That is why I will always have a mutt, likely obtained from a shelter or rescue org. They're cheaper, hardier, and often smarter. Some of those purebreds -- I'm thinking of quite a few labs I've met, in particular -- are too simple-minded for my tastes.
Funny you should single out labs. I have a German Short Haired Pointer that I got from "Hunting Stock" as opposed to "Show Dog Stock". Smartest Dog I have ever been around. Show him something 2 or 3 times and he has it down. On the flip side, we have a mutt that my daughter got from a former boyfriend (and then she went off to college). He is probably 3/4 black lab with some type of sled dog (his tail arches back over like a Samoyed). We call him Dufous. He is big and loveable but does not have much edge over a box of rocks.
