In praise of mutts
by Janine Adams

Those of you who've read this column or my books know that I have two purebred dogs. Kramer and Scout are standard poodles, a wonderful breed. It's hard to imagine I'll ever live without at least one poodle in my family.

So why have I decided to rhapsodize about the glory of mixed breed dogs this month? Because I just spent a couple of hours with several hundred mutts-and scarcely a purebred dog in sight. On April 21, I attended the first annual Great American Mutt Show, held in New York City.

Organized by New York interior designers Kitty Hawks and Bunny Williams, founders of Tails In Need, a foundation that promotes the value of adopting mixed-breed and unwanted dogs (and raises funds for animals in distress), the show attracted mutts and their proud owners from all over the metropolitan area.

I go to the famed Westminster Kennel Club dog show every year and I've been to one or two other dog shows (in which purebred dogs compete over which one best exemplifies the breed standard). The mutt show had a passing resemblance to those shows, in that there were rings and inside those rings were dogs and their handlers competing before a judge. But there were some big differences, starting with the categories. At the mutt show, dogs competed in such categories as Mostly Terrier, Mostly Collie, Most Misbehaved, Best Kisser and (my personal favorite) Best Lap Dog Over 50 Pounds. In the latter category, overstuffed chairs were set up in the ring. The handler would sit in the chair and a large dog would clamber up on to his or her lap and settle in.

The biggest difference between the Great American Mutt Show and a purebred show were the dogs. At a purebred show (particularly a specialty, which is limited to one breed), the dogs look alike. That's the whole point. At the mutt show, the dogs came in all shapes, sizes, colors, and coat types. And here's the best part: no two looked alike. Occasionally, though, you'd hear a shriek followed by something like, "It's another Harley!" as two look-alike one-of-a-kind (two-of-a-kind?) dogs greeted one another. The owners always seemed to have an instant rapport.

The other big difference between the mutt show and other dogs shows I've been to was the atmosphere. Everyone was there to have fun. There was no great prestige (outside the exhibit hall, anyway) for the winner. In fact, every entrant won a ribbon. But the show gave people a unique opportunity to show off their mutts in a show ring.

Absent were the politics, back stabbing, and competitiveness that characterize many dog shows. All that was replaced by a genuine appreciation of the unique beauty and innate special qualities of the mutt.

The fact that the event's organizers have connections in New York society was very apparent. The Best in Show trophy-shaped like a fire hydrant, with a gold bone on the top-was designed by eminent architect Michael Graves. Isaac Mizrahi was the judge of the "Best Lap Dog Over 50 Pounds category." But it was the vendors that really set this show apart. At the Great American Mutt Show, mixed-breed dogs and their owners weren't treated like second class citizens. Au contraire. The vendors whose booths lined the large hall offered the most expensive, fanciest dog products I've seen anywhere. Aromatherapy, portraits (both custom paintings and photography of your dog were available), bejeweled collars (even a collar with a watch on it), hydrotherapy, dog beds (my favorite one was the feather-filled leather bed-so luxurious), animal communicators (note the plural), the list goes on.

The mutts in attendance were oblivious to the Park Avenue cachet of the show. They were there for the fun of it (and most seemed to be having fun, though a few looked a little stressed). I've never seen a more beautifulÑand unusual-collection of dogs gathered together. And I don't think I've ever seen a more adoring group of humans. These people were nuts about their dogs and proud to show them off.

My friend Karen Derrico has written a marvelous book called Unforgettable Mutts. Its subtitle could have been the theme for the Great American Mutt Show: "Pure of heart, not of breed."

top of page