Purebred animals are beautiful, it's true.  Golden Retrievers have such warm eyes and sweet personalities, Irish Setters have gorgeous coats, and Border Collies are incredibly smart.  Little dogs are adorable and fun to play with; big dogs have a protective nature about them.  It's no wonder people want to get purebred dogs from a pet store or personal breeder.

But there's a lot to be said about mixed breeds and animals from shelters as well.  Mixing anything with a poodle has become the trend lately. Those dogs are hypo-allergenic, meaning people who are normally allergic to dogs don't have allergies around them.  This is just one example of something that happens in a lot of mixed breeds: they take the good qualities of their breeds and proudly display them, leaving the bad ones out.

Dogs mixed with German Shepherds aren't as likely have hip problems.  Dogs mixed with Keeshonds aren't as likely to have stomach issues.  What these dogs will have instead are the best qualities of both breeds.  Mutts make for wonderful companions who often have a unique and undeniably adorable look to them.  Plus, if you rescue an animal from a pound, he's going to thank you for it by devoting his love and attention to you.

So if you're thinking about getting a dog, forget Lassie and go for Benji.  He might not boast a pure bred bloodline, but he's got more love to give, and is cuter too!