The Doggie Diaries: The Benefits of Purebreds

Anna and I spent Thanksgiving on Cape Cod at her older sister Alicia's house. Unlike their younger sister, Emily -- who looks after a pair of rescue dogs with her fiance Dave -- Alicia and her husband Hal have a pair of Weimaraners, of whom they are very fond.

"We grew up with springer spaniels, and I've always loved hunting dogs," Alicia says. "They're great family dogs, and they tend to be good to their people."

The advantage of purebreds is that you have a good idea of what their sizes and temperaments will be as they get older, Alicia explains, and Weimaraners in particular are good-natured, athletic dogs. "It had nothing to do with William Wegman," Hal asserts, referencing the famous Massachusetts photographer with a proclivity for dressing up his Weimaraners in women's clothing.

Still, they wanted to steer clear of profit-minded breeders, and to meet their pup's parents if possible. So when Alicia heard that a man in her father's neighborhood had bred puppies for his own kids -- and had an extra -- she figured it was the perfect arrangement.

From this litter, she and Hal acquired Ransom, a stately blue female who is now 12. When searching for a companion for Ransom a few years later, they considered a Weimaraner rescue operation, but almost all of the available dogs had serious, expensive health problems. "One needed cardiac surgery, another needed a hip replacement," she remembers, speculating that their former owners probably couldn't afford the treatment and had to give them up.

Instead, they found Panzer, a silver female who is now six, at a working farm in western Massachusetts. She was part of a litter bred for the residents' kids, and Alicia and Hal got the chance to interact with the bitch and the stud beforehand. Ransom (who is, Alicia asserts, "the best dog ever") and Panzer ("a bit of a pill, but very sweet-natured") have become a solid team. As Alicia and Hal's family has expanded to include two babies, Ransom and Panzer have turned out to be, as promised, excellent family dogs.

What about you? We've already heard from advocates for rescue dogs, but who out there is crazy for purebreds?

Tags: purebreed, rescue dog, RescueDog, Weimaraners, William Wegman, WilliamWegman