Guest Mutts4Me Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 At the refuge, we often get people travelling with their pets, which are not allowed in the compound with the lions, tigers, and bears (though you'd be surprised how many people think they should be allowed). As an alternative to leaving the animal in the car, we do let people leave their dogs behind the counter with us. Well, today a younger couple walks up with a black dog on a leash and wants to bring him in, but are all right with leaving him with me. I'm staring at this dog, getting excited. Pure black, and defintely a lab mix. But he's a lot leaner and streamlied than a lab, and his ears... ohh, his ears... "Is he part pit?" I ask. The guy gets confused and slowly says "Not to my knowledge. *pause* He's just a mutt." Whoa, okay, apparently they don't like the idea of their dog being part pit, so I don't press the issue. But here's Buster, for your viewing pleasure :) [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UQAAAK0ZcjmO39rywXRogwe3DVW7ilub*ioD6I3Ae1ZG3r12N023O8q8RUAkH6rRrAa6v58jB0movznm9lAz8kzgQdF1*EoWolcVvurVOuJ9fFuUaohOBREB0qR0IKgM/buster.jpg[/img] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolk9s Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Pretty boy! It is possible the guy was worried that you would not let his dog stay if he said the dog WAS part pit, with the anti-pit hysteria that some folks exhibit. The dog does look like he has some bully breed in him to me. Even if you were smiling and excited to meet his dog, he could have even thought you were trying to 'trick' him into saying the dog was part pit. Hard to tell but anything is possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mutts4Me Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 It's hard to tell from the pictures exactly what he looked like. He was kind of nervous and whenever I tried to take a picture, he'd look away and put his ears down a little bit. The smell of tigers and the fact that his mommy and daddy left him were not sitting well with him. Once in a while he'd look at me happily, but if I moved, he'd back down. I basically ignored him the whole 90 minutes or so I had him, except to reassure him now and then (and snap a couple pictures because he was so darn cute). One of my fellow interns, who has trained dogs in the past, looked in at him and asked if they said what he was. I told her they said he was just a mutt. She was like "He looks like a..." and hesitated. I said "pit," and she said "yeah... not in the head so much as the body..." And I finished "and the ears." She, however, thought he was very scary looking, where I thought he was utterly adorable, even if he wouldn't say hi ;) I guess anything's possible, but they had no problem telling me that "he's pretty well trained, but he cannot get along with other dogs at all, so don't let any other dogs by him." So if they knew he was part pit but didn't want to tell me his breed, I'd have thought they'd be afraid to tell me he was majorly dog aggressive, but they had no problem with that. *shrugs* I don't care what he was, but he was a cute little guy. I've always hoped someone would bring in a pit for me to watch, but I usually get little dogs more compatible to travel. So Buster, whether he was or wasn't pit, was a nice change of pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllAmericanPUP Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 he looks exactly like a pit bull/GSD mix owned by a member in a different group. same color and ears and everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 whatever he is he's sure handsome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piperstubbys Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 I'd say pit/gsd mix too. The ears definately look gsd to me. Adorable! What a cutie! The guy could have thought you would be bothered if he said it was part pit and maybe thought you wouldn't watch him if you knew. As a pittie owner I know sometimes you have to pick and choose who to share with and who not to, sometimes you're just not sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Kat Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Hes a very handsome boy but he possibly may have pit in him looking at his bone structure. Who cares! Hes lovely! :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowie-the-Pooh Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 What a beautiful boy! :D He does look like he has some Pit in him, I love the ears! :iloveyou: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mutts4Me Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Hmm, I never thought about GSD. In person, his face and head were very lab-ish, and his coat (by sight and not touch, since I didn't touch) had the same texture and length as my black lab's. Like I said, it's a horrible picture. I took three, and that was the best one but doesn't do his true appearance justice. Ah well, I didn't mean to force the issue. I was just so charmed by a cute dog that IMO was part pit that I just HAD to take a picture and share him with you guys. Glad you think he's cute, too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 The dog looks like a thousand other Shepherd/Lab/mongrel crosses I have seen over the past 20 years. [quote]But he's a lot leaner and streamlied than a lab, and his ears... ohh, his ears... "Is he part pit?" I ask.[/quote] Every breeder I know breeds for a differnt "look" in their labs. Some of the breeders bred for a stocky build, others for a leaner look. I also had a few Labs mixes with coats as smooth as a Dobies come in for boarding, these dogs had no bull breed in them at all. [quote]The guy gets confused and slowly says "Not to my knowledge. *pause* He's just a mutt." Whoa, okay, apparently they don't like the idea of their dog being part pit, so I don't press the issue. [/quote] He was probably just reacting as I do when people tell me my dog Beau is part Rhodesian Ridgeback. I really got annoyed, especially with a new vet tech they hired at the vet clinic I work at. She kept saying Beau was a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix...its not that I have any thing against Ridgeback's its just this girls know it all attitude. I finally just started saying to her that Beau is just a mongrel and could possibly have come from generations of mongrels...hey, maybe he is a purebred mongrel with no purebred in him at all...after all....all of our current purebreds came from mongrels any way. [quote]I guess anything's possible, but they had no problem telling me that "he's pretty well trained, but he cannot get along with other dogs at all, so don't let any other dogs by him." So if they knew he was part pit but didn't want to tell me his breed, I'd have thought they'd be afraid to tell me he was majorly dog aggressive, but they had no problem with that.