It's not always true that mutts have fewer health problems. While the chihuahua we had when I was a kid had a heart murmur, our poor Katie, a shepherd cross foundling, suffered from severe allergies, hip dysplasia and degenerating knee joints. At one point her allergies were so bad we considered putting her to sleep; we couldn't even pet her anywhere but her head because her skin was so itchy. My mother-in-law finally took her off all her meds & watched *everything* the dog did, bathed her weekly, brushed her twice a day, kept the hydrocortisone spray handy for whenever she needed it, and put lotion on her butt at least once a day. Once Mom got the allergies under control, she was able to live a good, healthy, happy life, but for a while there...