Latest news with #designerDogs
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
These dogs are all supposedly the same breed, but their owners were duped into buying a fake designer puppy - so can YOU guess what kind they're meant to be?
Miniature cockapoos are among the most expensive dog breeds in the UK. But some unlucky owners have fallen for false advertisements and ended up with a dog of an entirely different breed. Back in lockdown when Britons went crazy for designer dogs, a string of unscrupulous breeders put out manipulative advertisements claiming to sell the coveted pups to cash in on the rampant craze. When they're young, it can be difficult to distinguish the breed of a given dog, which in turn led fraudulent sellers to prey on prospective owners longing for the popular Cocker Spaniel and Poodle crossbreed. However, as time went on, owners have come to realise that they're beloved canines aren't of the designer breed. UK-based Samantha Eyon was one of the unlucky individuals who splashed out on a cockapoo only for him to look like an entirely different breed just months later. Taking to TikTok, Samantha explained that she was expecting an F1 Toy Cockapoo, meaning she wanted a dog resulting from a first-generation mating of a Cocker Spaniel with a Poodle. As a result, she paid a premium price for her new family member and splashed out a staggering £2,000 to bring him home. But just months later, her pooch grew into a dog that bore no physical similarities to a Toy Cockapoo but instead developed black and white spots, leading to speculation that he was a Dalmatian cross. 'Paying £2000 for a Toy Cockapoo and getting...,' Samantha wrote before sharing a selection of adorable images of her not-so-Toy Cockapoo. She added in the caption, 'We love him all the same'. Elsewhere, an anonymous Reddit user took to the platform after her 'Cockapoo' Piper grew into a dog of a different appearance. She wrote, '[I] got her because we wanted a small dog that doesn't shed and thought she was cute. While Piper is adorable, she's by no means the second-generation small Cockapoo that the owner was expecting. Curious of her dog's true heritage, the owner purchased a DNA test for Piper, which revealed her to be 100 per cent Cocker Spaniel. 'Told she was a cockapoo, thought cocker spaniel genes were dominant but never expected results we got,' the owner added. Reddit users took to the comment section to share their thoughts. One wrote, 'That's giving accidental BYB litter. I bet the female spaniel was supposed to be paired with a poodle.' 'I think you lucked out. Cocker spaniels are wonderful, and her coat will be infinitely easier to deal with. What a babe,' a second wrote. 'I was thinking 'I… don't see any poodle.' Sure, her hair is a little curlier than usual for a cocker, but that face is pure cocker,' said a third. Others marvelled over Piper's appearance, with one writing,' Her wig like hair is truly fabulous.' A second added, 'She is perfect!' Meanwhile, puppy Instagram account @doodlehomes shared the experience of owner Kiara Michael. Kiara set out to buy a small dog, but months later her dog was almost the same size as her. 'POV: You asked for a dog but got a whole man,' the Instagram user joked while sharing footage of the giant poodle jumping up and touching her face. Elsewhere, people who splurged hefty sums to purchase a miniature Cockapoo - the designer dog crossbred from the Cocker Spaniel and the Poodle - have ended up with a huge canine lumbering around the house. Miniature cockapoos are specifically bred with toy poodles so that, in theory, they are small in size. Adult dogs are meant to be 10-12 inches tall and weigh 10-12lbs, but instead of having a small, teddy-bear lookalike, a string of owners have been left with huge dogs weighing several stone. When UK-born Kitty Morse, who now lives in the Netherlands, purchased a black cockapoo from a breeder in Cheshire, she expected a medium-sized fluffy dog. The pooch was advertised as a 'Gorgeous F1 all black Cockapoo puppy', alongside two snaps of the adorable pooch. However, the dog, though he's no less adorable, quickly transformed into a canine triple the size with wavy hair. Similarly, TikTok user Ria, 21, who goes by @jazzmariax, wanted a 'small' dog and so she settled on purchasing a cockapoo. Fast forward seven months later, and the pooch was quadruple its size compared to the time of purchase. 