[/quote] I would let you know that my Rottie is dog aggressive if I were to leave her with you...its called common sense on the part of the dog owner. I work with dogs every single day of my life. Do you realize how many dogs out there are dog aggressive??? I have dog aggressive Golden Retrievers, dog aggressive German Shepherds, dog aggressive Lhapso Apso's, dog aggressive Poodles...I could go on and on. As far as I know none of these dogs have pit in them especially considering some of them are working on their championship levels in the show ring. If an owner failed to tell me their dog had a tendancy to be dog aggressive then I would ticked off. I think a good responsible owner should let any one who is looking after their dog know all of its quirks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mutts4Me Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 [quote name='Cassie']He was probably just reacting as I do when people tell me my dog Beau is part Rhodesian Ridgeback. I really got annoyed, especially with a new vet tech they hired at the vet clinic I work at. She kept saying Beau was a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix...its not that I have any thing against Ridgeback's its just this girls know it all attitude. [/quote] Oh my god, no need to bite my head off. FYI, I didn't have a know-it-all attitude. I very excitedly [b]asked[/b] him upon seeing the dog, "Oooh, is he part pit?" When he said No, I said "Oh, okay. Well, he's cute either way" and never brought it up again. [quote]I would let you know that my Rottie is dog aggressive if I were to leave her with you...its called common sense on the part of the dog owner. I work with dogs every single day of my life. Do you realize how many dogs out there are dog aggressive??? I have dog aggressive Golden Retrievers, dog aggressive German Shepherds, dog aggressive Lhapso Apso's, dog aggressive Poodles...I could go on and on. As far as I know none of these dogs have pit in them especially considering some of them are working on their championship levels in the show ring. If an owner failed to tell me their dog had a tendancy to be dog aggressive then I would ticked off. I think a good responsible owner should let any one who is looking after their dog know all of its quirks.[/quote] Yes... It was very smart of him to tell me that his dog doesn't get along with other dogs. When I heard my parents were taking my dog to the vet to be groomed, I made sure they remembered to tell the vet she was dog aggressive so that they didn't put her in a run with another dog, and I'm pretty sure my dog has no pit bull in her (though as a full-on mutt, one can never tell). My POINT was in no way that because his dog was was dog-aggressive, he was part pit, my POINT was that it wouldn't make sense for him to hide the fact that his dog was part pit (if indeed he was part pit) for fear of me not keeping him if he was going to be very forward about how dog aggressive he was. I'm so frickin' sorry I posted a picture of a dog that In MY Opinion, from a foot away, looked like a pit bull mix. Maybe he was pure mutt, or maybe he was a shepherd/lab mix, although he was smaller and leaner than either breed generally is (but hey, our lion/tiger corss is larger than either generally is). I was just excited because the whole time I've been here, I've been dying for someone to bring in a pit bull of sorts because they just happen to be my favorite breed of dog, and I love getting to see and pet them. So I jumped on the fact that this dog looked pit-ish and was more excited than someone with a larger, nervous dog enclosed in a small area with them should be, and I wanted to share. Maybe I went a little bit strong on MY opinion that the dog was pit-ish, and I certainly didn't mean to undermine the owners' knowledge of their dog, and I didn't mean to offend anyone who's had a "know it all" incorrectly guess their dog's breed. Sorry I brought it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooeydog Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 The expression on his face looks remarkably like Haley's did in a pic I had of her... I'd post it, but I deleted it the other day. From the pic, I could probably go along with pit mix, it looks like he has a pretty pitish expression, and his jawline looks more defined than most GSD or lab x's I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mutts4Me Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Aww, his ears actually looked a lot like Haley's, too, but I couldn't really capture that on camera. Whenever the door open, he pricked up because he thought his daddy was coming to get him, but the rest of the time, his ears were slightly sideways. btw, I apologize for getting angry last night. Cassie's post may or may not have been as accusatory as I took it (as Buster may or may not be a pit mix), but I was stressed by the fact that my purpose was getting lost. Other than sharing a picture of a super cute pup, I was was concerned by the apparent anti-pit attitude that a guy who may or may not have a pit mix was presenting. Whether Buster is or is not a pit mix is not my concern (though I remain - after spending an hour and a half with him in a small room and talking to my dog-trainer colleague - of the opinion that he was), it was his owner's attitude. Maybe, as others suggested, he was just being safe... but what if he honestly has a bad opinion of pit bulls? It leads into a much larger question that does not directly involve Buster. I've heard people here who work in shelters or know of shelters that mis-label pit mixes as lab or boxer mixes so that people will be more willing to adopt them, but what if one day they decide/realize (perhaps after enough people bring it up to them), that their dog is part or all pit? Are they going to continue to love it for the dog it is, or are they suddenly going to be afraid of it, convinced it will "turn" - and send it away? It scares me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Cassie Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Mutts4me, I wasn't calling YOU a know it all. :lol: I was referring to one of the vet tech's I work with. I guess with myself since I work with dogs daily every single day in a vet athmosphere, boarding and grooming I hear the same question about 10 times daily..."what do you think my dog has in it???". The only way to tell for sure is if you see the parents. There are alot of purebred mongrels out there as well. The picture you posted looks exactly like a few Lab/Shepherd mixes we have come in...there is no pit in these dogs. I also have seen Lab's with simular faces and expressions. Heck, we get a few purebred dogs in which people mistake for other breeds :lol: I had a Golden Retriever in for boarding...a friend of mine who has been breeding Great Pyrenees for the past 30 years mistook this Golden for a Pyr....and she was looking the dog over asking who bred this nice looking Pyr :o I had to break it to her gently that the dog was in fact a purebred Golden :lol: She was quite embarressed especially since she is the expert on Pyr's and has been showing and breeding for a long long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Hmmm, Guess Im the lonesome dove here. I dont think it looks as if it has pit in it. But I do see how people can think it does. There are several mutts that look like they have pit in them, and are labeled as such, but dont. I think he is in that category. He is very handsome though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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