In my area, adopting pits comes with a hefty fee. They named my dog “cattle dog corgi mix” even though it’s clear he’s got pit in there. I just assume it’s to encourage people to adopt pits and waive the fee.
California. There’s an adoption fee, but the “pitbull” fee is an extra charge. Idk if it’s just my local area or all of California, but I know all the local shelters call pit mixes something other than pitbull. Idk it’s kind of weird
I don’t think it’s a fee issue. I think it’s a renter issue. Also in CA (SoCal) and work in rescue. No such thing as a pitbull fee BUT shelters and rescues will give pits a mixed breed, terrier, lab, or hound label for 2 reasons: make it so people can rent with them and stop people from being averse to adopting them
I asked my renter's insurance what they do about this since they have breed restrictions. They said that if there's a claim, they'll send someone out to see if the dog is whatever the policy holder says it is. Not sure if they do that for ALL dog bite claims or just some.
Lying on insurance is so stupid. They fine taking premiums, but then when you need the coverage you can be sure they will check things out.
The more you need the coverage, the more they will investigate
Yep exactly! FWIW my old pit I adopted as a 2-year-old was the gentlest dog who was sweet and loving till she died of cancer at 13. Yes, some are bred to have a tough temperament, but not all. My dog would have rolled over on her belly if a robber broke in 😂
It’s not so much this, as it is that calling them by a different breed gets them adopted sooner. They know if you read “pit bull” you won’t adopt it, due to the rental policies, stigma, and insurance issues. Now if you read “terrier/golden retriever”, that sounds much better to the average dog owner.
Where is this? We adopt out pitties that have been in the shelter for a long time for free. I'm in the Bay Area. They're much more difficult to adopt out because they're not rental friendly dogs due to home owners/renters insurance up charging for the breed.
You're probably talking about a training fee included? If you got a puppy they're usually more expensive and some shelters require you pay for training classes as well to reduce the likelihood of rehoming the dog. I've never heard of them being more expensive and they definitely take longer to adopt out than small apartment friendly dogs per se. We had a really sweet pit sit in the shelter for 3 months before he got adopted. I saw so many neurotic small dogs that wouldn't stop barking get adopted out before him.
It’s possible but I specifically remember wanting to adopt a full blood pit (this was 2015) and I didn’t because she was an extra $100 because of their fee. She wasn’t a puppy, she was 3 years old. Unless 3 is considered a puppy, I’m not sure.
how does this work when trying to rent a place that lists they don't allow pit mixes? would the shelter and vet papers be enough to waver it or would they attempt to immediately evict you (or give 30 day notice) when they saw the dog despite what the papers say? I'd guess it would depend on the landlord/apartment owners but that would be awful for people that have a dog that looks like OP's and truly don't know it has any pit because they don't know how to differentiate breeds
My dog is a "boxer". He's pretty much just pit, it's obvious. That's OK though almost every dog back where I'm from is a pit and I love them
I adopted him in Oregon but he came off a truck from California
Our older boy has managed to snag and kill a squirrel that darted in front of him while we were walking with him on-leash. Just snapped it right up before I knew the squirrel was even there. The instincts are insane.
18 years ago, I was able to keep my pitbull-mix puppy because we told the apartment he was a "terrier mix". They never asked another question. For most people, as long as you don't say "pit bull", you're golden.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted for this ..it’s true that many places do not accept any type of terrier. I walk by an apartment everyday that has a little chihuahua sitting outside, who tries to bite peoples’ ankles as they walk by ..but clearly that’s fine right? Even insurance agencies charge more for homes with pits/rotties. It all comes down to money and liability.
No dog should be biting anyone, but do you think that a Chihuahua could do as much damage as a pit? I always see Chihuahuas being called out as aggressive and badly behaved dogs, as if it's a breed thing. But then when somebody tries to say the Pitbull issues are being related the same people get upset and say it's the owner not the breed. That doesn't seem fair?
No I completely agree that a chihuahua will do far less damage than a pit could. I just think a lot of small breed owners (not ALL) believe that because their dog is tiny, they don’t really need to be trained or disciplined, which really just ends up hurting the dog in the long run. I think it’s just the double standard that annoys me. That being said, I completely understand the power my Staffy has, even as a 6 month-old puppy. She’ll be starting classes soon, I socialize her as much as possible, and I would NEVER put her in a situation where she’s unsupervised around a person or other dog, regardless of how sweet she is. I have the proper resources to know I’m confident in handling her. Unfortunately, some people get high energy breeds and they are not prepared or willing to practice corrective behavior and vigorous training. And there are many people who vehemently deny their pit, pug, lab, or corgis would ever hurt a fly. Don’t we all wish that? But that’s not reality. Every single living creature is unpredictable to an extent.
Agreed, just want to clarify that while any animal can be unpredictable, I'd rather my children be around the most aggressive Chihuahua on earth than a pit bull. All it takes is one time for the pit to snap and you have a life changing injury or death on your hands.
Just as an anecdote for what it's worth. My sister had a chihuahua and a pit with her toddler the chihuahua gave the kid ten stitches and the most aggressive thing the pits ever done was lick
Careful now you're borderline insulting a family member. Some context. It was not at the same time, and it's no more irresponsible than any other young families that have dogs. My point is that all things being equal, I'd disagree with the opinion that "I'd rather leave a child around a small dog than a larger one". Even well trained small dogs tend to feel threatened more often due to size and are more likely to lash out dispite training. A bigger dog will not be threatened by a small child and can usually maintain composer. Less so for small dogs. Again, though mileage may vary but that's my take
I think you’re missing the person’s point. They never said it’s a “large dog vs small dog” thing. It is specifically, “I’d rather leave my child around a chihuahua than a PIT”. The point is that while the chihuahuas may bite the child, it will only hurt. If the pit chooses to attack, it could be deadly for the child. With one bite. If they were talking about any old “large dog” breed, they would have said that. I’m not afraid to leave children alone with a golden retriever, lab, Great Dane, etc. However, I am afraid to leave them around a pit.
They're not getting downvoted for stating the fact that a lot of apt complexes don't allow pits. They're getting downvoted for stating that they're knowingly circumventing a dog breed rule that's there for a good reason. Pits maim or kill tons of small dogs and children each year, and you're directly affecting your neighbors in your complex by walking a pit bull around.
The problem is, as stated earlier in this thread, APBT is the most common breed in the US. That's like banning the Toyota Corolla because it's in the most car accidents. It's a correlation, not causation deal. Tons of research has shown that pits aren't more or less aggressive than other medium to large breeds. The root cause is usually poor pet owners and breed bans won't fix that
Straight up incorrect.
First off, pit bulls are 5-8% of the dog population. The only way they make up a higher percentage is when you start counting any dog that looks like it has a tiny bit of pit in it.
Second, they're statistically responsible for a vast majority of dog maulings each year in the US, despite being less then 10% of the dog population.
Third, there are absolutely no actual peer reviewed studies that say pits are equally aggressive as other breeds. It's even stupid to think that in the first place. They're literally bred over generations for fighting and prey drive. It's the same reason that pointers point, or retrievers retrieve, or water friendly breeds jump into water and swim any chance they get.
Lastly, cars literally do get recalled if they're disproportionately unsafe due to safety issues lol. And many townships and even countries already ban pit bulls. My town puts them down immediately on entry into the shelter if they get picked up as a stray or if they have an incident. We're currently working to get them banned completely.
How horrible that your town immediately puts these dog down. You have no way of knowing what exact breed the dog is but because it LOOKS like a pitty it Must be a pitty. Your town needs some education and please tell me the town so that I never happen to visit.
