Six-Toed Lundehund - World's Rarest Breed

I don't know of ANY shelter that is FULL of purebred dogs or cats, almost all are mixed breeds.

It happens all over the U.S. Once people are tired of the current breed the shelters start getting them. I use to work at a shelter and after the 101 dalmations movie came out we were soon flooded with dalmations. All shelters are overcrowded now because people are too dumb to get their animals spayed or neutered

You're absolutely correct! Our shelter frequently has pure breeds who have been abandoned. Currently, lots of Jack Russell's.

The problem is that people do not take the time to research the breed type they are buying. They assume cute and cuddly puppies are going to stay cute & cuddly. They buy working dogs that need lots of space and put them in small areas and can't figure out why the dog tears up the apartment when left alone. The buy dogs 'to grow up' with their small children, never thinking ahead that the dog will reach full size long before their child. They buy animals to give as gifts without ever thinking of all the ramifications of pet ownership. No wonder our shelters are over crowded and we have populations of feral animals. Sad.

Dottie,

Not true. Have you been to a shelter lately??? Go to any shelter and I promise you will find pure breed dogs as well as cats for adoption.

Those are called "dewclaws".

http://dogs.about.com/od/dogcarebasics/f/dewclaws.htm

Thanks for the info, Bob! We never what they were called.

The problem with dewclaws (some are completely unattached & some have a tiny bone attaching it to the foot - like an extra toe), is that they can get ripped off when the dog is playing in the woods, etc. If they aren't attached at all - it is easy for the vet to snip them off and just put a few stiches in to close it up. I speak from experience of having him tear one almost all the way off while camping and having to rush to an emergency an $$$$ vet.

If the dog is an indoor animal - the risk is much lower of having that type of injury.

Charity Sheehy: I think your doggie may have a littel Great Pryeneese in her. A Pry. has an extra dew claw on the back foot. That is how one identifies a full blooded Pyr. If you are going to a breeder for one and it only has one on the back foot then there is a mix in the dog and you are not getting a pure bred. So you just may have a chow/german shephard/great pryeneese mix. And I would think you have a very loyal guard dog that would need some extra tranining in gentlness around children. Never ever raise your hand to this dog or show her aggression (as you shouldn't to any dog or pet) or you will instill her natural aggressivness. Love her like she deserves.

Many more dogs are killed every year from malnutrition associated with folks trying to mix their own diet, than commercial dog foods. About 5-10% of dogs eating home cooked diet do not receive nutritionally complete diets - And RAW MEAT! Have you ever heard of salmonella? Dogs are not magically resistant to pathogenic bacteria. Would you feed raw meat to a toddler? I sure hope not; don't feed raw meat to your dog either.

Deb, don't talk about what you clearly know nothing of. Human babies do not have the same diet as dogs...don't know if you've noticed that they're a little different. Raw meat diets are optimal for your dog's health...do some research and talk to some competent vets. Grain, the main ingredient in most common commercial dog foods, is not good for dogs--but is a cheap filler for the dog food companies. There are many premium dry dog foods (of course they are very expensive), which can be purchased at quality pet stores, that contain no grain but raw meat and fruits and vegetables, that contain proper nutrition for dogs. You can supplement with frozen ground organic chicken patties which can also be purchased from a good pet store. If handled properly, you needn't worry about bacteria. I have been feeding this to my dogs since one of them was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and I didn't want to put him through chemotherapy. The pathology report said his condition was "grave" and was a type of cancer that cannot be fully removed with surgery and usually recurs within a few weeks. After researching on the interenet, in books, and through a holistic vet (my vet never bothered to mention it, although she told me later that's what she feeds her dogs), I learned that cancer in dogs feeds off the grains in most dog foods. His cancer has not yet returned...nor have any of my dogs gotten ill from salmonela. So why don't you open a book and find out what to feed your poor dog (and perhaps your baby) and maybe they'll both be a lot healthier.

I was looking into that not too long ago for my two but my vet said the raw diet is bad for dogs just because they ate it in the past doesnt mean its the best it opens them up to paracites and bacteria and sometimes can be fatal (depending on the product)

No! go ahead and feed your dogs all the raw meat they want! I think dogs are neat! I have always wondered though, what makes a dog more valuable than another outside of it's rare form of breed. Do you think "puffin" dogs taste better or have more lean meat, than let's say, a golden retriever?

VPI? Costs about $30.00 per pet a month, covers very little and you wait weeks for a reimbursement check. Forget it. I put the $30.00 a month in a special account, hopefully, it may be years before I will need it, in the meantime it collects interest