Dear Kid,

Just in case you weren’t paying attention, this past Saturday was National Mutt Day, a holiday to “raise awareness of the plight of mixed breed dogs in shelters.”

Puppy: What’s a “mutt”?
Me: It’s when something is not all the same.
Puppy: Like our silverware.
Pi: He’s right. There are a lot of mis-matches in there.
Me: I prefer to think of it as getting away from being too matchy-matchy.
Puppy: Like a mutt.

In general, mixed breed dogs tend to be healthier, more flexible, and better behaved than purebreds.

Pi: Right up to the point they encounter another dog who is very sweet and just wants to take a nap rather than playing. Looking at you, short stuff.
Puppy: I am a good boy.
Pi: Keep telling yourself that.

Mixed breeds are often trained for performances and working (bomb and drug sniffing, search and rescue, guide dog, etc.). Those jobs used to be for purebred animals but the roles are now often filled by mixed breed.

Puppy: I work.
Me: You do not work.
Puppy: I work very hard!
Me: And I repeat. You do not work.
Puppy: Well, I could work if I wanted to.
Pi: Keep telling yourself that.

About 80% of the dogs in shelters are mixed breeds.

Puppy: What’s a “mixed breed”?
Pi: A mutt.
Puppy: Synonyms are hard.

Love, Mom

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