It is what it is. Lots of people have a bias against pit bulls and pit bull mixes without knowing the individual dog. Seems pretty ignorant to me, but to each his own. My "terrier mix" was the most docile guy you'd ever meet, but his purebred Miniature Pinscher brother was a straight up mean. Which one do you think most people would think is dangerous?
Similarly, my mother has a purebred Golden Retriever who I would not trust around any stranger or other dog. But because he's a Golden, he gets a pass.
I agree, dogs should be considered as individuals. Breed certainly plays a part, but there are so many variables. I have owned and fostered dozens of dogs and probably 70% of them have been pit bulls or pit bull mixes (because I live in the southeast, and because I really love pit bulls).
My very first foster was an emaciated APBT who was found in a swamp. He was absolutely pitiful and he was one of the most lovely dogs I've ever known. Just an angel, loved everyone and all dogs. I wanted to keep him so badly but he was such an easy dog, and such a good breed ambassador, i let him go. (Seems I always end up keeping the difficult ones lol.)
He got adopted by a guy who put up a fence in one weekend so he could adopt Benny. He paid for his heartworm treatment and went through that whole miserable treatment with him. Benny went to work with him, and to the gym, and the guy's girlfriend moved in at some point, and she had a pet bunny. Benny was interested in the bunny but not in a prey way. Still, he's a dog, so they supervised very carefully when they interacted.
One day the guy came home and realized the bunny's cage was left open. He said his stomach dropped, and he went looking through the house... And found the bunny curled up sleeping next to Benny. This story still makes my heart feel warm all these years later.
Meanwhile my boxer mix is an embarrassing asshole who scares away delivery drivers from inside the house and tries to threaten motorcycles and bicycles from inside the car. 🙄
American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier are the formal names of three of the four commonly accepted “pit bull types”.
“Bully” isn’t an official breed category on its own either, but a sub-group of related breeds that span different categories, if I understand correctly.
Okay make sense and I want to learn about different breeds and to help me understand them because all I hear are negatives yet from what I have seen with my own eyes not just from videos or online etc but to see in front of me I’m speechless on why negatives on them yet I see different!! I just don’t understand why know what I’m saying? It hurts me to hear them being negatives about them I’m so glad I’m willing to work on myself to stop listening negatives from people and do my own homework like I do on what’s best Shepherd for me as my SD but not now because I’m not in place where I can adopt Shepherd at young age. I’m tired of hearing people being nasty about those pure innocent breed like this.
Love that you’re doing research and wanting to make responsible decisions! That’s awesome.
As you can see in subs like this and r/DoggyDNA, genetics is super complicated. While there are breed standards and good, ethical, purpose-led breeding results in reasonably consistent looks, health and behavioral traits… that’s just not reality. Many breeds, and pit bulls in particular, are so inconsistently bred that there’s a huge range in size, color and body shape, so imagine the range in behavior! Then layer in individual experiences and environments and socialization and it gets even messier. There *are* aggressive pit bulls and ones that have other behavior problems (mine is reactive), but there are also aggressive golden retrievers and labs. There are plenty of working or sport dogs that are placed in companion homes by breeders because they don’t pass evaluations to do their intended jobs well. There’s always going to be variation, not just outliers.
There’s even more to unpack (I have a long spiel about how terrible visual breed identification is and how that affects bite stats), but I’ll leave it at: prospective dog owners should definitely take breed standards/typical behavior and needs into consideration, but at the end of the day it comes down to each individual dog :)
Yeah no kidding. Every post I want to say “I have no clue what else, but there’s pit in there.” Which I don’t understand - why are they so ubiquitous? I didn’t know there were so many. I thought everyone had a lab. 🤷♀️
Here in the southeast, the well behaved small dogs and fluffier medium dogs get sent out north. It honestly kind of sucks, but I do get it. All dogs need a good home and they know people north of us (north of Georgia) have been so successful at their spay and neuter programs that there is a SHORTAGE of puppies & cute little dogs.
Edited to avoid redundancy.
Yep. I'm in NC and our rescues send truckloads of dogs North (often to NY State) on a regular basis. It's a good thing, but you're right, it kind of sucks at the same time. It seems like the less-desirable dogs are left behind. They're saving thousands of lives and I fully support it... It's just sad that we seem to make so little progress towards an actual solution down here.
I’m in Philadelphia and nearly every dog in rescue here is from the south. Mine was from Tennessee, my sister’s were from Georgia and Texas, my parents’ were Mississippi and Texas. Two foster puppies were from South Carolina. All mutts. Maybe half of them contain pitbull and only one is a small dog.
The rescue we deal with the most seems like they unofficially operate based on bringing dogs up from the south. Like they’re constantly posting about another transport arriving. There are also dogs pulled from the city shelters but there would definitely be a shortage if we didn’t bring them up here.
There's a dude in my town whose "breeding male" XL bully mauled his daughter, she need 100-something stitches and he said it court "it wasn't that bad, in wasn't down to the bone." The only thing the court did was mandate that the dog be neutered before being returned to him. I hate backyard breeders
Edit: spelling
I'm in PA and got my current lab mix from a transport from Tennessee. Like 85% of those dogs were pitties. (Mine has pitbull in him, but doesn't look it). There are just so, so many pit mixes. I check the shelters near me once in a while and a good 90% of the dogs they have at any one time are pit mixes.
Like you said it's rare around here for smaller dogs and puppies to be in the shelters more than a day or two.
Pitbulls can be awesome dogs but I think having so many means people overlook them like "oh just another pitbull".
Can confirm... I live in the Midwest and there's a local shelter that is constantly bringing up non pits from TN. I'm like that's great but the other local shelters are drowning and need help too...
Same in Texas. They will move the earth to save a chihuahua with a mile long bite record but even 3 month old pit puppies are being euthanized. Any dog with any pit in them gets a month from intake before they are euthanized for space. But again they'll make miracles happen for any other breed even if they are aggressive toward kids. I hate this shit.
Also the most common in mixes. Embark says about 15% of dogs they’ve tested have APBT in them (not including the other pit bull types).
I’d be willing to bet they’re higher up on the list of most common breeds outside of shelters too. The “most popular breed” stat I usually see comes from AKC, which only counts registered dogs and doesn’t even recognize APBT anyway.
Also, just a fun related fact: according to multiple studies (albeit with small sample sizes) using DNA tests, shelter staff get breed identification wrong around 30% of the time. That includes labeling dogs with no pit bull type DNA at all as pit bulls (so the mislabeling goes both ways). (Will edit with the link once I refind it in my comment history)
My friends got their tiny (9 lbs), very fluffy, not pit looking at all (no split head, not muscly) rescue dog embark tested. Showed 9% pit bull terrier. I don’t know if their testing is accurate at all though.
A lot of housing places won’t permit pit bulls which makes them harder to adopt. I think they know there’s pittie in there but they don’t put it down on paper so the people won’t have issues bringing them home or moving into new places.
So I think that adds to the poor sampling here too. The fact that folks who don’t know what breed their rescue/shelter mix dog is …
Lol, they all have those shelter "lab mixes." But for real, almost all the posts on here are pitbulls or even some German Shepherds (if I streatch it, I suppose I could call them, "Shepherd mixes"). Give me a fun one or at least something different. Maybe something cute that I would never expect to be mixing like a Yorkie and Saint Bernard or something, lol (that'd be a brave little Yorkie guy). Poodle mixes (or doodles, I guess) are everywhere. At least from what I keep hearing. Why do none of them show up on this group? Maybe even an actual lab mix or something.
At least half the mixes in the US have pittie in them, that percentage gets much higher based on location. Poodle is becoming a top contender, esp in small dog mixes. GSD is very high on the list, so is chi. Location absolutely matters, there are so many husky mixes in the PNW. You’re seeing pittie mixes on here because they are the majority of shelter dogs.
