Where do people come up with this you-know-what?

[sassafras]

Originally Posted by crazedACD

Was it an oops litter, did they know the father? I'd say they both look very much American Bulldog.

Yes an oops litter. The mother was on lease in Alaska and came home pregnant unbeknownst to anyone, then changed hands and went to her new home where over the following month or so the pregnancy became apparent.

As for the AB, see my edit above.

[sassafras]

Originally Posted by Laurelin

Yeah Squash and co have taught me that the best breed guesses are still only guesses. I know if I saw him without knowing the whole story I would never have had husky cross my mind.

At just the right angle I do see it in his face at times, or if I catch a picture where his ears are up because he's running. But otherwise, not really at all aheheh.

[ihartgonzo]

Honestly, I don't feel that it helps ANYONE for rescues to label obvious Pit Bulls as Lab mixes or whatever. I have met many misled, ignorant dog owners who will swear on their life that their dog isn't one of those "awful Pit Bulls"... when their dog is clearly, unequivocally, a Pit Bull/mix. Not only in looks but in behavior. And those same people are expecting a Bulldog or Lab temperament, and are not prepared to handle an intense, energetic, possibly DA dog.

I grew completely disgusted with rescues when I was working as a manager at a very high traffic pet hotel with dog daycare. For insurance reasons, Pit Bulls and other fighting breeds were not allowed in daycare with all of the other dogs. If they passed a temperament screening to be dog friendly & we found compatible playmates, we'd do small groups of otherwise "individual" dogs (which could include unaltered males or dogs who were overwhelmed by daycare groups) for 30 minute play sessions... which proved much safer & tailored to the specific dog's personalities. The small play groups were actually a much better option for ANY dog, as they weren't stuck in the playroom for 8 hours with 20 random dogs, they only played with dogs that they got along with and were closely supervised. We had several awesome groups of 3-4 Pit Bulls who came in regularly on the same days and had a blast playing together, with no issues whatsoever.

People would come in with their 100% CLASSIC PIT BULL puppy, all of the time, and act like I was a moron for saying their dog was part Pit Bull and couldn't be in general daycare. They would argue with me til the end of time, saying "the rescue labeled him a Lab mix! Look, he's black! He is not part Pit Bull! I'd never own one of those!" Ummm... that sucks. For your poor dog. That you are in irreversible denial. Then they'd complain to my manager, who would let the dog in daycare rather than deal with the crazed owner, and 6 months later that dog would turn on and rip the **** out of the other dogs in daycare. And then that dog would never have the option of playing with other dogs again, because they couldn't handle a crazy, overstimulating group of 20 big dogs in a small room, and the signs of aggression were overlooked and not addressed because it's hard to notice subtleties when you're supervising that many crazy dogs. Then I'd have to tell the owner who would exclaim, "MY DOG?! Not MY DOG!!! She's a perfect angel!" Maybe she is great, with a couple of dogs who are similar in temperament. But a perfect angel doesn't maim another dog at they age of 8 months. This actually happened with dozens of dogs, and having to deal with seeing those dogs who were attacked in pain, taking them to the vet, explaining everything to all of the owners and losing business... yeah. I really hate when rescues lie, or make uneducated guesses. A dog's breed is a big deal and when rescues obviously cover up a dog's breed it helps no one, especially not the dogs.

I mean, I fully understand if people are afraid of having their dog labeled as a Pit Bull for insurance or ban reasons. And I would be totally understanding and list that dog as a Lab mix (who would still be in individual play groups), as would most Vets... especially when lineage isn't known for sure. But to completely deny that your dog is a Pit Bull, refuse to accept that fact, and act like your dog is "better" than a Pit Bull is unbearable for me to see. You need to do your research, understand your breed, and do what you need to do to train & keep your dog safe. Denying what they are is counterproductive to all of that. A litter of Pit Bull puppies (with an OBVIOUS, clearly Pit Bull mom) that I raised and fostered was labeled on petfinder as Boxer mixes. I told the rescue coordinator (who was my boss at the pet hotel ironically) that I was very uncomfortable lying to people. And I told people that they were Pit mixes, no matter what she wanted me to do. I'd much rather have a Pit Bull than a Boxer anyway!!! lolz

Fozzie was labeled as a Corgi x JRT. He was bigger than the average Corgi puppy, fluffier, and generally looked and acted nothing like a JRT! Some people might be very disappointed in what he really turned out to be and could've even led to rehoming him, which is a 50 lb Sibe x Corgi mix of some sort. I would imagine a Corgi x JRT would be like... 20 lbs?

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Elsa was listed as a New Guinea Singing Dog at my work. I **** you not. This is apparently a New Guinea Singing Dog:



Bar none the funniest breed guess they've thrown out there, and they make some hilarious breed guesses. To this day when any one asks about her they INSIST they knew of a NGSD breeder in the area she was found that didn't take care of their dogs, so clearly she came from them.

[crazedACD]

I know this isn't a rescue labeling, but someone came in today with a GS/Wolf Hybrid he purchased from a breeder out of state. The chocolate milk colored double thick chow coat kind of made me face palm. I about fell over when he told me wolf hybrid...

Originally Posted by ThoseWordsAtBest

Elsa was listed as a New Guinea Singing Dog at my work. I **** you not. This is apparently a New Guinea Singing Dog:



Bar none the funniest breed guess they've thrown out there, and they make some hilarious breed guesses. To this day when any one asks about her they INSIST they knew of a NGSD breeder in the area she was found that didn't take care of their dogs, so clearly she came from them.

Now with this one I see lab, but there's pitty in that face somewhere, adorable

[Dizzy]

Just saw this and thought of this thread... Red fox labrador anyone?

Originally Posted by Romy

The best argument I've heard against it is that there are so many cities, landlords, and insurers who practice BSL that if someone adopts a dog thinking it's not a pit and then can't find anywhere to rent, etc. the dog is a lot more likely to be given up again.

ETA: This dog is listed on petfinder as a deerhound mix... because that's what the DNA test came up with. *facepalm* Yet more evidence they don't work.

Just looking at this thread again, if I was looking again and I saw this picture this would be the first dog I'd have to meet...