Ok... It is time for our first contest here. I am going to ask for your help with a little something for Steve. I need a designer name for him. He is a lab/border collie mix. I used a name generator and came up with "Jacob Bowers". I like that. Sounds like Jack Russell. If you can do better, let me know.

Back in the day, I paid a whole $40 for him at the shelter and he came fixed and ready to go. A girl there said "there are no mutts, just one of a kind designer dogs". I liked the sound of that, so I have used it many times over the years. Looking back on that, I realize I got a great deal on my, then, designer dog. We now have a whole cottage industry of "designer/hybrid dogs" where people shell out money for dogs that years ago were considered to be in the same class as Steve. I guess it only makes sense that in an age where people want hybrid cars, why not hybrid dogs?

I found a resource, http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/hybriddogs.htm , that shows over 300 different combos of hybrid dogs. Each name has a link to the dog-types, as well as pictures, of each. Oy Vey! or should I say, Ori Pei (which by the way is a Pug/Shar-Pei mix). Some of my favorites; Brat (Boston Terrier/Rat Terrier mix), Cheeks (Chihuahua/Pekingese mix), Frengle (French Bulldog/Beagle mix) and last but not least Shocker (Cocker Spaniel/Shiba Inu Mix).

Take a look at the pictures of all of your favorite "hybrids". Who knows? You may have picked up a hybrid without having to wait for 3 - 6 months, with a deposit, to get one or pay the extra price because of the hybrid naming.

Understand that I am not knocking this phenomenon, but find it intriguing. It seems like we are getting away from pure-breeds in favor of something that some of us knew...that having a hybrid can help alleviate the issues from the over-breeding of purebreds such as; hip and eye problems, skin conditions and other ailments. The hybrid dog can also allow you the option to you pick traits you want in a dog while allowing you to be able to say you have a shneagle (Beagle / Schnauzer mix) with a straight face. That last item, in itself, is worth all the money.

The dog park has a ton of shelter dogs, some Katrina dogs (Hey Bailey!!...Steve asked about you yesterday...) as well as hybrids and purebreds. What I have found is that regardless of whether you have a hybrid, a pure-bred or what is affectionately known as a mutt, dog people are dog people. We love our 4-legged friends. At the end of the day we all have our companions that can drive us crazy, make us laugh, comfort us or embarrass us in public, no matter what they look like. So maybe, even though Steve could be considered a Borador, I will just stick with one of a kind designer dog and leave it at that...