The Dorian Gray of Dogs has Arrived with the Cava-Poo-Chon
Youth is beauty, so they say. So it’s no surprise that a team of breeders has partnered with a reproductive veterinarian and a geneticist to create a breed of dog with a face that never ages. The Cava-Poo-Chon is a dog that has been bred by Timshell Farms in Arizona to permanently retain its adorable puppy face.
The unique dog has sparked a controversy over the practice of cross-breeding to attain certain properties among controversies surrounding the classification of cross-breed dogs. Whether or not you support their practices- it’s hard to deny that the Cava-Poo Chon is one cute dog.
Masterfully Bred For Your Convenience
Timshell Farm has assembled a team of breeders, a reproductive veterinarian and a geneticist to mix three dog breeds into one specially-formulated mutt. The dogs are bred with a “Cavachon” mother and a Toy Poodle sire. This unusual mix of cross-breeds has created the illustrious and highly desirable Cava-Poo-Chon.
The Cavachon is a first-cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel purebred and a Bichon Frise purebred. The crossbreed is currently a well-known and well-loved mix in the pet community. The Cavachon, however, is a bit too big to bring as a carry-on at a commercial airline and is not hypoallergenic for owners with sensitive noses.
The Cava-Poo-Chon was engineered to cater to these needs with a dog that is playful but reserved. Timshell Farms states that these dogs have been bred to be intelligent, healthy dogs with a friendly disposition and lower-shedding coats. The breed grows to be between 12 and 15 pounds and is currently valued anywhere between $2,000 and $3,500.
Controversy with Cross-Breeding
The American Kennel Club has stated that the Cava-Poo-Chon does not meet their requirements to be recognized as a new dog breed. The club’s spokeswoman, Lisa Peterson, stated that this was due to the origin of the dogs as a product of different purebreds. This is the same reason the club denies that other cross-bred dogs are an official breed, despite their popularity and specific characteristics.
Aside from being deprived of the official title of a new breed, the Cava-Poo-Chon shares additional heat with mixed breed dogs that are geared towards having particular characteristics. Many mixed-breed dogs are selected to be bred despite certain factors which makes offspring prone to certain health problems.
One prominent case of this butchered breeding is in the case of Teacup Dogs. Many breeds are cross-bred to attain an impossibly small-size that pet owners find to be adorable. However, this type of breeding can cause serious health problems in dogs, as many of these “teacup” breeds have organs that are too small to operate effectively- or are prone to more serious health risks for the same reason.
Hopefully, through the careful planning executed by Timshell Farms, including their use of a geneticist, the Cava-Poo-Chon should be free of these genetic limitations and prove to be a perfect pet. Do you want a Cava-Poo? What do you think of cross-breeding? Leave your opinion in the comment section below!