A mixed-breed dog (also called a mutt or mongrel) is a dog that is a mixture of two or more breeds. Mixed-breed dogs vary in size, shape, and color, making them hard to classify physically, but some colors are more common than others. With each generation of mixing, the offspring move closer to the genetic norm. Dogs that are descended from many generations of mixes are typically light brown or black and weigh about 18 kg (40 lbs). The theory of hybrid vigor suggests that dogs of mixed ancestry will be healthier than their purebred counterparts. In some cases this might be true, because inbreeding among purebreds has made some breeds prone to various genetic health problems. Historically, dog shows and dog sports excluded mixed-breed dogs from competition. While this tradition is changing, some sports still remain open only to one breed of dog, such as greyhound racing.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed%2dbreed_dog

Today's selected anniversaries:

1687 The Parthenon in Athens was partially destroyed during an armed conflict between Venetian and Ottoman forces. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon)

1907 New Zealand became a dominion within the British Empire. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand)

1957 West Side Story, a musical written by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, and produced and directed by Jerome Robbins, made its debut on Broadway. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Side_Story)

1983 Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov of the Soviet Union averted a worldwide nuclear war. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov)

Wikiquote of the day:

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." ~ Blaise Pascal (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal)