A purebred dog generally has a "breed standard," or a set of external characteristics that makes him or her a purebred dog of a specific breed. Such characteristics may include temperament, agility, or physical appearance such as coat color and size. There has yet to be a national breed standard for every breed; rather, these standards are written by breed clubs and may vary from club to club.
Outer appearance (a breed standard) is how most people recognize dogs. Trivia time: you see a wolfish dog with icy blue eyes. He is about 20 inches tall at the shoulder, weighs approximately 60 pounds and has a gray and white coat. What breed is he?
You probably said Siberian Husky! Based on what I described of the Husky's outer appearance, you would be correct. However, Huskies are often mistaken for Alaskan Malamutes, which look remarkably similar:
Breed standards make raising a purebred puppy predictable. If you adopt a golden retriever puppy, you will know approximately what size he will grow up to be, whereas having a hybrid makes his temperament and outer appearance less predictable.
I do agree that purebreds are just as lovable as mixed breeds, and I think it is important to preserve the breeds--it would be tragic if a breed were lost completely. But while I hold those opinions, I also love having mixed breeds around. Sometimes predictability gets boring; however, both types of dogs are lovable and deserve kindness and homes!
If I were rich I would own a giant farm and adopt dogs and cats (and other animals) from shelters and just let them run amok on my farm. For real.
~S
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