A dog will always be a dog, with or without a pedigree, but what makes them different? Mixed-breed dogs are adored by some and rejected by others for different reasons: I don't know how big they will be, I don't know if they will have a lot or little hair, I don't know if they will have a good character or not… There are many questions that arise when we have a dog without breed, but we will try to clarify some in this article.
On our site we want to help you with the questions that may arise when adopting a mongrel dog and one of the most frequent is How long does a dog live without race? This is one of the biggest questions in the office and/or social gatherings and, in my opinion, one of the most difficult to answer, let's see why:
Life expectancy of a mongrel dog
It is very common to hear that mongrel dogs live longer than purebred dogs. Is it a myth or reality? Mestizo dogs are extremely strong and over the years the most resistant specimens of different environmental conditions have been reproduced. These characteristics allow us to confirm that they are individuals longer, having an average lifespan of 16 to 18 years, with records of up to 20 years.
But let's remember that life expectancy is closely linked to the lifestyle they lead: a poor diet, low quality of life or poor he alth are variables that can influence life expectancy. Every dog is different, we can only calculate longevity and never confirm how long a dog will live, with or without papers.
The mestizo dog has some qualities that make it unique and unrepeatable. Although we cannot "predict" their behavior or life expectancy as is attempted in standardized breeds, they are very intelligent animals with a strong ability to adapt to the environment and to different situations. It is these same specimens that later gave way to pure breeds. The latter are mestizos prolonged in time and genetically modified.
Finally, highlight that the richness and variety of the blood of mestizo dogs, as opposed to impoverished blood and high consanguinity in purebred dogs, it favors greater longevity and a lower risk of suffering from he alth problems.
History of the dog without breed
The dog without papers, pedigree or as it is called in Argentina "vereda y cordon" alluding to the fact that it was born on the street, only has something that characterizes it, and that is that it belongs to the species of the canis familiaris family, so we know it is a dog.
Its origin lies in the tertiary era, the product of several crosses between wolves. This was known as a random cross, without the intervention of man so that the only objective was the continuity of the species. In this way, increasingly resistant specimens emerged, since the weak or those with diseases died and, many times, did not manage to reproduce, giving way to a "very strong race". It is a natural cross of which we do not know its ancestors.
The different mixtures of blood in the crosses make them enjoy the "hybrid vigor", which although it seems a difficult word for readers who have no medical training, is nothing more than the resistance obtained to diseases inherited by consanguinity. This is pure logic, the he althiest individuals have greater fertility and chances of procreation than the weakest or sickest.
History helps us better understand the longevity of these specimens in order to answer the question posed in the title in the best possible way.
Characteristics of the dog without breed
Mongrelized dogs also have no disadvantages compared to purebred dogs, which makes them very interesting. With purebred dogs, the only thing we can be sure of is that they have the characteristics we are looking for and even so, many times we find exceptions to the breed since animals, like us, are unique beings.
Like us, your temperament will be associated in part to the genetics you bring and in large part to environmental factors in that was developed and/or is currently being developed. These animals differ if they were raised on the street, in a family home, with a balanced environment or were rescued from inappropriate situations. Providing them with love and a he althy environment, they are extremely faithful and affectionate, it will be enough to see their happy face to understand the love they feel for their "human herd".
In turn, as if that were not enough, we can train them in different activities, as well as the most common breeds such as rescue or therapy dogs.
