Читать книгу Puggle - Miriam Fields-Babineau - Страница 10

The name for a baby echidna (platypus) is “puggle.” The echidna is the only marsupial in Australia that lays eggs instead of birthing live young. The female lays an egg, which is incubated in a pouch, much like a young kangaroo. Ten days later the newborn hatches and is then considered a tiny puggle at less than half an inch long and weighing not even a thousandth of a pound. The puggle is carried in its mother’s pouch until it begins growing spines, at which time his mom leaves him in a burrow and returns every few days to feed him. The puggle leaves his burrow at the age of six months and his mom weans him around four months later.

Now for the canine version (far cuter than a platypus): a Puggle is the offspring of breeding a male Pug with a female Beagle.

There are well over 400 breeds of dog, many recognized by kennel clubs throughout the world. Many breeds are still in their infancy as breeders try to standardize their dogs to fit specific size and behavior guidelines. Now comes the designer-dog craze. This puts a wrinkle in the fabric of the purebred dog world, as hybrids and mixed breeds are becoming as popular and desirable as purebred dogs. Moreover, their price tags are often higher than those of purebreds.

Designer dogs are also called hybrids—a combination of two purebred dogs. The mixture can be any combination of the known registered breeds. The most popular hybrid dogs have been those mixed with Poodles, such as the Labradoodle, Golden-doodle, Cockapoo and others. Pug crosses are the latest hybrids to join the scene, and the Puggle is quickly gaining ground as it becomes the hybrid of choice among the fashionably elite, such as film and television celebrities. The New York Post has compared the Puggle to the equivalent of breeding a Marc Jacobs bag to a Louis Vuitton handbag, as the price of one of these designer bags is very much the same as the price of a Puggle—anywhere from $600 to $2000. Granted, a Puggle is not a handbag, but the dog’s size is similar to that of a larger designer bag, and the hybrid suits the lifestyles of many who live in urban areas.

Pet owners are attracted to Puggles for their compact size and companion qualities.

Wallace Havens is the first person to have purposely bred Beagles and Pugs together. He has been breeding hybrids since 1967. Though hybrids such as Cockapoos have been around for decades, the Puggle idea actually occurred by chance. A customer came to Mr. Havens’s Puppy Haven Kennel and told him of an accidental breeding between a Pug and a Beagle. He related how he’d seen the puppies and they were very cute. The customer suggested that Havens give the combination a try.

Puggles love to take life by the reins.

One of the longest known hybrids, Cockapoos have been popular pets since well before the “designer-dog” craze.

So, in 1993, the first Puggle puppies were sold at Barking Lot Pet Shop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since this first litter, Wallace Havens has sold a rabble of Puggle puppies to pet shops and directly to customers around the country.

David Dietz, who resides in Brooklyn, New York, has been selling Havens’s Puggles for nearly a decade. He claims to sell upwards of 500 hybrid dogs per year. Dietz says that many people come into his store to buy another breed, but once they see the Puggle they are instantly infatuated with its appearance and personality. He says that men are attracted to the Puggle’s activity level. The dog loves to run and play outside, though tends to be quiet indoors. Women like the Puggle’s endearing face, with the big eyes and wrinkled forehead. Children love the dog because he is small, affectionate and playful. Puggles also love nothing more than to curl up on a lap for a snooze, and nobody can resist that. Moreover, they love to impress their human companions.

“They say I have my mother’s ears.”

Of all the toy hybrid dogs, Puggles are among the most sturdy while also being compact. Mike Rubin, who has worked with Puggles for years, says they’re ideal pets for children. They have great dispositions and inquisitive minds. Rubin tells his Puggle-owning clients that the dogs must be given regular exercise such as walks or trips to the dog park to expend their energy and that they should be trained in order to be good companions. He has sold Puggles to many celebrities, as this hybrid dog easily fits within their lifestyles. The list of Puggle-owning celebrities is a virtual who’s who, including James Gandolfini, Sylvester Stallone and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Rubin claims that though the Puggle is half Pug, he rarely has the respiratory issues commonly related to the Pug breed because the Beagle traits give the Puggle a longer nose, though still rounded and cute. The Puggle’s short coat is easy to maintain, and his size makes him easy to bring along with you.

It’s fun to snuggle with a Puggle (or two).

Why would a dog owner choose a Puggle instead of a purebred Beagle or Pug? Let’s look at the two parent breeds more closely and discover why this little hybrid has stolen hearts and emptied wallets.