Mixed Breed Dogs Make the Best Pets.

Well, I don't know if that's really true or not, I just know that growing up, we had all kinds of mixed breed dogs and they were all wonderful dogs. So, as usual, my mother was probably right.

In any event Jack, whom you have met on my Home Page and other pages, is a perfect example of exactly the kind of dog my mother had in mind.

In common language, Jack would be called a ' mutt '.

But to make the inference that Jack is in any way common, would be a mistake. Jack might not be a pure breed dog, but his dubious canine ancestry is his strong point.

I have often thought that it might be interesting to get the dog DNA test done. Who knows what it might turn up for Jack.

Here's what we know about Jack's breeding. He is a crossbreed dog. His heritage is English Setter and Blue Tick Coonhound. What a motley mix, you might say. How did that happen ?

Well who knows, and who cares?

Mixed breed dog

I got Jack and his sister Rosie, two mixed breed puppies, from one of the local animal shelters. Rosie didn't live very long...only five years. She had many dog health problems. Her early death caused me to learn all I could about dog nutrition and dog health.

Jack is more hardy and is going on for eleven years now. However Jack does have digestive system problems which I constantly have to monitor. Jack has a ' wonky bowel ' as I like to call it.

His digestive system is very sensitive, and it doesn't take much to send him into having bouts of diarrhea, and sometimes vomiting. This was diagnosed by our vet as Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

After having lived with Jack for over ten years, I think his bowel issues are sometimes due to ' garbage' he's eaten, but also to a large extent, I feel that he has an irritable bowel which is emotionally related.

We manage Jack's bowel issues with a good raw dog food, and if necessary I give him certain herbs to soothe the irritation. This works very well and so his health is the best it's ever been!

Marvelous Mutts

Jack is the ' odd man out '. He is at the bottom of the pack hierarchy. Nobody will cut Jack a break!

Jack misses his sister Rosie. Together they were a team. Since Rosie's death, Jack seems a bit lost. For a while after Rosie died, I thought I was going to lose Jack too. He was so despondent, and it was obvious that he was mourning the death of his sister.

Little is known about the emotional life of dogs. However I am sure that they feel emotions too. I know they do. I've seen it. Research is being done in this area and I know that Dogs Never Lie About Love : Reflections on the Emotional World of Dogs.

Jacks lovely soft nature is what makes him my ' Sweet Baby Boy ', but it is also his health downfall.

There are no breed specific requirements for love. Mixed breed dogs have just as much love to give you.

Jack and I, miss Rosie everyday. It makes us both feel better that she will be waiting eagerly for us over the Rainbow Bridge.

In the meantime, Jack loves his walk. So we will hook up Pager and Teddy and Little Tuxedo and head out for an hour.

SBI!