Frankendogs

I read an article in the NY Times magazine last weekend on designer dogs, hybrid breeds that are odd combinations of ordinary dogs. Apparently, purebred dog breeders are all in a tizzy about it. I'd never given this matter much thought. I heard Jake Gyllenhaal owns a puggle (the result of a one-night stand between a pug and a beagle) that cost like $2,000, but that's about all I know on the topic. Maybe it's having recently read the article, maybe there's a run on crazy Frankendogs in New York, but I'm seeing them everywhere now. And they're freaking me out. Tell me this isn't funny-looking with it's short-ass legs:

Puggle
I saw one the other day in the park wearing a really preppy looking sweater (red and yellow, with a little collar). Granted, it was cold, but still...the thing looked like it went to Yale. All it was missing was a crest on the breast pocket...






And I just saw one of these Labradoodles (Labradors crossed with Poodles) this evening:

Kinda cute, right? Originally bred in Australia to be guide dogs for people with allergies because they don't shed much. That makes them less of a vanity half-breed then the rest of them. It looks like it enjoys a good drooling session, though...





Other pricey canine mash-ups: Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel and Poodle), Morkie (Maltese and Yorkie), Boggle (Boston Terrier and Beagle), and finally the Begapoo (Beagle and Poodle). Those Beagles and Poodles really get around, huh? Little sluts...I wanna see what happens when you cross a Chihuahua with a St. Bernard. Probably a crime against nature.

And just when you think you've run out of ways to spend money on your made-to-order puppy, you can drop $1000 one of these custom, solid oak dog beds:

They're as stylish as they are practical. But your shiny new puggle may not be able to get in it with those stumpy little legs.