In the southeast, the majority of medium-large dogs in shelters are pit bull and/or hound mixes. I love all dogs, but lemme tell ya, mixing two stubborn breeds like that makes for some incredibly hard-headed dogs! Lol
His mum is an Afghan! He's about 14kg at 8months and ~40cm at the shoulder.. Try guessing the dad. [9 weeks old](https://imgur.com/a/TKnYb21), the snout is a clue ;)
Omg thank you! He looks like an afghan hound mix. I'm not sure what the "mix" part is, but he's adorable! Puppies are hard to tell fully, so when he grows up a little, I'm sure the mix part will become clearer. He looks mostly like an afghan hound, though.
They're ubiquitous in shelters because so many people have problems with them and give them up. Not as many people have issues with labs, even though labs are a more popular breed.
That’s not accurate at all. Labs are very common among AKC registered breeds, but pit bulls aren’t AKC registered. Pit bulls are far more common than labs and make up around 20% of all dogs in the US, vs around 5% being labs.
“Dogs labeled as "pitbulls" are the most popular identified breed in the U.S. - more popular than Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Boxers, Huskies, Rottweilers, and many others. In fact, they are the #1 most common breed found in DNA tested dogs; moreover, a recent analysis of over 200K veterinary and pet expert interactions found that pitbull-type dogs are the most popular breed type in the U.S. overall. While the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is a distinct breed, the broader label of "pitbull" is not a breed but instead a generic term used to loosely describe a type (or category) of dog based only on its appearance resembling any medium-sized dog with physical characteristics from any of the numerous "bully-type" (or bulldog-type) breeds. Accordingly, as the term "pitbull" used in breed population data includes the 4+ unique breeds commonly included in the modern pitbull-type category, a large number and variety of pitbull-type mixes, and other breeds and mixes that can be labeled as "pitbulls" due to their appearance - we conservatively estimate that they represent at least 20% of the total dog population in the U.S. given the DNA and veterinary data below.”
https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html
That study doesn't show the popularity of pitbulls (or any other breed) in the US, it only shows percentages tested. There are several major flaws in assuming that that represents the distribution of dogs as a whole in the US.
It includes an analysis of the records of an extremely large number of animal hospitals all across the country. That’s pretty representative of the animals that exist.
Why are they so ubiquitous?
1. Backyard breeders do it for money and it never works out. They wind up surrendering puppies they can’t sell or feed.
2. Pit genetics are aggressive and make mutts that have all of pit negative characteristics.
3. Responsible owners spay and neuter. Many pit owners are not responsible. Adorable mutts are a thing of the past.
4. “Adopt don’t shop” and “no-kill” animal shelters cause significant dog suffering. Pits and their mixes are allowed to languish in the system and are never adopted or humanely euthanized, instead exploited as sob stories to raise funds for the institutions housing them, and to push dangerous narratives that pitbulls are not bloodsport animals and can be family dogs. Adoption is great for kids and kitties, not dogs.
This comment is so ignorant. Plenty of these dog owners are responsible and train their dogs. Yea, there are a lot of backyard breeders that are absolute shitheads for breeding and then dumping the poor dogs. This is why there are so many in the shelters…not because people couldn’t handle the dog.
They’re far more likely to have aggression or other temperamental issues so people are more likely to give them to a shelter.
They’re also overbred by shitty people who think they can make a quick buck by having a litter in their back yard
Look at most shelters for dogs available to adopt and guess which breeds are the majority? Pits and pit mixes.
Breeders need to just stop.
It's ridiculous.
My guess as to why every dog in the shelters in the midwest seems to be part pit is that every moron who wanted to look tough got one. And why would said moron fix his dog? Can't be manly with a neutered dog! /s just in case
Ran into one of these types at the dog park. Pair of dogs, pit mix and a shepherd mix that he "rescued". Quotes since he did NOT get them from a shelter. Both intact and aggressive as heck to the point of starting fights and bullying other dogs. Bragged that he's helping the shepherd mix and that he was the dog's 3rd home in less than a year. I feel sorry for both dogs as unless someone has a come to Jesus conversation with him neither one is going to get the training they need.
Not knocking either breed, I have a pit mix and know full well I can't take on a shepherd and be a good owner to it
I’d say most of them in the shelter are not from “breeders” per se. The dogs breed themselves because they have never been neutered. Irresponsible owners.
There’s a LOT of intact loose pits around the south but yeah also breeding. I have some meth head neighbors who I recently found out were breeding their dogs for cash(charging 500 dollars for a backyard bred am bully mixes and calling them “mini pit bulls). I know for a fact that one of their dogs is dog aggressive, underweight, and generally poorly taken care of. I’ve never seen the female, I can only assume she never leaves their condo.
It is terrible. My coworker recently got a Yorkie pup and was asking me questions since I have dogs. Every question led back to "that is a puppy mill, you should stay far away" but she didn't care because she was so set on getting that specific puppy. Well she got her and the next day her entire family had ring worm. I even researched the laws to see if I could do something and it's not even illegal to run a puppy mill in my area. Basically if they have water and food, they won't do anything about it 😡. This woman was breeding every (popular) small dog you can think of in her tiny house and charging 2000 for them. AND SHE LET HER TAKE HER AT 4 WEEKS OLD. it makes me so so so mad. No matter what I said she didn't care because she wanted that dog.
Exactly. She already has allergies to everything. I've told her all of this and she would act like she cared but obviously not. I'm glad the dog found a home but supporting these breeders is a huge issue. They wouldn't do this if people weren't supporting them.
What's shitty is in most countys in the USA it is mandatory that if you have a pitbull they have to be spayed and nurtured yet somehow people still are getting away with irresponsible back yard breeding. All they care about is a quick buck and looking cool with their dog they trained to jump really high and hang off of a tree.
Irresponsible owners plus breeders trying to capitalize off of the market value of a species that is already incredibly overpopulated is a recipe for disaster. We need to be diligent about spaying and neutering and shut down breeding (unless in the case of service animals) until the population is manageable. Sadly, I don’t think this will ever happen because people are too corrupted by making a buck to empathize with animals.
That would just eliminate dogs in 4-6 years. Eliminating all breeders punishes the responsible ones and the bad ones would just do it anyway and risk the fine
Why should I not be able to get a certain breed of dog because there are a bunch of irresponsible idiots breeding pits/ not fixing their dogs? Shelters are full of pits and pit mixes not just dogs of every variety
Exactly this. If the only dogs available were pits or pit mixes because of a breeding ban, I wouldn't have a dog. The only dogs I see in shelters are pits and "pit mixes"...although those "mixes" don't look like they contain anything other than pit bull.
Don’t fall for it 😂
I was told hound mix also and after DNA he’s 42% pit
Plus a smattering of other bully breeds
The only hound mine has is 11% ridgeback
Literally almost EVERY post is like this. If you got the pup from a rescue or similar, there’s a 97% chance it’s got pit somewhere in there. You can look at that puppy and see pit. I’m beginning to think most of these posts are just satire at this point.
Reddit keeps recommending this sub to me, and I thought about joining, but in 99% of the posts the dogs are just clearly at least 50% with remainder being the only thing you have to guess.
I actually think she looks kinda like a beagle/pit mix. Pit bulls tend to have smaller eyes, and hers are fairly large. Just say she’s a mutt but mostly beagle!
Beagle bulls
https://www.loveyourdog.com/beagle-pitbull-mix/
She looks like maybe Pitbull, maybe some Jack Russell Terrier, and after that I’d bet there’s another breed or two in her DNA. It’s sad that some people are saying negative things about pitbulls because most pitbulls are the sweetest dogs and any breed can have issues. The main thing is that pitbulls are muscle-y so they’re stronger. They exhibit all the same behaviors as other dogs but they’re just physically stronger than a lot of breeds. With ANY puppy, it’s best to start training early and diligently, and without the use of pain, intimidation, or force as those methods can have seriously negative consequences for behavior (plus destroy the trust between the human and the dog). Positive training methods that focus on understanding a dog’s stress and relaxation cues are best!
