Mongrel

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Spotted in Sao Martinho do Porto

A mongrel, mutt, or mixed-breed dog is a dog that belongs to no single organizationally recognized breed and is not the result of intentional breeding

When the term mixed-breed is used for mongrel with no purebred ancestors, it is technically a misnomer. The implication that such dogs must be a mix of defined breeds may stem from an inverted understanding of the origins of dog breeds. Pure breeds have been, for the most part, artificially created from random-bred populations by human selective breeding with the purpose of enhancing desired physical or temperamental characteristics. Dogs that are not purebred are not necessarily a mix of such defined breeds. "Mongrels" or "mixed-breed" dogs, are not a separate species from other domesticated canines or "purebred" canines.

There is a profusion of words and phrases used to describe dogs that are not designated as a purebred or pedigreed dog. The words cur, tyke, mutt, and mongrel are used, sometimes in a derogatory manner. There are also regional terms for mixed-breed dogs. In the United Kingdom mongrel is the unique technical word for a mixed-breed dog. North Americans generally prefer the term mix or mixed-breed. Mutt[6] is also commonly used (in the U.S.A and Canada), often in an affectionate manner. Some American registries and dog clubs that accept mixed-breed dogs use the breed description All American. In the rural southern United States, a small hunting dog is known as a feist.

There are also names for mixed-breeds based on geography, behavior, or food. In Hawaii, mixes are referred to as poi dogs, although they are not related to the extinct Hawaiian poi dog. In The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, the common term is potcake dogs (referring to the table scraps they are fed). In South Africa the tongue-in-cheek expression pavement special is sometimes used as a description for a mixed-breed dog. In the Philippines, mixed-breed street dogs are often called "askals", a Tagalog-derived contraction of "asong kalye" or street dog. In Puerto Rico they are known as Sato dogs, and in Chile and Bolivia, they are called quiltros.

Slang terms are also common. Heinz 57, Heinz, or Heinz Hound is often used for dogs of uncertain ancestry, in a playful reference to the "57 Varieties" slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company. In some countries, such as Australia, bitsa (or bitzer) is common, meaning "bits o' this, bits o' that". In Brazil and the Dominican Republic, the name for mixed-breed dogs is vira-lata (trash-can tipper) because of homeless dogs who knock over trash cans to reach discarded food. In Newfoundland, a smaller mixed-breed dog is known as a cracky, hence the colloquial expression "saucy as a cracky" for someone with a sharp tongue.

Dogs interbreed freely so mixed-breed dogs vary in size, shape, and color, making them difficult to classify physically. Mixed-breed dogs manifest a wide variety of appearances. However, if a genetically diverse population continues to interbreed, subsequent generations do tend toward a roughly similar appearance. They tend to be fawn or black and weigh about 18 kg (40 lb) and typically stand between 38 and 57 cm (15 and 23 inches) tall at the withers.

Guessing a mixed-breed's ancestry is difficult even for knowledgeable dog observers, because mixed-breeds have much more genetic variation than purebreds. For example, two black mixed-breed dogs might each have recessive genes that produce a blond coat and, therefore, produce offspring looking unlike their parents.

 

 

 

 

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