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I'm still going to disagree on principle about mutts living longer, being smarter, and having better positive characteristics.
When you get a mutt, often times you don't know the history of the dog or it's parents. You have no idea what mix the parents were and what their temperament was. When you get a pure bred (from a reputable breeder) you can see the parents, and interact with the parents. You can see the history of the dog and you can find out what problems were present. On top of that, a pure bred dog makes it easier to identify breed specific issues that could arise in the future. When you have a mutt, you don't know which issue is present because you don't know what breed it stems from.
I will grant you that there are smart mutts and stupid pure breds, but for me, the pros of a pure bred far outweigh the pros of a mutt.
And for the record, poodles and cocker spaniels are both horrid dogs. A mixture of both? No fucking thanks.
Good breeders of pure bred dogs have spent many generations breeding out negative aspects of the breed. So while a mutt could be cheaper on the front end, I wouldn't risk having a mutt merely for all of the unknowns that exist. When you start messing with gene crossing to get designer dogs, you're asking for trouble.
But back to the OP, take your time and find out as much as you can about the dog and spent good alone time with the animal before you make a choice.. mutt or purebred.
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