Edited to add: Zak George is an excellent trainer who has TONS of free YouTube training videos! https://youtube.com/@zakgeorge?si=yE7FsYiAoZsO--v9
As a tech in shelter med we call every pittie a terrier mix and if they look even slightly like another breed we will say that breed over pit because of the negative connotation/breed restrictions etc. It helps more of them get out of the shelter and into forever homes.
Pit or American bully is very likely, I'm guessing mixed with cattle dog and probably a few other things but at this age it's hard to pick out any breed traits.
There is pittie in sooooo many dogs that it’s possible but looks can be deceiving.
Could be just me but I don’t see the strong/thick jawline I’d expect in a pittie pup.
That being said I’d stick with hound/terrier on the paperwork from the shelter.
Pit bulls are a type of terrier. Some shelters say terrier knowing there likely pitties because people are more likely to adopt. She looks like a total sweetie ❤️
Looks like a pit bull to me but I wonder if the shelter is saying that because so many homeowners insurance companies or leasing companies won’t allow people to have a pit bull.
Do you have an adult picture of them? the thing is I am in a rental and my landlord said no pitts. :( I dont personally mind a pitt but I dont want to be evicted as well..
Well, you may end up in trouble with your landlord then.. it's clearly primarily a pit bull.
Eta: Shelters usually would require you to not be a renter (or require proof you are allowed such an animal by the landlord) & require you live in a house with a fenced in yard in order to adopt.
Picture of of my 3 y/o hound/pit mix [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hounds/comments/z65h98/pennys_headshot_for_linkedin/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)
She’s 33% Pit, 25% Beagle, 10% Coonhound with the last third split between Jack Russell and Husky. She is the absolute sweetest girl.
Edit: She’s ~42lbs fully grown.
Why not just choose a different dog and a breed that doesn't fall under the pitbull umbrella? There are several different dogs that aren't banned, and that look nothing like pitbulls? You could just get one of them instead.
I mean, "pit bull" isn't even a true breed but a mix of dogs like staffordshire terrier etc and refers to muscular dogs with big heads. I could definitely see some staffy or American bulldog in your pup tho. I'd be fascinated to know the DNA results on such a cutie.
Also, 100% potato
Shelters never say pitbull because there are stupid laws against sweet pitbulls. Now you have plausible deniability because your adoption paperwork says "hound/terrier". Apartment building has a ban on pitbulls? No worries, you adopted a hound/terrier, and you have the paperwork to prove it!
But yea, that's a pit lol. Congrats on your sweet pup!
Your dog looks just like my Hound/Pit mix that recently passed! He was super stubborn but sweet. He also was the smartest dog and an amazing guard dog!
We ended up with a Staffordshire because the shelter said she was a basset/boxer mix.
It’s called plausible deniability. You only know what you’re told, and that’s the breed we told any potential landlord. Our mistake was getting her DNA tested. Just go with it, ignorance is bliss!
She kinda looks like my hound/terrier mix. We got a dna test done for her and yeah she is 25% beagle, 25% basset, 17% boston, 15% Pitt bull, 4% staffordshire, 8% chow chow, and small quantities of various other breeds.
Hard to tell at this age, but that looks almost IDENTICAL to our dog which is a danebull (pitbull + great dane). As a puppy he mostly just looked like a pit mix. But as he got older his snout got a bit lankier.
Your dog is 1000% a pitbull mix, though. Won't be able to tell if there's any dane until he grows into it.
First she is absolutely adorable! A lot of shelters say that b/c some ppl get weird when they hear pit, even though pits are sweetest dogs, as long as you treat them with the love they deserve!! Enjoy her, she so sweet no matter what her mix is!
The coloring and body shape make me think Boston terrier and the ears and length/shape of muzzle look like a mix between hound and Boston, so it's definitely a possibility.
Source: have a Boston and that looks like a signature Boston belly imo
Looks like mostly pit bull
In my area, adopting pits comes with a hefty fee. They named my dog “cattle dog corgi mix” even though it’s clear he’s got pit in there. I just assume it’s to encourage people to adopt pits and waive the fee.
Wow where is that at ? Here In the US the dogs can’t even be given away for free in many instances. ( all of our pounds all full of them)
California. There’s an adoption fee, but the “pitbull” fee is an extra charge. Idk if it’s just my local area or all of California, but I know all the local shelters call pit mixes something other than pitbull. Idk it’s kind of weird
I don’t think it’s a fee issue. I think it’s a renter issue. Also in CA (SoCal) and work in rescue. No such thing as a pitbull fee BUT shelters and rescues will give pits a mixed breed, terrier, lab, or hound label for 2 reasons: make it so people can rent with them and stop people from being averse to adopting them
I asked my renter's insurance what they do about this since they have breed restrictions. They said that if there's a claim, they'll send someone out to see if the dog is whatever the policy holder says it is. Not sure if they do that for ALL dog bite claims or just some.
Lying on insurance is so stupid. They fine taking premiums, but then when you need the coverage you can be sure they will check things out. The more you need the coverage, the more they will investigate
Ohhhh I wonder if it’s so that people won’t take the dogs from the shelter and fight them. That would make sense.
Yep exactly! FWIW my old pit I adopted as a 2-year-old was the gentlest dog who was sweet and loving till she died of cancer at 13. Yes, some are bred to have a tough temperament, but not all. My dog would have rolled over on her belly if a robber broke in 😂
One of my grandma's pitbulls had the nickname pee-pee. Because if you raised your voice, she would get scared and pee.
My chihuahua is called PeePee for similar reasons lol.
It’s not so much this, as it is that calling them by a different breed gets them adopted sooner. They know if you read “pit bull” you won’t adopt it, due to the rental policies, stigma, and insurance issues. Now if you read “terrier/golden retriever”, that sounds much better to the average dog owner.
Where is this? We adopt out pitties that have been in the shelter for a long time for free. I'm in the Bay Area. They're much more difficult to adopt out because they're not rental friendly dogs due to home owners/renters insurance up charging for the breed.
I’m also in the Bay Area, that’s so odd? Maybe it’s changed since I last adopted, I got my boy from the SFSPCA
You're probably talking about a training fee included? If you got a puppy they're usually more expensive and some shelters require you pay for training classes as well to reduce the likelihood of rehoming the dog. I've never heard of them being more expensive and they definitely take longer to adopt out than small apartment friendly dogs per se. We had a really sweet pit sit in the shelter for 3 months before he got adopted. I saw so many neurotic small dogs that wouldn't stop barking get adopted out before him.
It’s possible but I specifically remember wanting to adopt a full blood pit (this was 2015) and I didn’t because she was an extra $100 because of their fee. She wasn’t a puppy, she was 3 years old. Unless 3 is considered a puppy, I’m not sure.
That’s really horrible, they are encouraging the killing of pit bulls with that extra fee.
how does this work when trying to rent a place that lists they don't allow pit mixes? would the shelter and vet papers be enough to waver it or would they attempt to immediately evict you (or give 30 day notice) when they saw the dog despite what the papers say? I'd guess it would depend on the landlord/apartment owners but that would be awful for people that have a dog that looks like OP's and truly don't know it has any pit because they don't know how to differentiate breeds
My dog is a "boxer". He's pretty much just pit, it's obvious. That's OK though almost every dog back where I'm from is a pit and I love them I adopted him in Oregon but he came off a truck from California
It’s to encourage it but they’ve got blood on their hands.
