Member

Posts: 34
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-30-2003 08:37 AM         

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If I was to tell you everything about me and "dogs" it would be a book! So I'll start with hi I'm new here and am getting ready to purchase a Shih A Poo.......YEP, I said "purchase" and a "cross-breed" in the same sentence..Take a deep breath now, b/c I've been on both sides of the fence and I really don't want to cause ANY trouble between the people who stand FIRM on responsible breeding, and mixes. Reason for stating that is b/c I have been a "pure bred" dog person my entire life!! nothing came close to REALLY knowing the background and lineage (sp?) of your pet..Would have NEVER thought of purchasing a mixed dog it had to be the "best"! Well, as I get older and (for lack of better term lol) wiser..I have come to fall in love with the Peekapoo, and the Shih A Poo. Yes the prices on these animals are OMG but I guess you really can't put a price on something that you care about or fall in love with. Plus if the 'breeder' puts as much love and care in the breeding process as they do with the pure bred dog then it's worth it in the end right? and really what your paying for (or at least alot of it) is the fact that the dam and sire are full blood registered dogs..Now, what I really need to know is my son has allergies, does anyone here own one of these mixed breeds with someone in the house who has allergies?? and what has the outcome been with that family member? ALL dogs 'shed' I'm not that dumb to fall for a 'no shed' dog lol...to some extent they do. Yes, I could just get a poodle, but to be honest (and this is just a personal thing) I dont' care for them to much. I do however love the Shihtzu!! and this mix is the most adorable little doggies.. Yes I could just get a Shihtzu, but I like what the combination of the poodle muzzle and the shitzu body looks like....Ok, I think I covered everyting LOL....Any input on owning a Shih A Poo is very appreciated!!

p.s. I read the other thread WOW, I applaud you ALL very passionate people here, with some very different opinions.. But you can tell that you all LOVE your pets very much!! and that is always a good thing. :O) Anela

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Posts: 37
From:Edgewood, MD, USA
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-30-2003 09:08 AM         

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Hi, Anela,

I had to do a lot of research into breeds BECAUSE I have allergies. I would not only have to hit the books and look at how each breed would fit into my lifestyle, but also once I settled on them, I'd go play with a litter and see if I had a reaction. I had really wanted to buy this 4 month old Shih Tzu from a friend because he was a playful little guy, but I found that I was sneezing and sniffling after playing with him too! Didn't really want a poodle, but my research told me they were a good pet for allergy sufferers, so I started looking into mixes. Sure, enough, I had no problems with the Shih Poo I bought.

That's not to say that the particular mix of genes in a litter might not produce more allergens, so make sure you take your son with you when you pick one out and have him handle the pups for a while to make sure. Also, don't forget that when puppy plays outside (if yours will) that he can bring grass and pollen into the house too!

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Posts: 34
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Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-30-2003 09:17 AM         

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Thank you Allison! Well, the problem with taking my son is I can't find a breeder ANYWHERE in my area, so the one we found will have to be shipped (not real comfortable with that) or we will drive to pick him up which means that he pretty much is bought by then. I have looked and looked for people in or around my area who breeds shih a poos but nothing. But so far everyone I have talked to has said that the allergy thing was MUCH less with the shih a poo..
Also, I just read my original post, I don't know how it came across and I apologize if it offended anyone. But my first intro to this site was a thread on here with people arguing about the differences of opinion on mixed breeds and pure bred. So I was a little nervous to post. Anela

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Posts: 926
From:
Registered: May 2003

posted 09-30-2003 09:44 AM         

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Anele, Have you thought of a rescue shi-poo. Since you cant find a breeder near you, why dont you try Pefinder.com. There are a lot of pure breeds on there looking for good homes and someone in your area may have one looking to find a home.
Good luck
Honeybear

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Posts: 1179
From:,Calif. U.S.A.
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 09-30-2003 09:55 AM         

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Anyone that wants to purchase any dog is fine with me. I think the thing with breeding any dog is that there should be homes lined up before the actual breeding. It is not hard to find homes for small dogs. They are usually swiped up pretty fast. You are not always guaranteed what the muzzle will be, could be longer like the poo or shorter like the shi. All in all they are all cute. My poodle does not shed at all. Thank god, my terrier mix makes up for my poodle and sheds all over. I don't think I could take it if they both were shedders. I will probably always be a poodle owner. We had cocker-poos when I was a kid and well one was killed by a car. But the other was just the greatest.

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Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-30-2003 11:46 AM         

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thanks all, yes I have checked into rescue..One of the problems with that is I did that once before with a great dane, did the whole nine yards went down for about a week with the family and our newly bought great dane. Visited the "adoptee" had a great time each and every time. But when we got home we were all outside and everything was great. we got in and my baby dane went to get some water and the "new" dane from the pound decided to latch onto his head! It took everything my husband had to get him off of Merlin without taking Merlin's head with him. So let's just say my husband WILL NOT get a dog from the pound again. I know it's unfortunate but you just never know what that dog has been through and when you have kids to think about well..........And please b/f anyone responds badly to this statement put yourself in the scanero that I just described... But none the less there aren't even any rescue shih poos in my area...Anela

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From:,Calif. U.S.A.
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 10-01-2003 09:38 AM         

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You are very right. Its the luck of the draw. I have two shelter dogs. One is sweet as honey. The other one, my poodle. She was definatley put thru the ringer in her previuos life. I knew that she was neglected just by the picture they took of her when she first came in. Very bad shape. When I got her home she had to be coaxed into my home for months. She never thought it was ok to be in the house. Once she got in she was fine though. She would cringe when walked by and when feeding time came along she seemed like she was in trouble and I had to coax her to eat. She was timid but also dominate at the same time. She proved to be the alpha in the first few days, giving Rufus nips in the lip when she did not want to play. Rufus knows she is boss over him now. Biting issues too. Anytime she thought no-one should be touching her she would bite. She got me quite a few times, but each time, I made sure she knew it was bad. There was just no turning back for me. I already loved this dog from the minute my sister brought her to me. and I took her small thin soft body out of the kennel. It takes a good couple years to train an abused dog to be worthy family material. She is great now, still some quirks. But much better. You do what your family needs to do. If my boys were not teenagers when I got my poodle there would have been no way for me to keep a dog like Sasha.

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Posts: 536
From:
Registered: May 2003

posted 10-01-2003 06:38 PM         

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I'm not going to get into the whole breeding mixes thing except to say that you might have difficulty finding such a breeder that will put the care, love, devotion, health testing and years of study and willingness to work with those wanting to "create" a new breed. It is a misconception to think a buyer is only paying for "registered" PB dogs. Registry is a responsible part but has less to do with the purchase of a PB

Anyway thats your decision/ethics who you choose to support but will say allergies are not breed specific as much as they are 'dog' specific....take two dogs in one litter, the person with allergies may be allergic to one dog but not the other. Depends on the severity of the allergy also.
www.petfinder.com usually has many dogs of that mix in need of a good home.

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