When I was referring to mutts I mean't a general crossbreed with a mix of many breeds not an engineered cross.
In the days when somebody's dog would jump the fence and suddenly a few months later the owner of the bitch is passing out puppies around the neighbourhood. Most of these pups went on to live long healthy lives as treasured pets.
I guess I was thinking of German Shepherds as we always had these dogs growing up. Strong, robust animals that were very loyal companions. In the last 20 years I haven't seen one displaying any traits of the dogs of old and a vet's dream with the number of ailments that require treatment.
There are other breeds with problems. Pugs and pekinese with squashed up faces that make breathing very difficult. Retrievers and Labs with hip problems despite the amount of hip scoring that goes on.
Agree with you on the puppy farm thing. Gutless Baird will never take them on or the horse racing industry for that matter where large numbers of horses ultimately end up feeding dogs.