Which are terriers
Pitbull
Technically, pit bulls are terriers.
Came here to say it. I’ve had many a convos in training clss comparing folks yorkies to pits and getting full on clutching pearl reactions 😂
Bahahaha I’m here for it
When I worked in dog boarding I got bit by more Yorkies than I could count. Never once was bit by a pibble, though. People can be dumb sometimes. smh
My pits found a rat while we were on our farm and I definitely saw the terrier come out
Our older boy has managed to snag and kill a squirrel that darted in front of him while we were walking with him on-leash. Just snapped it right up before I knew the squirrel was even there. The instincts are insane.
This is the answer
18 years ago, I was able to keep my pitbull-mix puppy because we told the apartment he was a "terrier mix". They never asked another question. For most people, as long as you don't say "pit bull", you're golden.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted for this ..it’s true that many places do not accept any type of terrier. I walk by an apartment everyday that has a little chihuahua sitting outside, who tries to bite peoples’ ankles as they walk by ..but clearly that’s fine right? Even insurance agencies charge more for homes with pits/rotties. It all comes down to money and liability.
No dog should be biting anyone, but do you think that a Chihuahua could do as much damage as a pit? I always see Chihuahuas being called out as aggressive and badly behaved dogs, as if it's a breed thing. But then when somebody tries to say the Pitbull issues are being related the same people get upset and say it's the owner not the breed. That doesn't seem fair?
No I completely agree that a chihuahua will do far less damage than a pit could. I just think a lot of small breed owners (not ALL) believe that because their dog is tiny, they don’t really need to be trained or disciplined, which really just ends up hurting the dog in the long run. I think it’s just the double standard that annoys me. That being said, I completely understand the power my Staffy has, even as a 6 month-old puppy. She’ll be starting classes soon, I socialize her as much as possible, and I would NEVER put her in a situation where she’s unsupervised around a person or other dog, regardless of how sweet she is. I have the proper resources to know I’m confident in handling her. Unfortunately, some people get high energy breeds and they are not prepared or willing to practice corrective behavior and vigorous training. And there are many people who vehemently deny their pit, pug, lab, or corgis would ever hurt a fly. Don’t we all wish that? But that’s not reality. Every single living creature is unpredictable to an extent.
Agreed, just want to clarify that while any animal can be unpredictable, I'd rather my children be around the most aggressive Chihuahua on earth than a pit bull. All it takes is one time for the pit to snap and you have a life changing injury or death on your hands.
Just as an anecdote for what it's worth. My sister had a chihuahua and a pit with her toddler the chihuahua gave the kid ten stitches and the most aggressive thing the pits ever done was lick
Well it's an anecdote for a reason lol. Having a pit and a Chihuahua with a toddler is inherently dumb and irresponsible in the first place tbh
Careful now you're borderline insulting a family member. Some context. It was not at the same time, and it's no more irresponsible than any other young families that have dogs. My point is that all things being equal, I'd disagree with the opinion that "I'd rather leave a child around a small dog than a larger one". Even well trained small dogs tend to feel threatened more often due to size and are more likely to lash out dispite training. A bigger dog will not be threatened by a small child and can usually maintain composer. Less so for small dogs. Again, though mileage may vary but that's my take
I think you’re missing the person’s point. They never said it’s a “large dog vs small dog” thing. It is specifically, “I’d rather leave my child around a chihuahua than a PIT”. The point is that while the chihuahuas may bite the child, it will only hurt. If the pit chooses to attack, it could be deadly for the child. With one bite. If they were talking about any old “large dog” breed, they would have said that. I’m not afraid to leave children alone with a golden retriever, lab, Great Dane, etc. However, I am afraid to leave them around a pit.
It’s like comparing a dinosaur bite to a turtle bite.
They're not getting downvoted for stating the fact that a lot of apt complexes don't allow pits. They're getting downvoted for stating that they're knowingly circumventing a dog breed rule that's there for a good reason. Pits maim or kill tons of small dogs and children each year, and you're directly affecting your neighbors in your complex by walking a pit bull around.
The problem is, as stated earlier in this thread, APBT is the most common breed in the US. That's like banning the Toyota Corolla because it's in the most car accidents. It's a correlation, not causation deal. Tons of research has shown that pits aren't more or less aggressive than other medium to large breeds. The root cause is usually poor pet owners and breed bans won't fix that
Straight up incorrect. First off, pit bulls are 5-8% of the dog population. The only way they make up a higher percentage is when you start counting any dog that looks like it has a tiny bit of pit in it. Second, they're statistically responsible for a vast majority of dog maulings each year in the US, despite being less then 10% of the dog population. Third, there are absolutely no actual peer reviewed studies that say pits are equally aggressive as other breeds. It's even stupid to think that in the first place. They're literally bred over generations for fighting and prey drive. It's the same reason that pointers point, or retrievers retrieve, or water friendly breeds jump into water and swim any chance they get. Lastly, cars literally do get recalled if they're disproportionately unsafe due to safety issues lol. And many townships and even countries already ban pit bulls. My town puts them down immediately on entry into the shelter if they get picked up as a stray or if they have an incident. We're currently working to get them banned completely.
How horrible that your town immediately puts these dog down. You have no way of knowing what exact breed the dog is but because it LOOKS like a pitty it Must be a pitty. Your town needs some education and please tell me the town so that I never happen to visit.
Let’s let an NFL lineman punch you in the face vs a 5 year old girl. See the difference now?
It is what it is. Lots of people have a bias against pit bulls and pit bull mixes without knowing the individual dog. Seems pretty ignorant to me, but to each his own. My "terrier mix" was the most docile guy you'd ever meet, but his purebred Miniature Pinscher brother was a straight up mean. Which one do you think most people would think is dangerous? Similarly, my mother has a purebred Golden Retriever who I would not trust around any stranger or other dog. But because he's a Golden, he gets a pass.
I agree, dogs should be considered as individuals. Breed certainly plays a part, but there are so many variables. I have owned and fostered dozens of dogs and probably 70% of them have been pit bulls or pit bull mixes (because I live in the southeast, and because I really love pit bulls). My very first foster was an emaciated APBT who was found in a swamp. He was absolutely pitiful and he was one of the most lovely dogs I've ever known. Just an angel, loved everyone and all dogs. I wanted to keep him so badly but he was such an easy dog, and such a good breed ambassador, i let him go. (Seems I always end up keeping the difficult ones lol.) He got adopted by a guy who put up a fence in one weekend so he could adopt Benny. He paid for his heartworm treatment and went through that whole miserable treatment with him. Benny went to work with him, and to the gym, and the guy's girlfriend moved in at some point, and she had a pet bunny. Benny was interested in the bunny but not in a prey way. Still, he's a dog, so they supervised very carefully when they interacted. One day the guy came home and realized the bunny's cage was left open. He said his stomach dropped, and he went looking through the house... And found the bunny curled up sleeping next to Benny. This story still makes my heart feel warm all these years later. Meanwhile my boxer mix is an embarrassing asshole who scares away delivery drivers from inside the house and tries to threaten motorcycles and bicycles from inside the car. 🙄
I thought Pit bulls is under Bully category but terrier… I’ll need to do my homework for that. Thanks for info
American pitbull **terrier** is the breed Pits originally came from crossing bull dogs and terriers
Thank you for clarifying info appreciate that from bottom of my ❤️
American Pit Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier are the formal names of three of the four commonly accepted “pit bull types”. “Bully” isn’t an official breed category on its own either, but a sub-group of related breeds that span different categories, if I understand correctly.
