Was she a Dutchie?

I met this girl back when I first started working at the groomer's shop I used to be employed at a while back. Her name was Abby, and she was living in a cage at the shop because the woman who owned her had fallen on hard times and moved in with her mother who wouldn't allow the dog to live there (she also had a sweet little male guinea pig who I rehomed). I think when I first met Abby she was 5 months old. Abby was quite well behaved for being a pup living in a cage most of the time. It wasn't long before I started taking her home on Sundays to play with my dog, because otherwise she would have been left there all day by herself. Then I kept her for a week straight, and probably would have kept her forever if we hadn't still had Coco (the HA chessie) at the time.

We were going to taker her to FOHA (and I wish we had) but we found a home for her on a farm with people who seemed nice, and had a large Dane mix they had adopted from the shelter (who jumped all over our car when we arrived - scared the crap out of us, but she was friendly). However, three months later Abby was dumped back at our shop (infested with worms and fleas) because she kept getting into the neighbor's trash and they had threated to shoot her. The shop owner did throw those people out of his store.

While at the shop Abby received deworming and got spayed, and had her shots updated. Abby was then taken home by one of the grooming students, a woman named Nina, I think. We lost touch with her, and I do not know if Abby is still with her or not. I still think of Abby at times. She was what led me to FOHA, she was the reason I got into rescue.

Anyways the point of this thread was to ask if you though she was a Dutch Shepherd. She was not real drivey, but I only knew her as a pup, so her drive may not have turned on at that time. Her temperament was always stable through all those changes, and she was very intelligent and very agile, she could very easily climb our 4ft chainlink fence we used to have. Here are some pics (I think she was 6 months old here):

Her body -


Movement shot (you can see her size somewhat here, Daisy is 75lbs, I think Abby was about 35lbs)-


Abby with my mom.


Sorry for the lengthy post, I just felt I had to tell her story. I miss her sometimes. She would be four years old now, I think. All these pics were taken at our old house.

She definitely reminds me of a Dutch Shepherd... I've only ever met males though, and their heads were different somehow, but it could be because shes a female. But it looks like a real possibility..

Most Dutch Shepherds are not especially purebred, so the looks vary a ton. There is a lot of crossing between the Dutch mals and Dutch Shepherds and with GSDs in the past at least. The mals are also allegedly crossed with pits, great danes and lord knows what else, so the story has to be true for the dutchies as well. Point is, she looks as much like a dutchie as any dutchie does :lol-sign:

She definately could be (I'd love for my next dog to be a dutchie ) especially in that first picture

How common are dutchies? Just curious, because the shelters in Tucson always had dogs that looked just like that, 35-40 lbs, short brindle hair. Of course, like every other dog there they were labeled pit mix (because every brindle dog is a pit! )

They all looked like a dutch shepherd from pictures, just like this girl, but I don't know if they actually were. I've never met a purebred one that I know of. Or is there some other common mix that happens to turn out looking like a dutch shepherd? Like a brindle dog/cattle dog/shepherdy mal-ish mix? lol, I don't know.

Her face looks EXACTLY like an Akita...right down to the plush muzzle. Brindle is a common Akita color and self brindle is common as well.

Akita X.

This is a pure Akita and it is already very similar in appearace. Mix in something smaller and you'd get even closer.

http://sunaharaconsulting.com/akita_kiana.htm

All dutch shepherds. Looks like a pretty darn close match to me. That tail, nor that head says Akita to me. She'd be bigger as well.

Interesting points. People had theorized akita mix before, but the size made them think she wasn't an akita mix. Dutchies are not very common here at all, so I think it might be more logical that she's an akita mixed with something smaller.

Thanks for all your opinions.

I've known 45lbs Akitas from AKC parents. Once people stop caring...size bone is the first to go LOL.

Really? That sucks. One of the impressive thing ABOUT them is their bone structure.

yYYYEP. The rescues in particular get some real sad examples of "breeders" priorities...even one BYB breeding an older gal with a straight tail...makes you wonder!

To me without reading the replies, I thought her head shape is very akita looking. So I'd say akita mix of some sort.

i'd sure say so, definitely looks like a dutch shepherd, i know an Akita Inu (the japanese ones that can have brindle markings) breeder with many akita inus and i wouldn't say she's one.

her snout's a different shape, shes a lot leaner, ears completely different, and the tail is not thick (like bushy enough) and it doesn't curl over her back.... plus looking at those pics of the dutchies, shes looks alot like them.