartless bimbos, that's all that Paris Hilton has inspired.
  3. OK from Ontario from Toronto, Canada writes: Ridiculous, paying 1100 bucks for a mutt, Puggle my eye, just like the ludicrous Labradoodles (I call them Poobadores), a lab and a poodle. I've got a fiesty 20 pound (and lean) JRT like poor old George, that can be quite the lap dog and couch potato, provided it gets tonnes of exercise and play time as well. Otherwise a Jack will eat your house and furniture for amusement (mine gets the ex and play, and is absolutely fantastic in all ways - unfortunately sick right now). Just like I'm against people buying a pet for Junior (promise that you'll look after Rex little Timmy?) when they don't want to look after it themselves, I'm against these designer dogs, because when Timmy or Tiffiany becomes bored with looking after them they end up in the same place, the pound. Then the wait starts in a small cage. What will come first, a new owner who actually wants me or to be sold for medical experiments?
  4. Paul Jones from kitchener, Canada writes: you should need a lisence to own a pet. who lets idiot people buy living creatures? and Paris and Spears definatly count as idiots not capable of...well, just about anything. except for getting caught in racy positions.
  5. Bat Man from T.O., Canada writes: Just in time for fishing season, they make great bait.
  6. billy bob from Timmins, Canada writes: It is good to know the crack reporters at the G&M have blown this story wide open.I was wondering what happened to paris it sounds as if her life is as productive as ever.I've forgotten though why exactly is she famous?
  7. Selma Mulvey from Ontario, Canada writes: Strange definition of royalty - semi-literate, unattractive bimbos with no visible talent or taste.

    Strange definition of 'breed' - mongrel dogs which only someone with no knowledge of the subject would buy.

    Why would anyone dump their Chihuahua? There are few breeds as easy to care for as that one, although they do need attention. Oh, of course, they are supposed to attract attention, not need it.

    Obviously, the dogs being dumped are puppy-milled dogs bought through the newspaper, over the internet or at a pet store. No reputable breeder would let someone take a pup without references and a thorough vetting. No reputable breeder advertises in the paper (it's against CKC rules) or over the internet. No reputable breeder would allow a dog to be sold in a pet shop to anyone with the money to buy him.

    Articles like this do nothing to help dogs or their responsible owners.

    Another lost opportunity to educate the public.
  8. Brenton Spyker from Toronto, Canada writes: For a moment I was afraid that celebrities were abducting baby echidnas...
  9. Lou Laroche from Canada writes: blah blah blah blah blah
  10. Lemmy Nothor from Barcelona, Spain writes: Excellent article. Deep. Insightful.

    So when are they executing Paris Hilton ?? I love a good guillotine story as much as the other guy.
  11. Cheryl Nelson from Minneapolis, MN, United States writes: Sadly, the breeding and sale of purebred cats and dogs is a big business. Unfortunately, organizations that register these animals are partially to blame, as they will register any offspring of registered parentage regardless of the pups/kittens being "pet" quality (purebred, but not meeting the same health and breed standards as "show" quality animals). The American Kennel Club alone registered an estimated 900,000 purebred dogs in 2006, according to Wikipedia. For the prospective guardian/owner, it means that a pup procured from a puppy mill and sold in a pet store can be advertised and sold as "AKC registered", just like a Westminster Grand Champion. The AKC doesn't have health standards for breeding, nor does it allow its member clubs to impose them. For those dogs bred as the result of breed mixing, such as the Labradoodle, guess what - the AKC doesn't concern itself with the welfare of those dogs. Strictly speaking, it is an interest group and powerful lobby promoting the ownership and breeding of purebred dogs. Until recent years, the AKC didn't list breed rescue organizations on its website. The Nova Scotia Duck Toller was recognized by the AKC only within the last 5 years; already, a breed rescue organization has been formed. Much the same can be said of pedigree cat organizations like the Cat Fanciers' Association. But - CFA registered fewer than 40,000 cats in 2006. However, they are the largest of several purebred cat registeries sanctioning shows and breed standards in the U.S.; some cats are registered by multiple organizations. However, CFA and other cat registries do take an acute interest in the health and welfare of all cats, including non-purebreds. CFA began listing breed rescues far earlier than the AKC, and has a disaster relief committee that doesn't distinguish upon pedigree status. Still, these organizations could do more to weed out unethical breeders in it solely for the money.
  12. Dianne Singer from Canada writes: So the "puggle" is the new overpriced mutt of the moment?