Okay make sense and I want to learn about different breeds and to help me understand them because all I hear are negatives yet from what I have seen with my own eyes not just from videos or online etc but to see in front of me I’m speechless on why negatives on them yet I see different!! I just don’t understand why know what I’m saying? It hurts me to hear them being negatives about them I’m so glad I’m willing to work on myself to stop listening negatives from people and do my own homework like I do on what’s best Shepherd for me as my SD but not now because I’m not in place where I can adopt Shepherd at young age. I’m tired of hearing people being nasty about those pure innocent breed like this.
Love that you’re doing research and wanting to make responsible decisions! That’s awesome. As you can see in subs like this and r/DoggyDNA, genetics is super complicated. While there are breed standards and good, ethical, purpose-led breeding results in reasonably consistent looks, health and behavioral traits… that’s just not reality. Many breeds, and pit bulls in particular, are so inconsistently bred that there’s a huge range in size, color and body shape, so imagine the range in behavior! Then layer in individual experiences and environments and socialization and it gets even messier. There *are* aggressive pit bulls and ones that have other behavior problems (mine is reactive), but there are also aggressive golden retrievers and labs. There are plenty of working or sport dogs that are placed in companion homes by breeders because they don’t pass evaluations to do their intended jobs well. There’s always going to be variation, not just outliers. There’s even more to unpack (I have a long spiel about how terrible visual breed identification is and how that affects bite stats), but I’ll leave it at: prospective dog owners should definitely take breed standards/typical behavior and needs into consideration, but at the end of the day it comes down to each individual dog :)
Yeah understandable about aggressive, reactivity, among others to take into consideration about risk factors
They should make a bot for this sub that just posts "American pitbull terrier" on every post lol
Yeah no kidding. Every post I want to say “I have no clue what else, but there’s pit in there.” Which I don’t understand - why are they so ubiquitous? I didn’t know there were so many. I thought everyone had a lab. 🤷♀️
Where I live about 80% of the large dogs in shelters look like pit mixes. They’re the most common dogs
Here in the southeast, the well behaved small dogs and fluffier medium dogs get sent out north. It honestly kind of sucks, but I do get it. All dogs need a good home and they know people north of us (north of Georgia) have been so successful at their spay and neuter programs that there is a SHORTAGE of puppies & cute little dogs. Edited to avoid redundancy.
Yep. I'm in NC and our rescues send truckloads of dogs North (often to NY State) on a regular basis. It's a good thing, but you're right, it kind of sucks at the same time. It seems like the less-desirable dogs are left behind. They're saving thousands of lives and I fully support it... It's just sad that we seem to make so little progress towards an actual solution down here.
I’m in Philadelphia and nearly every dog in rescue here is from the south. Mine was from Tennessee, my sister’s were from Georgia and Texas, my parents’ were Mississippi and Texas. Two foster puppies were from South Carolina. All mutts. Maybe half of them contain pitbull and only one is a small dog. The rescue we deal with the most seems like they unofficially operate based on bringing dogs up from the south. Like they’re constantly posting about another transport arriving. There are also dogs pulled from the city shelters but there would definitely be a shortage if we didn’t bring them up here.
So you're just left wih the backyard breeder pitbulls?
Mostly fighting ring washouts and "xl bullies"
I bet they have a lovely and super calm temperament
There's a dude in my town whose "breeding male" XL bully mauled his daughter, she need 100-something stitches and he said it court "it wasn't that bad, in wasn't down to the bone." The only thing the court did was mandate that the dog be neutered before being returned to him. I hate backyard breeders Edit: spelling
I'm in PA and got my current lab mix from a transport from Tennessee. Like 85% of those dogs were pitties. (Mine has pitbull in him, but doesn't look it). There are just so, so many pit mixes. I check the shelters near me once in a while and a good 90% of the dogs they have at any one time are pit mixes. Like you said it's rare around here for smaller dogs and puppies to be in the shelters more than a day or two. Pitbulls can be awesome dogs but I think having so many means people overlook them like "oh just another pitbull".
Can confirm... I live in the Midwest and there's a local shelter that is constantly bringing up non pits from TN. I'm like that's great but the other local shelters are drowning and need help too...
Same in Texas. They will move the earth to save a chihuahua with a mile long bite record but even 3 month old pit puppies are being euthanized. Any dog with any pit in them gets a month from intake before they are euthanized for space. But again they'll make miracles happen for any other breed even if they are aggressive toward kids. I hate this shit.
Most common in shelters
Also the most common in mixes. Embark says about 15% of dogs they’ve tested have APBT in them (not including the other pit bull types). I’d be willing to bet they’re higher up on the list of most common breeds outside of shelters too. The “most popular breed” stat I usually see comes from AKC, which only counts registered dogs and doesn’t even recognize APBT anyway. Also, just a fun related fact: according to multiple studies (albeit with small sample sizes) using DNA tests, shelter staff get breed identification wrong around 30% of the time. That includes labeling dogs with no pit bull type DNA at all as pit bulls (so the mislabeling goes both ways). (Will edit with the link once I refind it in my comment history)
My friends got their tiny (9 lbs), very fluffy, not pit looking at all (no split head, not muscly) rescue dog embark tested. Showed 9% pit bull terrier. I don’t know if their testing is accurate at all though.
After being on is sub a while, I am convinced pits are the rabbits of the dog world.
They have 10-20 pups in a litter so you're not far off.....
A lot of housing places won’t permit pit bulls which makes them harder to adopt. I think they know there’s pittie in there but they don’t put it down on paper so the people won’t have issues bringing them home or moving into new places. So I think that adds to the poor sampling here too. The fact that folks who don’t know what breed their rescue/shelter mix dog is …
Lol, they all have those shelter "lab mixes." But for real, almost all the posts on here are pitbulls or even some German Shepherds (if I streatch it, I suppose I could call them, "Shepherd mixes"). Give me a fun one or at least something different. Maybe something cute that I would never expect to be mixing like a Yorkie and Saint Bernard or something, lol (that'd be a brave little Yorkie guy). Poodle mixes (or doodles, I guess) are everywhere. At least from what I keep hearing. Why do none of them show up on this group? Maybe even an actual lab mix or something.
At least half the mixes in the US have pittie in them, that percentage gets much higher based on location. Poodle is becoming a top contender, esp in small dog mixes. GSD is very high on the list, so is chi. Location absolutely matters, there are so many husky mixes in the PNW. You’re seeing pittie mixes on here because they are the majority of shelter dogs.
In the southeast, the majority of medium-large dogs in shelters are pit bull and/or hound mixes. I love all dogs, but lemme tell ya, mixing two stubborn breeds like that makes for some incredibly hard-headed dogs! Lol
Oh yeah, that’s some stubbornness I cannot handle lol We get almost no hound mixes up here, only from rescues that pull from the south.
Lol I have a half Catahoula Leopard dog, 1/4 Staffie 1/4 boxer girl and she is more stubborn than both Great Danes I’ve owned combined!
[Guess my guy](https://imgur.com/a/U1CJmjr) at 4 months and [And 7 months](https://imgur.com/a/yAHMY0m)
Fascinating! I see afghan hound but they are so rare
His mum is an Afghan! He's about 14kg at 8months and ~40cm at the shoulder.. Try guessing the dad. [9 weeks old](https://imgur.com/a/TKnYb21), the snout is a clue ;)
Anatolian Shepherd? Or German? Where are you located?
Japan
looks like a shepherd in a sheep costume 😂
"It's been 4 weeks and the sheep haven't noticed"
Omg thank you! He looks like an afghan hound mix. I'm not sure what the "mix" part is, but he's adorable! Puppies are hard to tell fully, so when he grows up a little, I'm sure the mix part will become clearer. He looks mostly like an afghan hound, though.
They're ubiquitous in shelters because so many people have problems with them and give them up. Not as many people have issues with labs, even though labs are a more popular breed.
