This dog is a Scolden terrier.
Half Scottish terrier/half golden retriever.
I told you it was a bizarre cross. Some of you got close.
Many of you may not be aware that Scottish terriers also come in cream color, which is referred to as wheaten (not “Wheaton.”) We generally tend to think of Scottish terriers as black or very dark brindle dogs.
It is an e/e yellow to red color, so it is possible to get yellow puppies out of this cross.
I don’t know why anyone would cross these two breeds. Both are fairly cancer-ridden, and Scottish terriers have a very different utility from golden retrievers.
I wonder how much one of these dogs costs.
My guess is that is far more than one would spend for the exact same cross at an animal shelter.
However, the designer dog phenomenon is a major pressure on the dog fancy. People are letting their imaginations run wild.
A lot of it is nothing more than avarice and the caprices of a fickle market.
But some of it might actually lead to some reforms in the greater fancy.
The market share that goes to these dogs takes money away from the established registries.
I’d like to have a rational discussion about these dogs that is free of the general accusations that both sides tend to throw at each other.
You know my prejudice. I’m in favor of open registries. I am uncomfortable with the ideal of blood purity for blood purity’s sake. It seems to me a bit antiquated, and in the long run, it is going to be very harmful to domestic dogs as a species.
But I’m not so sure breeding Scottish terriers to golden retrievers is helping my case.