'They said he was going to stay small,' the content creator added in the post's caption. Elsewhere, owners Liam Griffin and Tiffany Kingdon, from Coventry, purchased 'miniature cockapoo' Winnie for £2,000, and expected her to weigh no more than a stone. At the time of purchase, Winnie was 11 weeks old and weighed 4.6kg, but soon enough, she defied the couple's expectations and grew to a whopping 32kg by her first birthday. Liam told The Sun, 'We love her to bits but it's a good job we've got a house with a garden. I don't know why the breeder passed her off as a miniature dog. It was very irresponsible.' The breeder's blunder didn't appear to be so innocent either. Liam added, 'The guy asked us to send him some pictures but when we tried, they just bounced back. It seems he used a burner phone for the sale of the litter of pups and then moved on.' After speculating over Winnie's breed, Liam and Tiffany settled on a DNA test, which revealed her to not be a miniature cockapoo at all, but a Poodle and a Irish Setter Cross. When the UK was plunged into the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, many Britons sought a furry friend for companionship during the lonesome period. Cockapoos proved to be a popular choice, with the average price rising by 168 per cent - reaching £1,336 in 2022, according to The Mirror. Breeders scrambled to meet demand. But other unscrupulous individuals attempted to cash in on the craze by branding dogs of various breeds as a Cockapoo to flog them for thousands of pounds. As a result, there's a generation of dogs around the UK with an appearance that is world's away from their owner's original expectations. While many stood by their canines despite their physical differences, a number of owners abandoned their pets. Laura Hedges, of the London-based charity All Dogs Matter, said animal shelters were overwhelmed by the sheer number of abandoned pets in 2022. At the time, she said, 'We have seen a big rise in the number of mother dogs being abandoned after producing multiple litters for unscrupulous breeders. Often still lactating and in need of vet care, whilst their puppies are sold on for profit. 'The pandemic – and the huge rise in dog ownership across this period - has had a devastating impact on the number of dogs now being abandoned or surrendered and dog rescue centres across the country are in crisis as a result.'
Telegraph
11-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Considering a ‘designer dog'? This study might make you think again
'Designer dogs' are more likely to suffer from diarrhoea than other breeds, a study has found. Trendy dogs that are hybrids between poodles and other breeds are increasingly popular, owing to a belief they have no health problems and a good temperament, as well as being aesthetically appealing. But a study of more than two million dogs in the UK has revealed the cavapoo and cockapoo are among six breeds with a heightened chance of going to the vet with acute diarrhoea. This likely comes from inherited genetics of the miniature poodle, the common ancestor of both of these popular hybrids, which is the breed most prone to the condition. Miniature poodles are 2.17 times as likely to be seen by a vet for the condition than a standard cross-breed, while cavapoos are twice as likely and cockapoos 1.36 times more likely. Overall, all designer dogs, which includes other portmanteau types such as the labradoodle, were found to be 34 per cent more likely to have the issue. Cockapoos are now the most popular dog in the UK, behind the trusty family stalwart of the labrador retriever, and a previous study found they are no more sickly than other crosses. However, the latest study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) found these popular puppies actually appear to have a predisposition to stomach problems. 'Every breed is by definition unique – that is what makes it a recognisable breed that differs to other dogs,' said Dr Dan O'Neill, Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at RVC, and the study's lead author. 'Coming with that will be a unique disorder profile, with some disorders at higher risk and some at lower risk. The overall health of the breed is then the balance of the higher and lower risks. 'And this new evidence published today does suggest that diarrhoea is a higher risk in designer crosses overall – many of these are poodle crosses.' He adds that the miniature poodle's high risk likely means there is an inherited component from this animal if it parents a cross. 'Dreaded doggy poonami' But the authors say that the findings could also reflect that owners of these higher risk dog breeds could be feeding their animals food that upsets their stomach or are more likely to take their pet to the vets with the issue. And because poodle-cross owners are often told that these animals are less prone to getting sick, this could make them more complacent in what they provide as food and also make them more likely to visit the vets if something does go wrong. 'Perhaps a prior belief in their better health may mean that owners are less careful with dietary control,' said Dr O'Neill. 'So it could paradoxically be the belief in health that causes the disease.' 'The bottom line is that anyone thinking of acquiring a poodle designer cross-breed should be aware of the increased risk of diarrhoea. 'Perhaps plan in advance and be very careful with consistent diet in terms of the timing of feeding, the volume of feeding, and consistency in the type of food fed. Having advance awareness of the risk can hopefully prevent diarrhoea even happening.' The study used VetCompass data, which collects vet records from participating practices in the UK, and it found 1,835 confirmed cases of acute diarrhoea in 2019, which is around one in 12 dogs. Half of these animals also had vomiting issues at the same time and a quarter had reduced appetite and lethargy. While short-faced dogs like bulldogs, pugs and boxers often have a litany of health issues, diarrhoea is not one of them, the study shows. These so-called brachycephalic breeds are collectively 20 per cent less likely to have diarrhoea than an average mongrel, while dogs with particularly long snouts such as greyhounds or borzoi, are 25 per cent more likely to have the issue.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
