What Is a La-Chon or a Mokave?

How's your La-Chon (Bichon Frise/Lhasa Apso) or your Chorkie (Chihuahua/Yorkshire terrier)? 

Not a dog person?  Then how is your family's Mokave (these kittens can run up to $4,000) working out? 

Today, Mr. Ming wants to talk a little about designer pets. Breeders today can build a better, stronger, cuter, smaller, larger or hypo-allergenic furry (or furless companion) to match just about any criteria. All you add is love. You can even order a robot cat or dog to snuggle with or to help with housekeeping chores (Roomba).   

Have you met any of these breeds? What does your veterinarian say about them? Do they come with an on/off switch? What are the pro and cons of owning one of these designer breeds? 

Wait a minute. Something seems amiss. Haven't dogs and cats been dating indiscriminately for centuries? Aren't many of the breeds that we know today the products of a one-night bowl of kibble ? 

These unsupervised trysts produced what were commonly referred to as mutts or Heinz 57s. But not always.

The Doberman and the pinscher begat the miniature pinscher, and the Himalayan mountain kitten is a cross between a Siamese and a Persian cat. So, just how new is this designer pet thing? One new thing about these  designer pets is their price.

And, who can guarantee that 50 percent of this plus 50 percent of that will always produce 100 percent of what you ordered?

Bobbi Durston, certified professional dog trainer (CPDT) and the behavior and training coordinator for the Benicia/Vallejo Humane Society, writes in her article Designer Dogs:

"Another issue in designer dogs is the second, third, and fourth generation dogs. First generation crosses, crossing a pure poodle with a pure golden, usually produces something called hybrid vigor. We all learned about that in fifth-grade science class. When you cross two types of something, the offspring is usually stronger than either parent is. That is true of the first generation crosses. Usually.  Not true of second, third and fourth generation crosses. As the line becomes more dilute issues tend to crop up. We are no longer breeding true. By third or fourth generation, you really have no idea which characteristics may or may not show up in the offspring."

Don't get me (Mr. Ming's trusty sidekick) wrong. In Benicia, I've met some very friendly and extremely cute golden doodles (golden retriever/poodle mix) and puggles (pugs/poodle mix), but with so many cats and dogs awaiting homes, something doesn't seem right. But to each his or her own.

Mr. Ming strongly suggests that you check out the breeder before purchasing a puppy or kitten or, better yet, visit the Benicia Vallejo Humane Society or  to see if you can find a pet that will design itself right into your heart.