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One of the nearby shelters has a bonded pair, adults (I think older adults) that they are "calling" lab/basset hound mix. They look like nice dogs, but it did get me wondering if mixing a fairly heavy bodied dog like the lab with the shorter legs (which they have) of a Basset might lead to issues. I have been seeing these heavier bodied breeds being mixed with other shorter legged dogs, and I am just not sure it is a good idea, even with some of the smaller breeds.
Thoughts?
OMG! I was looking at a website for puppies in KS, and their tons of people breeding mixed breeds and asking what appears to be a fortune. It is like they take into account nothing when they breed two purebreds together. I would not go there as I am more than familiar with the issue of puppy mills in KS. I do wonder what they do with the excess, but have a fairly good idea. I have seen them dump special needs pups, even the purebreds at the animal shelters. Sad situation, but KS is, well, what it is and trying to change anything here .............. Our town allows 19 pets per household (the agricultural limit before one has to get a license), so...............
Bassets are full bodied breeds on their own. While I would never "create" this mixture (or any random mixture), this bonded pair already exisits....and if I had room, would have zero issues adopting them. Labs and Bassets are both great dogs!
We are debating whether we would want two, but they do look like very nice dogs, and up until a couple of years ago, we had two dogs, so that wouldn't be new. One of those was a lab.
Bassets are very heavy dogs and they have really sturdy legs with lots of strong bone in their legs. A Basset can weigh 75 pounds, so they are actually as big as a Labrador, just shorter on the leg.
Both Labs and Bassets are good natured and easy to get along with. Probably, those are good natured dogs. Meet them and spend a bit of time with them to be sure.
The temperaments should be nice (though that would depend on the temperaments of the individual dogs' parents and grandparents, which you cannot know). I would have some concerns as to combination of the heavy bones of the Labrador and the long backs of the Bassets.
The mix is likely best guess based simply on their appearance. I volunteered at intake for a humane society for a few years and that was often a difficult part of the process, deciding what breed to put on the listing when in reality you have no idea. Poodles, pits and chihuahuas were easy enough but most other dogs that came to the shelter were harder to describe. Like another poster said, just go meet them and decide if you like them.
One thing about mixed dogs is they tend to be smarter and have better genes.
I had a beagle and shih tzu mix - the smartest dog ever!
My other dog is a beagle mix - we thought she was half dachshund It turned out she was 61% Beagle, 14% Chow Chow, 6.9% German Shepherd. The rest is breeds that contribute to Supermutt: Lhasa Apso, Australian Cattle Dog, Dalmatian. She is the sweetest dog ever!
A bonded pair is a nice thing - I hope you adopt them!
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