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You can't ask for a better dog than a mutt. Our dog Katie will do anything to please. She minds me very well which is a good thing because she is a big, strong dog. I don't have to wrestle with her to get her to do anything. Katie is part Lab, part Rottweiler, and part Chow. Because Rottweilers and Chows can have a bad reputation, we usually tell people she is a "Lab mix". Katie is the kindest, gentlest dog around. Don't get me wrong -- I expect that she would rip an arm or leg off of an intruder, but if she knows you and likes you, she is so very loving. She is also terrified of thunder. She will run and hide in the bathtub if there is a thunderstorm. She also runs from you if you have a camera in your hand. These are the only decent photos I have of her. I think the flash on the camera reminds her of lightning, so she hides. She used to be afraid of the vacuum cleaner, but she seems to have outgrown that.

Katie is so cute. You can tell she's very friendly just from the pictures. It's not often you can get a dog to smile like that. While the other breeds may not be known for kindness, labs are usually extremely good, loving dogs. It looks like you got the best aspects of each of the breeds all in one dog.

My dog is also part lab. I guess that where she gets her exuberance, chewing, and doofus-ey personality!

Peach attacks the vacuum cleaner. This used to really irritate me until someone said that she's protecting me from this beast that has grabbed me by the hand, and is yanking me around the house, growling loudly. Even when the vacuum is parked and unplugged, Peach gives it a wide berth and a low growl!

     I think it depends a lot on what kind of mutt you have, or more importantly, whether or not you know what kind of mutt you have. For example, lots of mutts have pit bull blood. If you have a pit bull mix and do not know it, you might play rough with it without treating its latent killing potential with the proper respect. Also, certain breeds tend to have certain health problems (like arthritis in labs, heat strokes in Northern breeds, etc.). If you do not know what kind of a mix your mutt is, you could be unguarded against serious maladies that could crop up at any time.

     Don't hesitate to buy a mutt because it's a mutt. Just be sure you have a pretty good idea what you're getting into, first.