Owners who have adopted mutts insist their dogs are smarter, healthier, better tempered and easier to train than purebreds. They've found out they're sturdier dogs. Mr. Dibra disagreed, saying that mutts are not easier to train. It depends on the breed. I've bred pointers and Labs.
Labs have an enormous gene pool.
Pointers have a small one. The Humane Society of New York is giving away a lot of labrador mixes and shepherd mixes, Ms. DeFeo said. There may also be a kind of reverse snobbery taking hold against purebreds and their owners. Socially secure mutt owners are eager to acknowledge the trend, but of course none admit to being motivated by it. It's just that now other people are coming around to it.