[Avoireeideree]

There are always diamonds in the rough, but if you have specific standards when it comes to appearance and temperament, a purebred is the way to go for a reason.

A mutt is a crap shoot, purebreds can be too, but generally purebreds are purebreds because they have a "type", even lines within a breed have a "type". You can get a great mutt, I think I had a great mutt, but I was just lucky. When I picked her up at 6 weeks old who knew what I was going to end up with.

If/when I get another dog it will be a purebred, because now that I've been around the block a bit, I know what I want in a dog, and I plan on purchasing a dog in a specific breed, from specific lines to make my chances of getting everything I want higher. Could I get it in a mutt? Yes, but it could be one in a million chances.

It's not that mutts aren't better, or are better. It's about what you want as others have said. I could have cared less what my mutts turned out to be, just so happens they both have/had their own shining qualities that have taught me a lot. But now with that knowledge I know what I want, and I'm not about to take another crap shoot.

Cancer is hereditary, but environment can obviously play a role as well. Purchasing a dog from lines where there isn't cancer is not a guarantee, but your chances are better than someone who purchases a dog from unknown lineage.

If you want a dog to show in the breed ring, well than lineage and papers are definitely important.

If you want a dog to sit on the couch with you and chill out pool side, papers are irrelevant.

In the eye of the beholder. Everyones' opinions will be different because what they want/need in a dog is, ain't nothing wrong with that!