What is a Crossbreed?
There are so many breeds of dog and cat around today it can often be hard to tell if you’ve got a moggy or mongrel, or an actual pedigree, especially if you haven’t bought the pet from a breeder. Maybe your pet has given birth and you are unsure of the parentage, or you are unsure as to the traits your pet may be showing. Here at Animal Friends we’ve laid down the groundwork so you can understand what crossbreed really means.
Crossbreed versus Pedigree?
Crossbreed refers to an animal with two pedigree parents of different breeds or variety, resulting in an animal with a mixture of the traits from both pedigrees. Crossbreeding is the act of intentionally mating two such breeds together in order to gain the favourable traits of both breeds, with a reduced risk of the detriments, such as associated health problems. In this way, breeders can gain the traits most desired in the offspring, such as a collie’s intelligence or a ragdolls colouring. In this way, you have a litter of young animals that are guaranteed to suffer from less health issues, live longer and have more favourable traits.
Admittedly, aside from possible colours, there is very little you can know about how the animals will look as they may show different heritage in any particular area, however you can expect the dog to look familiar to one or both of its parents, such as a particular shape of face, patches or colour spots and perhaps even a similar disposition. As crossbreeds suffer from less illness issues, they are looked on favourably by many pet owners for their longer life spans and better histories.
Many animals that are left in care homes are crossbreeds, as the recognisable pedigree dogs are taken to homes straight away for their looks – as such, when considering whether to adopt an animal, think about the crossbreeds left in kennels and rescue centres who are overlooked for the ‘preferred’ breeds, so choose a pet that will be both very loving, and long living too.
Finally, remember that Animal Friends Insurance offers a comprehensive range of pet insurance that protects your animal friends from injury and illness, so get in touch with us now on 0845 55 70 300 or email us at info@animalfriends.co.uk and ask how we can help you today.
