There's A New Dog In Town

Hybrid Puppies Aren't Mutts, They Are Expensive Designer Dogs

(CBS)  In a fashion savvy city like Los Angeles, where trends are created for the rest of the country, the latest craze is a four-legged cutie whose mere existence is the height of style — a Puggle.

CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reports a Puggle is what you get when you mix a pug and a beagle. Charlile is a nine-month-old version of the hottest dog in town.

"I knew he was the one for me," says Melissa, a dog owner. "He's the perfect color."

Like anything trendy in L.A., first the movie stars get one. Jake Gyllenhaal and the "Sopranos'" James Gandolfini both have puggles. Next, a waitlist forms for Puggle puppies with a price tag of $2,000.

This hybrid dog craze started with people wanting to breed out allergies from the dog's fur, so they bred in Poodles — dogs that don't shed.

It started with the Labradoodle — a Labrador-Poodle mix. From there, the designer dog craze exploded.

"We have a Schnoodle, a Pomapoo, a Yorkipoo, Maltipoo, Baradoodle, Goldendoodle, Puggle, Boggle," says Carolina Ianelli, manager of Pet Love.

A Schnauzer and a Poodle make a Schnoodle. A Pomeranian and a Poodle make a Pomapoo. The possibilities are endless.

Some might say Charlie the Puggle is a high-priced mutt.

"He is the one I wanted," Melissa says.

Breeders say it makes the dog healthier. Others say it could mix the worst inherited medical problems of both breeds. But, like fashion, it's subjective. One man's mutt is another's priceless Puggle.

So, say good-bye to those pure-bred purse puppies. There's a new dog in town, and his name is Schnoodle.

"A doodly-schnoozo!"