Purebred dogs a "status symbol"?

I grew up with purebred dogs (3 Dobermans and a Dalmatian over the last 20+ years). If they were supposed to be a status symbol I think our small house and crappy cars undermined that. I prefer purebred dogs because I know what to expect from them. With a mutt you never know what the personality could turn out to be. I'm willing to pay the extra price for a dog I can be reasonably sure will work for me, rather than gamble on a mixed breed puppy. But I agree with you that there are some people who use their dogs as a status symbol. These people act like owning a purebred dog is a luxury that they want to show off. This seems to be more common with certain breeds, especially small ones. If you want a quick history lesson, small dogs have been status symbols for centuries. Aristocrats and nobility would own little lap dogs just to show that they could afford to do so. That doesn't mean these people didn't love their dogs though.