    It is a sad reflection of the lack of education and character on the part of the purchasers that they rush to buy self-esteem.
    These "designer dogs" more often than not wind up in shelters and pounds, killed because they're dogs and behave like it, or because they're no longer in fashion.
    Pet stores charge outrageous prices for mutts and domestic cats because they can; consumers are not educated, and the media does not help.
    Perhaps these purchasers should be forced to help with puppy mill raids, or clean out the bodies of puppies and kittens from a wrecked transport truck, or give the deadly needle to the discards who did nothing to deserve their fate other than having been purchased by idiots.
  13. Sue Hickey from Grand Falls-Windsor, NL, Canada writes: As we all know, Paris H. is disgusting and is nothing more than a glorified welfare case. What's sad is her "accessorizing" of an animal to the point of abuse. (Stuffing it in handbags and piercing its ears and painting its nails etc...) And what's sad is the "fashionable animal of the day" as nothing more than an accessory. You don't get an animal because it's in style or because it's a purebred, you get a pet as a beloved companion worthy of respect. It's horrible that so many people – especially macho males – get something like a purebred Rottie or pit bull type because it's a "fighting or guard dog." It's also horrible that so many loveable animals are put down every day because people think that mutts aren't good enough and want the status of a purebred creature! If you think that a sweet mixed-breed, healthier than a purebred because of hybrid vigour, isn't good enough for you and you have to get a critter with "a pedigree," you have no business having a pet to begin with. My beloved cat had been at the SPCA for ages because people thought his "thumbs" - he was a polydactyl, or "Hemingway cat" - were too strange and ugly. He turned out to be the sweetest, most intelligent feline I ever had! And he wasn't a purebred...once again, why pay bucks for a purebred animal when millions are being slaughtered every day because of snooty twits who don't think a mixed breed is good enough for them! If you're going to get a purebred you don't deserve to get a pet at all.
  14. Alex Mayer from Toronto, Canada writes: Poor little rich girls (and other celebs) with nothing better to do with their lives... while 27,000 children in the world die of hunger every day. How sweet is that!
  15. Icefly 2 from Canada writes: Ummm aren't pretty much all "pure breds" a result of fashion trends and or cross breeding with other breeds? A responsible breeder of cross-breeds can be just as caring and contientious as a breeder of CKC registered animals. Cross bred dogs can be wonderful pets if bred carefully and taken care of responsibly, you just have to be careful about who you get them from.
  16. Cheryl Nelson from Minneapolis, MN, United States writes: Icefly 2: Not all dog and cat breeds are the result of crossbreeding. Among dogs, Akitas, Alaskan Malamutes, Siberian Huskies and Canaanan are considered "natural" breeds. These dogs developed with little human interference in geographically remote or isolated places, acquiring traits allowing them to survive and even thrive in the harsh environment. Fourteen ancient dog breeds including the Afghan hound, Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Husky, Samoyed, Chow, Shih Tzu, and others have genetic fingerprints similar to those of wolves. Natural cat breeds include the Norweigan Forest Cat, Turkish Van, Turkish Angora, Siberian and Maine Coon. Other breeds are the result of hybridization (crossing of breeds to create a distinctive genetic type) or genetic mutations. You're right about breeds becoming fashion statements. Twenty-five years ago, the Maine Coon was an obscure breed, found mostly in the northeastern U.S. About 15 - 20 years ago, Maine Coons ranked 9th in terms of registrations with pedigreed cat clubs. Today, they're the second most popular purebred cat in the U.S. Once word of the this breed's beauty, intelligence and sociability got out (and once it was re-recognized by the Cat Fanciers' Association) the number of registrations rose, followed by the number of Maine Coons cast off by owners not committed to caring for their furry "accessories". Your point about breeding and careful breeders is spot on. I wish, however, that more breeders refused to sell pet-quality (as opposed to show-quality) animals to the general public without having the animals spayed or neutered first.
  17. Cheryl Nelson from Minneapolis, MN, United States writes: Sue Hickey: Someone who acquires a pet for its appearance or its cachet as a fashionable breed to own shouldn't have a pet, I'll agree. However, breeds have unique personality characteristics. Some are better than others with kids or other animals, some are noisier or more energetic than others, others need room to roam while others do very well in apartments. These are proper reasons to consider a purebred. How well a mixed breed pet will do in a home environment becomes more of a crapshoot, especially in the case of an animal showing little indication of its breed roots. My partner and I adopted 2 "DMH" sibling cats from a rescue organization. Both cats exhibited physical characteristics that we had not seen in typical mixed breed cats - particularly related to their size, bone structures and their unusually soft, luxurious coats. We were told by the vet who examined them that our male appeared to have a strong Maine Coon bloodline; he wasn't sure about the female as she had not yet developed physical characteristics of the breed. We knew early on that their mother was a "DMH", as they were born in one of the rescue's foster homes. We inquired whether a male Maine Coon had been one of the cats rescued with our cat's already pregnant mother from a hoarder. Sure enough, an intact male Maine Coon was part of that group. In time, our female cat developed Maine Coon physical and personality traits, though we are sure she carries more of their mother's genetic blueprint than her brother. We fell for the breed hook line and sinker because we love the Maine Coon's distinctly intelligent and easy-going personality. They're much more sociable than the typical domestic or purebred cat, almost dog-like. We won't hesitate to bring another Maine Coon into our home, when we can. However, it will be acquired not through a breeder or pet shop, but through a breed or other cat rescue organization.
  18. Dee Nicholson from Toronto, Canada writes: Ah, the vagaries of the elite. How utterly pompous to make a small furry creature an icon of wealth!
    Some of these silly people would do well to learn the source of the popularity of small dogs with royalty... perhaps they'd stop carrying animals and go back to carrying Prada purses.
    In olden days, small dogs called "feists" were carried as lap dogs by upper class ladies. The ever-present little mutts adorned their laps as they sat in their finery at soirees and other affairs. Their purpose?
    The feist was there to be blamed for the farts that emanated from the bloated, pampered bodies of these grand dames, after stuffing their faces with hors d'oeuvres and other rich goodies!
    So, girls.... wanna carry a small dog?

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