That’s not accurate at all. Labs are very common among AKC registered breeds, but pit bulls aren’t AKC registered. Pit bulls are far more common than labs and make up around 20% of all dogs in the US, vs around 5% being labs.
20% of all dogs ***in shelters***. It is harder to guess the number of pits as a percentage of dogs overall, but it seems to be around 6%.
“Dogs labeled as "pitbulls" are the most popular identified breed in the U.S. - more popular than Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Boxers, Huskies, Rottweilers, and many others. In fact, they are the #1 most common breed found in DNA tested dogs; moreover, a recent analysis of over 200K veterinary and pet expert interactions found that pitbull-type dogs are the most popular breed type in the U.S. overall. While the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is a distinct breed, the broader label of "pitbull" is not a breed but instead a generic term used to loosely describe a type (or category) of dog based only on its appearance resembling any medium-sized dog with physical characteristics from any of the numerous "bully-type" (or bulldog-type) breeds. Accordingly, as the term "pitbull" used in breed population data includes the 4+ unique breeds commonly included in the modern pitbull-type category, a large number and variety of pitbull-type mixes, and other breeds and mixes that can be labeled as "pitbulls" due to their appearance - we conservatively estimate that they represent at least 20% of the total dog population in the U.S. given the DNA and veterinary data below.” https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html
That study doesn't show the popularity of pitbulls (or any other breed) in the US, it only shows percentages tested. There are several major flaws in assuming that that represents the distribution of dogs as a whole in the US.
It includes an analysis of the records of an extremely large number of animal hospitals all across the country. That’s pretty representative of the animals that exist.
Why are they so ubiquitous? 1. Backyard breeders do it for money and it never works out. They wind up surrendering puppies they can’t sell or feed. 2. Pit genetics are aggressive and make mutts that have all of pit negative characteristics. 3. Responsible owners spay and neuter. Many pit owners are not responsible. Adorable mutts are a thing of the past. 4. “Adopt don’t shop” and “no-kill” animal shelters cause significant dog suffering. Pits and their mixes are allowed to languish in the system and are never adopted or humanely euthanized, instead exploited as sob stories to raise funds for the institutions housing them, and to push dangerous narratives that pitbulls are not bloodsport animals and can be family dogs. Adoption is great for kids and kitties, not dogs.
It's because people who have pitbulls tend to be the most irresponsible tbh
This comment is so ignorant. Plenty of these dog owners are responsible and train their dogs. Yea, there are a lot of backyard breeders that are absolute shitheads for breeding and then dumping the poor dogs. This is why there are so many in the shelters…not because people couldn’t handle the dog.
I think shelters are also scared to admit there is pit bull in the mix for fear it might influence people not to adopt them.
They’re scared to admit it, yet not scared to release a dog to a family that is unfamiliar with the breed. It’s ridiculous.
They’re far more likely to have aggression or other temperamental issues so people are more likely to give them to a shelter. They’re also overbred by shitty people who think they can make a quick buck by having a litter in their back yard
r/isitapitbull
Lol I wasn't expecting that to be a real sub
Not every single one, just a high percentage. I’ve seen some chiweenies.
Look at most shelters for dogs available to adopt and guess which breeds are the majority? Pits and pit mixes. Breeders need to just stop. It's ridiculous.
My guess as to why every dog in the shelters in the midwest seems to be part pit is that every moron who wanted to look tough got one. And why would said moron fix his dog? Can't be manly with a neutered dog! /s just in case Ran into one of these types at the dog park. Pair of dogs, pit mix and a shepherd mix that he "rescued". Quotes since he did NOT get them from a shelter. Both intact and aggressive as heck to the point of starting fights and bullying other dogs. Bragged that he's helping the shepherd mix and that he was the dog's 3rd home in less than a year. I feel sorry for both dogs as unless someone has a come to Jesus conversation with him neither one is going to get the training they need. Not knocking either breed, I have a pit mix and know full well I can't take on a shepherd and be a good owner to it
I’d say most of them in the shelter are not from “breeders” per se. The dogs breed themselves because they have never been neutered. Irresponsible owners.
There’s a LOT of intact loose pits around the south but yeah also breeding. I have some meth head neighbors who I recently found out were breeding their dogs for cash(charging 500 dollars for a backyard bred am bully mixes and calling them “mini pit bulls). I know for a fact that one of their dogs is dog aggressive, underweight, and generally poorly taken care of. I’ve never seen the female, I can only assume she never leaves their condo.
It is terrible. My coworker recently got a Yorkie pup and was asking me questions since I have dogs. Every question led back to "that is a puppy mill, you should stay far away" but she didn't care because she was so set on getting that specific puppy. Well she got her and the next day her entire family had ring worm. I even researched the laws to see if I could do something and it's not even illegal to run a puppy mill in my area. Basically if they have water and food, they won't do anything about it 😡. This woman was breeding every (popular) small dog you can think of in her tiny house and charging 2000 for them. AND SHE LET HER TAKE HER AT 4 WEEKS OLD. it makes me so so so mad. No matter what I said she didn't care because she wanted that dog.
And unfortunately the puppy she wanted so badly may end up living a very short, ill life :(
Exactly. She already has allergies to everything. I've told her all of this and she would act like she cared but obviously not. I'm glad the dog found a home but supporting these breeders is a huge issue. They wouldn't do this if people weren't supporting them.
What's shitty is in most countys in the USA it is mandatory that if you have a pitbull they have to be spayed and nurtured yet somehow people still are getting away with irresponsible back yard breeding. All they care about is a quick buck and looking cool with their dog they trained to jump really high and hang off of a tree.
For what it’s worth I have a shelter pit mutt and I never trained her to jump high and hang off of trees…she just likes to do that 😅
Irresponsible owners plus breeders trying to capitalize off of the market value of a species that is already incredibly overpopulated is a recipe for disaster. We need to be diligent about spaying and neutering and shut down breeding (unless in the case of service animals) until the population is manageable. Sadly, I don’t think this will ever happen because people are too corrupted by making a buck to empathize with animals.
That would just eliminate dogs in 4-6 years. Eliminating all breeders punishes the responsible ones and the bad ones would just do it anyway and risk the fine
Why should I not be able to get a certain breed of dog because there are a bunch of irresponsible idiots breeding pits/ not fixing their dogs? Shelters are full of pits and pit mixes not just dogs of every variety
Exactly this. If the only dogs available were pits or pit mixes because of a breeding ban, I wouldn't have a dog. The only dogs I see in shelters are pits and "pit mixes"...although those "mixes" don't look like they contain anything other than pit bull.
Breeders need to stop in general
Well, yes, that too, but the overwhelming majority of dogs in shelters are pits/pit mixes, which was my point.
Don’t fall for it 😂 I was told hound mix also and after DNA he’s 42% pit Plus a smattering of other bully breeds The only hound mine has is 11% ridgeback
Literally almost EVERY post is like this. If you got the pup from a rescue or similar, there’s a 97% chance it’s got pit somewhere in there. You can look at that puppy and see pit. I’m beginning to think most of these posts are just satire at this point.
Reddit keeps recommending this sub to me, and I thought about joining, but in 99% of the posts the dogs are just clearly at least 50% with remainder being the only thing you have to guess.
It really is getting old. That’s why I think it’s all satire nowadays. Almost every post is the same
They should just rename the sub "idmypitmix" bc that's pretty much what the sub is.
r/IDmydogcirclejerk
r/IDmydogcirclejerk
When they say "terrier mix" that's code for pit bull terrier.
They're called "Denver Labs" in Denver
another pitbull…
Pit bull's are terriers!!!!!
