Today is National Mutt Day! Possibly the best way to observe National Mutt Day is to support your local animal shelter. Animal shelters provide housing and adoption services to mutts of all shapes and sizes, not just purebred and designer breed dogs.
If you are considering adding a dog to your family, selecting a mutt is an excellent choice. There are many reasons to consider adopting a mutt. Mutts often contain great attributes from the various breeds they inherit from, they can have fewer health problems than purebred dogs due to less inbreeding and they are often more affordable.
Perhaps most importantly, by adopting a mutt, you are actively choosing to not support a puppy mill. There are still approximately 10,000 puppy mills in the U.S. that produce 2 million puppies every year. These puppy mills are often overcrowded, use unethical cage-stacking tactics and allow pathogens to run rampant in their dogs, which can then infect local food and water systems.
Humane Action Pittsburgh has worked to ban the sale of dogs (as well as cats and rabbits) not from shelters in Pittsburgh, but there is still a lot of work to do specifically to support mutts. If you are not looking to add to your family, there are many national organizations that specialize in helping mutts, and you can always support your local shelter, either financially or through volunteering.
Together, our actions can make the world a better place for our mixed-breed companions.
Michael Steinfeld
Squirrel Hill