Mutt.
Mongrel.
Mixed breed.
There are a number of ways to describe a dog that isn't a purebred.
Turns out mutts have a special day all to themselves.
July 31 is National Mutt Day. It's also known as National Mixed Breed Dog Day. There's even a website for this dog-centric holiday.
Here's some background on National Mutt Day from the National Mutt Day website:
National Mutt Day, also known as National Mixed Breed Dog Day, was created in 2005 by Celebrity Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal Welfare Advocate, Colleen Paige, (also founder of National Dog Day, National Cat Day, National Puppy Day & many more) and is celebrated on both July 31st and December 2nd. This special day was created to be celebrated on two dates per year to raise awareness of the plight of mixed breed dogs in shelters around the nation, to educate the public about the sea of mixed breed dogs that desperately await new homes and to celebrate the amazing breeds that make up your fur child's lineage.Here are some facts that the National Mutt Day website shares about mutts:
- First of all, you get a healthier dog with a mixed breed.
- Then there's this fact: you are likely to get a dog with a better temperament when you adopt a mutt.
- Next, mixed breed dogs can be working dogs. These days mutts work as bomb sniffers, search and rescue dogs or guide dogs.
- Finally, mutts tend to live longer.
Mutt DNA
Our mixed breed Buffy lived to just shy of his 16th birthday. For a 40-pound dog, a mix of a golden retriever, cocker spaniel and beagle, that was quite a life. (The fact that I walked Buffy every day, for at least an hour, likely contributed to his longevity as well.)
Our current dogs--Sadie and Oscar--are both mutts, too. Because we had no idea what kind of dog Sadie was--we were thinking a lab mix--we had Sadie's DNA tested. Boy were we surprised to find out she's half redbone coonhound and half Pekingese, Pomeranian or King Charles Cavalier Spaniel. (The DNA test we used was a bit unclear about what the other half of her lineage likely is.)
We haven't had Oscar's DNA tested yet, but since everyone who meets him asks if he is part beagle, we need to do that. The rescue told us he was part Catahoula leopard dog. It will be interesting to have Oscar's DNA tested and see if the DNA results confirm this suspicion.
Famous Mutts
But back to National Mutt Day. National Mutt Day has a bigger purpose. Because there are dog lovers who think that purebred is the only way to go, National Mutt Day is designed to help making adopting a mixed breed dog more attractive. Still not convinced a mutt is worth it? Consider some of these famous mutts.- Benji, that scrappy little rascal. Benji was a movie star in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Sandy, best friend to Little Orphan Annie. When "Annie" was on Broadway, the producers cast a real-life mutt--a terrier mix--to play Sandy.
- Doc, the dog from "Grey's Anatomy." Who can forget that tearjerker episode when Doc had to be put down!
- Murray, he was the collie mix on 1990s hit "Mad About You"