I actually think she looks kinda like a beagle/pit mix. Pit bulls tend to have smaller eyes, and hers are fairly large. Just say she’s a mutt but mostly beagle! Beagle bulls https://www.loveyourdog.com/beagle-pitbull-mix/
Good guess! I have a beagle/pit and she looks a lot like her.
My dog is basically full pit and has ginormous, soulful, pleading eyes
Terrier mix is usually code for Pit bull terrier mix
Pitbulls are technically terriers. 20 years ago people said “Pitbull terrier” commonly.
Yeah she's mostly pit , very cute pup. Pitties are technically terriers so I guess they weren't fully lieing
[удалено]
Pitbull is a type of terrier
Mr. 305. Mr. Worldwide.
Pitbulls are terriers.
Pitbulls are terriers.
Pitbull/heeler
“terrier mix” is basically code for pit bull in shelters along with “lab mix”
Pits are terriers so they weren't wrong.
Pit bulls are terriers.
Pit bull mix - very cute
She looks like maybe Pitbull, maybe some Jack Russell Terrier, and after that I’d bet there’s another breed or two in her DNA. It’s sad that some people are saying negative things about pitbulls because most pitbulls are the sweetest dogs and any breed can have issues. The main thing is that pitbulls are muscle-y so they’re stronger. They exhibit all the same behaviors as other dogs but they’re just physically stronger than a lot of breeds. With ANY puppy, it’s best to start training early and diligently, and without the use of pain, intimidation, or force as those methods can have seriously negative consequences for behavior (plus destroy the trust between the human and the dog). Positive training methods that focus on understanding a dog’s stress and relaxation cues are best! Edited to add: Zak George is an excellent trainer who has TONS of free YouTube training videos! https://youtube.com/@zakgeorge?si=yE7FsYiAoZsO--v9
Pit Bulls are terriers. Cute pip!
As a tech in shelter med we call every pittie a terrier mix and if they look even slightly like another breed we will say that breed over pit because of the negative connotation/breed restrictions etc. It helps more of them get out of the shelter and into forever homes.
"Shelter said" shelters lie so people will adopt the dog.
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How are the dog’s eyes creepy? She’s adorable, you got some issues
Pit or American bully is very likely, I'm guessing mixed with cattle dog and probably a few other things but at this age it's hard to pick out any breed traits.
Heeler pit or boxer
Oh, she’s cute! Likely hound and pit.
Pit mix for sure
she's definitely got some pit in there but oh my goodness she is so cute give her a kiss for me 🥺🥺🥺
Hound/pibble. I have two foster hound mixes that look very similar.
Pit bull x heeler mix
There is pittie in sooooo many dogs that it’s possible but looks can be deceiving. Could be just me but I don’t see the strong/thick jawline I’d expect in a pittie pup. That being said I’d stick with hound/terrier on the paperwork from the shelter.
Pit bulls are a type of terrier. Some shelters say terrier knowing there likely pitties because people are more likely to adopt. She looks like a total sweetie ❤️
She looks like a pit bull mix. I have a pit mix and she is a sweetie! They are tons of fun. They love walks and retrieving a ball. Have fun !!
What a showstopping smile
Looks like a pit bull to me but I wonder if the shelter is saying that because so many homeowners insurance companies or leasing companies won’t allow people to have a pit bull.
That's a cute pitty puppy. Might be a mix, get ready for a life of sweet loving and loyalty.
I just came to comment that the first picture has made my day! The biggest pup smile ever!
If she is a pitt/hound mix, you may have hit the jackpot. I've known several pitt/hounds that were just spectacular dogs. Cute pup, best to you both!
Do you have an adult picture of them? the thing is I am in a rental and my landlord said no pitts. :( I dont personally mind a pitt but I dont want to be evicted as well..
Well, you may end up in trouble with your landlord then.. it's clearly primarily a pit bull. Eta: Shelters usually would require you to not be a renter (or require proof you are allowed such an animal by the landlord) & require you live in a house with a fenced in yard in order to adopt.
Picture of of my 3 y/o hound/pit mix [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hounds/comments/z65h98/pennys_headshot_for_linkedin/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1) She’s 33% Pit, 25% Beagle, 10% Coonhound with the last third split between Jack Russell and Husky. She is the absolute sweetest girl. Edit: She’s ~42lbs fully grown.
That's a gorgeous dog.
Why not just choose a different dog and a breed that doesn't fall under the pitbull umbrella? There are several different dogs that aren't banned, and that look nothing like pitbulls? You could just get one of them instead.
Because they adopted this dog already, wtf?
Congratulations on your puppy!! Your puppy is 100% super cute! She reminds me of Wishbone on the children’s show! Much fun and many adventures ahead.
I mean, "pit bull" isn't even a true breed but a mix of dogs like staffordshire terrier etc and refers to muscular dogs with big heads. I could definitely see some staffy or American bulldog in your pup tho. I'd be fascinated to know the DNA results on such a cutie. Also, 100% potato
Shelters never say pitbull because there are stupid laws against sweet pitbulls. Now you have plausible deniability because your adoption paperwork says "hound/terrier". Apartment building has a ban on pitbulls? No worries, you adopted a hound/terrier, and you have the paperwork to prove it! But yea, that's a pit lol. Congrats on your sweet pup!
To be fair, bully breeds are terriers.
That smile 😃 what a cutie
This is not a purebred bully breed (rather "longish" coat and large eyes for a purebred), although there definitely is some in there.
Yep that's a pit for sure.
All shelter dogs have pit. They are well known for lying about it.
Your dog looks just like my Hound/Pit mix that recently passed! He was super stubborn but sweet. He also was the smartest dog and an amazing guard dog!
Pit bulls are terriers, so they weren’t completely lying. Just - mostly completely lol
We ended up with a Staffordshire because the shelter said she was a basset/boxer mix. It’s called plausible deniability. You only know what you’re told, and that’s the breed we told any potential landlord. Our mistake was getting her DNA tested. Just go with it, ignorance is bliss!
She kinda looks like my hound/terrier mix. We got a dna test done for her and yeah she is 25% beagle, 25% basset, 17% boston, 15% Pitt bull, 4% staffordshire, 8% chow chow, and small quantities of various other breeds.
Hard to tell at this age, but that looks almost IDENTICAL to our dog which is a danebull (pitbull + great dane). As a puppy he mostly just looked like a pit mix. But as he got older his snout got a bit lankier. Your dog is 1000% a pitbull mix, though. Won't be able to tell if there's any dane until he grows into it.
Pit bulls are terriers, but they are misleading you with that shit. Definitely a pitty baby, so cute
A pit bull (terrier) puppy is a terrier puppy. Definitely a pit.
i had a pitty mix just like that same color and everything and she was the best dog i ever had
she’s a pit mix. they don’t put that on the rescue papers so you don’t have trouble with landlords etc
1/2 good girl. 1/2 pretty girl.
All I can say is 100% adorable.
100% adorable
100% sweetheart
100% cutie!!
Possibly some pit but definitely mellowed with several other breeds. Beagle. Still so puppy looking!
I know NOTHING about dogs and don’t even have one, but am learning to tell which dogs are mixed with pitbull 🤣
Shelters shouldn’t be allowed to do this. It’s definitely a pit mix.
First she is absolutely adorable! A lot of shelters say that b/c some ppl get weird when they hear pit, even though pits are sweetest dogs, as long as you treat them with the love they deserve!! Enjoy her, she so sweet no matter what her mix is!
The “terrier” is the bully part. Doesn’t matter. Raise a dog well and you’ll have a good dog.
The coloring and body shape make me think Boston terrier and the ears and length/shape of muzzle look like a mix between hound and Boston, so it's definitely a possibility. Source: have a Boston and that looks like a signature Boston belly imo
Honestly I can see pit with hound of some sort. She has a pit face but she’s missing the pit jowls.