My toy cockapoo grew into a giant beast: What owners must know before buying designer dogs that are meant to be just 10-inches tall
There's no feeling that quite compares to bringing home a pet pooch for the first time - but some owners have got a lot more dog more than they bargained for. People who splurged hefty sums to purchase a miniature Cockapoo - the designer dog crossbred from the Cocker Spaniel and the Poodle - have ended up with a huge canine lumbering around the house. Miniature cockapoos are specifically bred with toy poodles so that, in theory, they are small in size. Adult dogs are meant to be 10-12 inches tall and weigh 10-12lbs, but instead of having a small, teddy-bear lookalike, a string of owners have been left with huge dogs weighing several stone. When UK-born Kitty Morse, who now lives in the Netherlands, purchased a black cockapoo from a breeder in Cheshire, she expected a medium-sized fluffy dog. The pooch was advertised as a 'Gorgeous F1 all black Cockapoo puppy', alongside two snaps of the adorable pooch. However, the dog, though he's no less adorable, quickly transformed into a canine triple the size with wavy hair. Similarly, TikTok user Ria, 21, who goes by @jazzmariax, wanted a 'small' dog and so settled on purchasing a cockapoo. Fast forward seven months later, and the pooch was the quadruple its size at the time of purchase. 'They said he was going to stay small,' the content creator added in the post's caption. Elsewhere, owners Liam Griffin and Tiffany Kingdon, from Coventry, purchased 'miniature cockapoo' Winnie for £2,000, and expected her to weight no more than stone. At the time of purchase, Winnie was 11 weeks old and weighed 4.6kg, but soon enough, she defied the couple's expectations and grew to a whopping 32kg by the time she was just one. Liam told The Sun, 'We love her to bits but it's a good job we've got a house with a garden. I don't know why the breeder passed her off as a miniature dog. It was very irresponsible.' The breeder's blunder didn't appear to be so innocent either. Liam added, 'The guy asked us to send him some pictures but when we tried, they just bounced back. It seems he used a burner phone for the sale of the litter of pups and then moved on.' After speculating over Winnie's breed, Liam and Tiffany settled on a DNA test, which revealed her to not be a miniature cockapoo at all, but a Poodle and a Irish Setter Cross. Meanwhile, Charlotte Fallowfield appeared on This Morning earlier this week to tell the story of how she got her hands on her sweet pooch Waffle. She was over the moon when she brought home her miniature cockapoo puppy, but as soon as he started growing, alarm bells started to ring - and she soon realised that he wasn't the breed that they originally wanted. Charlotte expected Waffle to weight six to 11kg and 25 to 38cm tall. But Waffle - who is a Sproodle - weighs between 22 to 32kg and is 45 to 55cm in height. A Sproodle is a mix between a Springer Spaniel and a Poodle. Charlotte told the presenters: 'Due to my allergies, I wanted one that was slightly hypoallergenic, one that was small enough that he wouldn't injure me, we saw him advertised online and went to meet him and just fell in love with him straight away.' Co-host Ben Shepard asked, 'You did think something was a little bit off, didn't you?' Charlotte explained: 'We asked to see him with the mother and puppies, we weren't given that chance.
ABC News
23-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Designer dogs: What is a breed anyway?
There's designer clothes, but they have nothing on designer dogs! They come in a huge range of shapes and colours and sizes, from the tiny Chihuahua to the Great Dane. In the animal world this much variation usually means different species, but not for dogs — so where did they all come from? And what role did Victorian-era rats play in the development of 'breed standards'? Featuring: Joyce Sullivan, papillon breeder Joyce Sullivan, papillon breeder Wayne Douglas OAM, Afghan Hound breeder Wayne Douglas OAM, Afghan Hound breeder Esther Joseph, all breeds judge Esther Joseph, all breeds judge Michael Worboys emeritus professor the University of Manchester Michael Worboys emeritus professor the University of Manchester Professor Greger Larson, evolutionary genomics at the University of Oxford Professor Greger Larson, evolutionary genomics at the University of Oxford Dr Angela Perri, zooarchaeologist, Chronicle Heritage Dr Angela Perri, zooarchaeologist, Chronicle Heritage Dr. Elaine Ostrander, geneticist at National Institutes of Health (US) Dr. Elaine Ostrander, geneticist at National Institutes of Health (US) Dr Heidi Parker, geneticist at National Institutes of Health (US) Further reading: Production:
