Can you tell if there is banned breed in the mix?

[Imstickingwiththisone]

My cousin rescued a lovely staffy cross a while ago. It has a lovely temperament but is huge. Extremely wide and muscular but not very tall.

She never puts photos on fb or walks it in rough areas on the pavement as she is convinced it has banned breed in her. I've always said that the rescue centre wouldn't have re-homed her if that was the case. She now says that the vet looked at the dog and said it definitely has american bull dog in her and someone would report it I'm no expert but a vet can't say that just from looking can they?! It honestly just looks like a massive staffy. Same face but slightly taller and much wider.

[Floralnomad]

American bulldogs are not a banned breed , American pit bulls are . The whole dangerous dog thing is ridiculous though - the dogs that attacked the child earlier this week were apparently American Bully's which were a breed derived from crossing the American pit bull and various different bull breeds , yet they are allowed .

[Blackfellpony]

A pit bull is not a breed it's a type so yes if it fits the type then the vet can say so.

If the dog fits the measurements and description then yes it could be reported as a pit. There are no genetic tests so in theory any combination of legal dogs could be classed as a 'pitbull' if it fits the description of one set by the law.

This doesn't mean it would be automatically destroyed but it would have to be lisenced and follow certain protocols.

An American bull dog is a legal breed and has different characteristics to a pit, but I suspect it's the latter that the vet is talking about.

[Imstickingwiththisone]

Oh Christ I meant American pit bull! I've just googled American pit bull as opposed to bull dog and can see the likeness now. If it's decided on characteristics alone then i guess my cousin is being sensible rather than paranoid. I thought there was a DNA test....I know nothing!

[tabulahrasa]

It's based just on what they look like, so a dog can be decided to be a pitbull type even if it's a KC registered staffy (obviously not a well bred one) or it's a cross of breeds that aren't even bull breeds.

It's a stupid law.

[RoseDog]

I have a rescue Staffy cross, I have her had her DNA tested and she is Staffordshire bull terrier crossed with American Staffy, it has been known for her to look like a pitbull in certain lights.

Your cousin is being wise walking her in safe areas.

[Imstickingwiththisone]

That is stupid tabu. So even if you could provide evidence of breeding it would be disregarded because of how it looks.

I will tell my cousin i was talking to nonsense

[Blackfellpony]

That's correct I'm.

Lots of bull breeds fall into the of type category. It just has to look a certain way and be a certain size.

I wouldn't worry about walking the dog though, muzzled it shouldn't be a problem. If I did own one I would make sure there was nothing anyone would complain about (i.e., not off lead, muzzled in public, well trained in all ways) but I would still excersise it

[BloodWorries]

American pit bull terrier is a breed, but banned breeds are based on 'type' or rather looks than any research into it's actual breed. This is where staffy x labs have had bad luck as they can often fit the 'type'.

Actual american pit bulls are quite small and lean. Staffies have heavier set bodies. Lots of 'pit bulls' aren't proper APBT, but people seem to think they are.

There are also 3 other banned breeds, again it wouldn't be based on the parentage of individual dogs, just if they are deemed to look like them. Which is where people thinking any giant staffy like dog is a pit causes big issues. I had a staffy cross with something big, had a few people tell me he was a pit. Also had an acquaintance who paid quite of lot of cash for a 'pit bull' who was more mastiff and american bull dog than pit. Far too big.

That said I didn't do anything to encourage people to consider if there was any pit in my dog, and also because he was of that appearance (to some people anyway) I avoided some areas, behaviours and probably became rather paranoid.

[CornflakeHomunculus]

That's the long and the short of it, yes.

There have been cases where purebred, KC registered Staffordshire Bull Terriers have been seized and destroyed for no other reason than they met enough of the (rather vague) criteria to be deemed "of type.

It's a ridiculous law that clearly doesn't work but the general public are so sold on "dangerous breeds" that nobody will risk becoming unpopular by repealing it

[BloodWorries]

As far as I'm aware the DNA tests are a gimmick. Nothing serious about them and most don't list pit bulls as a possible match. Something that many people in the USA have used to their advantage when trying to rent a flat with a pit or pit x when the landlords won't allow pits. Comes back with staffy or lab or poodle! haha

[Imstickingwiththisone]

That's so sad so many dogs have been destroyed for no reason!

I feel bad for rolling my eyes about my cousin, it all just sounded stupid and paranoid. Her dog is so lovely and extremely well looked after.