A common question among those who are opposed to purchasing from a reputable breeder is “Why do you need/want a purebred?” A lot of people seem to be under the impression that we choose purebreds purely for status or bragging rights, or solely for looks, and that simply is the farthest thing from the truth. There are many different reasons that people prefer having purebreds. Each breed brings something different to the table; that is the beauty of having so many different breeds.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
Most breeds have long documented histories which can be traced back hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years. Preserving that history, like any other kind of history is important.
Both of my Siberian huskies can be traced back to Togo and Fritz, two of Seppala’s original Siberians who ran the Nome serum run. While this is not uncommon for pedigree Siberians in the US/Canada as they were foundation studs for the breed, it is fascinating to have a small, living piece of history in my home. This also helps to preserve what they were originally bred for. I may not be delivering vaccines across a frozen tundra, but if I put my boys in harness that innate drive shows clear as day. The same can be said for any other well bred purebred.
𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡:
A well bred purebred is going to come from parents who were health tested and clear of the most prevalent heritable illnesses in the breed. You also have access to health history of the pedigree which can give you an idea of longevity. When I am choosing my best friend, I want them to have the best life they possibly can, which also means the best start in health. You cannot predict every scenario regarding your dog’s health, but when proper health testing is done and passed, you have a relatively solid guarantee of health. You cannot obtain the same guarantee, or even knowledge of parental genetics, with an unknown mix.
𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲:
When you get a well bred purebred, these aspects of their personality are literally written out in a standard for you, which makes it easy to choose a dog that is best suited for your home and lifestyle. I knew before getting them that my Siberians would be friendly, intelligent, and independent thinkers who want to know what is in it for them before they listen. I also knew that my golden would be vastly different, with a high drive to please his handler and an easy willingness to take instruction. If more people researched dog breeds, and chose a well bred purebred based on their standard traits, we would have far less people rehoming dogs that they cannot handle.
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐬:
I have a multi-dog and multi-cat household, so I knew I did not want a breed prone to dog aggression. You cannot guarantee an unknown mix will not exhibit genetic dog aggression. I also knew I needed my dogs as puppies so they could be raised to properly interact with cats.
Well bred purebreds also exhibit many innate traits based on what they were bred for that would make them ill-suited for certain homes. For example, many people with kids do not do well with herding breeds because of their instincts to herd and nip. Those instinctive traits are also why people select them for particular jobs. You could try a shelter mutt as a LGD or herder, but your probability of success will be low.
𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞:
A lot of people may disagree, but there is nothing wrong with taking appearance into account when choosing a dog. You are living with them for 10+ years, it is okay to pick one you like looking at. For me personally, I do not like short coat types (think pit bull type coats). They are texturally unpleasant to me and I feel like petting a dog should be soothing for the both of you, so I stick to longer coated and fluffy dogs. Similar thought should go into the amount of coat maintenance you want to do. If you are fine with daily brushing and weekly or more blowouts, get that Afghan hound if the rest of their temperament is fitting. If you do not want to do much grooming at all, a more wash and wear coat type is a must. If you have allergies, a breed that does not drop much coat is a need.
𝐑𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐤𝐬:
I know my Siberians are always going to be good for a laugh because of their antics. I know they are going to howl and back talk more than they will bark. Every breed has their own little traits like that which play into people’s decisions. Some people do not like dogs like bark a lot, some people prefer dogs that do not drool much, and some people prefer dogs that are super Velcro. These are all things that typically can be predicted based on breed.
𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰, 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤:
For some people, showing conformation or doing dog sports is their biggest passion and hobby. While you do not absolutely need a purebred for sports, many people often do both with the same dogs and there are many purebreds that are favored for particular sports. For dogs that work, there are obvious purebred choices for specific jobs because it is what they have been bred to do for ages. A well bred Great Pyrenees is going to be a better choice for livestock guarding than a random shelter mix. A well bred GSP, Beagle, or Labrador is going to be a better choice for a hunting dog than a random shelter mix. A well bred poodle is going to have a lower probability of washing as a service dog than a mix of unknown temperament and parentage.
You could ask any number of purebred enthusiasts and they would likely give you any number of these answers in addition to more I have not covered as to why they choose to purchase a purebred, but I would guarantee you that “status” would not be included in their answer. It is amazing how many different and versatile breeds that we have available. I learn about new breeds every day there are so many. It would be a shame to let those breeds die out and let all of the hard work breed preservationists have put in go to waste just because some people think having a mixed breed is the superior or only choice.