Dog Mix / Mutt / Mongrel

Here I sit in the middle of all these fancy purebreds, but I don't really have a name to describe what I am. Often people ask if I'm a Lab or a Shepard, since my heritage there is noticeable. I just wish I had a breed name, like Labard or Sheplab, but no, I'm a mutt or a mongrel, which doesn't come with much respect. But I am twice the dog that any one of those breeds are: I'm the best of both.

I guess I should take comfort in the fact that I've heard so many people say that mutts make the best pets. It helps, but I would still prefer a real name. I know that my Cocker Spaniel and Poodle friends are called Cockapoos. It sounds a bit sissy, but at least they have a name that identifies their heritage. That's all I want: a name that will identify me as unique and yet is a standard nomenclature when two different dog parents get together.

Anyway, my owner knows who I am and I know how good I am and that's what really matters. My dad was one of the greatest Labrador Retrievers to immigrate to this country and I'm told that my mom was a great Australian Shepard. But I was born here in the United States of America and that makes me an American Labard... or a US Sheplab. Or a Yankee Doodle Dandy!

I guess I'm okay with being a mixed breed since I've never known anything else. It has kept me humble, although I could do plenty of bragging about my ancestry since my family tree can go off into more than just one direction.