Mongrel

A mongrel, mixed-breed dog or mutt is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized breed and is not the result of intentional breeding. Estimates place their numbers at 150 million animals worldwide. Although the term 'mixed-breed dog' is preferred by some, many mongrels have no known purebred ancestors. Furthermore, crossbreed dogs, while literally a mix of breeds, differ from mongrels in being intentionally bred. Although mongrels have at times been considered somehow lesser than intentionally bred dogs, they are thought to be less susceptible to genetic health problems associated with dog breeding (based on the theory of heterosis), and have enthusiasts and defenders who prefer them to intentionally bred dogs. A mongrel, mixed-breed dog or mutt is a dog that does not belong to one officially recognized breed and is not the result of intentional breeding. Estimates place their numbers at 150 million animals worldwide. Although the term 'mixed-breed dog' is preferred by some, many mongrels have no known purebred ancestors. Furthermore, crossbreed dogs, while literally a mix of breeds, differ from mongrels in being intentionally bred. Although mongrels have at times been considered somehow lesser than intentionally bred dogs, they are thought to be less susceptible to genetic health problems associated with dog breeding (based on the theory of heterosis), and have enthusiasts and defenders who prefer them to intentionally bred dogs. Although mongrels exhibit great variation, generations of uncontrolled breeding and environmental pressures may tend to shape them toward certain general average body types and characteristics known as landraces, some of which may be developed by people into new breeds such as the Alaskan husky. At other times, the word 'mongrel' has been applied to informally purpose-bred dogs such as curs which were created at least in part from mongrels, especially if the breed is not officially recognized. Like mixed breeds, crossbred dogs belong to no one recognized breed. Unlike mixed-breeds, however, crossbred dogs are often the product of artificial selection – intentionally created by humans, whereas the term 'mongrel' specifically refers to dogs that develop by natural selection, without planned intervention of humans. In the United States, the term 'mixed-breed' is a favored synonym over 'mongrel' among many who wish to avoid negative connotations associated with the latter term. The implication that such dogs must be a mix of defined breeds may stem from an inverted understanding of the origins of dog breeds. Pure breeds have been, for the most part, artificially created from random-bred populations by human selective breeding with the purpose of enhancing desired physical, behavioral, or temperamental characteristics. Dogs that are not purebred are not necessarily a mix of such defined breeds. Therefore, among some experts and fans of such dogs, 'Mongrel' is still the preferred term. The words cur, tyke, mutt, and mongrel are used, sometimes in a derogatory manner. There are also regional terms for mixed-breed dogs. In the United Kingdom, mongrel is the unique technical word for a mixed-breed dog. North Americans generally prefer the term mix or mixed-breed. Mutt is also commonly used (in the United States and Canada). Some American registries and dog clubs that accept mixed-breed dogs use the breed description All American. There are also names for mixed-breeds based on geography, behavior, or food. In Hawaii, mixes are referred to as poi dogs, although they are not related to the extinct Hawaiian poi dog. In The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, the common term is potcake dogs (referring to the table scraps they are fed). In South Africa the tongue-in-cheek expression pavement special is sometimes used as a description for a mixed-breed dog. In Trinidad and Tobago, these mixed dogs are referred to as pot hounds (pothong). In Serbia similar expression is prekoplotski avlijaner (over-the-fence yard-dweller). In the Philippines, mixed-breed street dogs are often called askal, a Tagalog-derived contraction of asong kalye (”street dog'). In Puerto Rico they are known as satos; in Venezuela they are called cacris, a contraction of the words callejero criollo (literally, street creole, as street dogs are usually mongrels); and in Chile and Bolivia, they are called quiltros. In Costa Rica it is common to hear the word zaguate, a term originating from a Nahuatl term, zahuatl, that refers to the scabies disease. In the rural southern United States, a small hunting dog is known as a feist. Slang terms are also common. Heinz 57, Heinz, or Heinz Hound is often used for dogs of uncertain ancestry, in a playful reference to the '57 Varieties' slogan of the H. J. Heinz Company. In some countries, such as Australia, bitsa (or bitzer) is sometimes used, meaning 'bits o' this, bits o' that'. In Brazil and the Dominican Republic, the name for mixed-breed dogs is vira-lata (trash-can tipper) because of homeless dogs who knock over trash cans to reach discarded food. In Newfoundland, a smaller mixed-breed dog is known as a cracky, hence the colloquial expression 'saucy as a cracky' for someone with a sharp tongue. Guessing a mixed-breed's ancestry can be difficult even for knowledgeable dog observers, because mixed-breeds have much more genetic variation than purebreds. For example, two black mixed-breed dogs might each have recessive genes that produce a blond coat and, therefore, produce offspring looking unlike their parents.