Just found out that puppy is partly a banned breed

[EvilGoldfish]

(Reposted from dog section as I didn’t get any replies yet and I’m really anxious!)

I know we should have done things properly to start with but my heart completely over ruled my head sad

We were on a waiting list for a Staffordshire bull terrier puppy, when my niece told me of a family she knew giving their 10 week old staffy female away as they couldn’t cope.

I went with full intentions of taking her to a local rescue as the details sounded dodgy (no microchip, no vaccinations, no contact details for who sold her to them) but I couldn’t bear the thought of her being picked duo as a bait dog. They had her in a tiny cat cage, no toys/bed and on adult butchers food. The first thing she did when they let her out was run up for a belly rub.

Obviously, she is completely adorable and I ended up taking her to the vets to be chipped, 1st vaccinations and to get checked over.

I know all puppy owners can say this but she is so responsive to positive training, loving and eager to please. She has only had two accidents in the four weeks we’ve had her, she sleeps at the foot of our bed and usually only needs to get up once in the night. Her little tail wags like crazy the second she sees anyone, including strangers and other dogs (dogs from a distance as her second vaccination is next week) but especially children. We are starting KC puppy scheme classes in a few weeks.

I feel like I have to predefend her as we have just received the wisdom panel DNA results. The breakdown is as follows (can’t post pictures yet?)

36% American Pitbull Terrier
21% Staffordshire Bull Terrier
18% American Bulldog
15% Rottweiler
3% Presa Canario
2% Boston Terrier
1% Bulldog
1% Dalmatian (?!)

I’m absolutely distraught. I’ve contacted the RSPCA (anonymously) for advice but wanted to know what others would do in my position? While I wait for the RSPCA response I wanted to try to figure out what my options are (google returned a LOT of conflicting advice).

Is she going to be taken from me when she gets bigger, even if she is a perfect family pet?

What are the chances of her suddenly turning into a rampaging beast, despite her being a very good natured puppy, and will be trained/socialised well?

Our rescue dog from Romania was DNA’d as a chihuahua Samoyed cross. A most unlikely mating. Pics on Pinterest show identical dogs from Greece and Eastern Europe which are identified as an as yet registered breed of indigenous dog. Don’t remember the name of the DNA company but it was American.
As with human DNA ethnicity results it all depends on the data they use so can’t be relied upon.
Good luck you sound like a good responsible dog owner.

Surely the DNA test thing is not a legally binding document and if you hadn't had it done then you would be none the wiser. She a crossbreed and that's the end of it. it doen't matter what breed she is, if she becomes aggressive and dangerous she would need to be destroyed, whether her DNA was a pitbull or a spaniel etc.

Pitbulls are lovely dogs too. If you have Instagram then look up the actor Justin Theroux. He has always had pitties and adopted a beautiful pitbull cross rescue called Kuma. She is a soppy lady and looks so goofy rather than aggressive.

@HoardingSamphireSaurus

My SIL suspects her much loved, daft as a brush staffy is much the same. She spoke to local police who told her that the best way to solve the problem is NEVER to put the dog in a position where anyone could raise concerns.

So always on a lead, never left alone, trained to within and inch of its life and always kept away from other dogs, kids, people in general.

It's a happy little dog but SIL is taking no chances whatsoever.

Please do let us know what the RSPCA say.

It's shit when people breed pits in with other breeds. The law currently doesn't differentiate. Though that is being questioned...

This is great advice.

What are the chances of her suddenly turning into a rampaging beast, despite her being a very good natured puppy, and will be trained/socialised well?

I think you need to keep her well trained throughout her life. That's good form for all dog owners to be honest.

I agree with most pp- register her as lab/ staff cross, or even as as “mutt” - safer that way!

It’s more about how she looks than the dna anyway. When police are deciding if a dog’s a banned breed they go by characteristics, not dna

She’s a mongrel, she’s not a pit bull by the sounds of it she’s a heinz57 cheap insurance 👍🏼

To lie and say she is a lab cross is unfair , hopefully she will be a lovely dog but she is not a lab cross.
I work with dogs every day , i love dogs and have no fear of them , but i am aware of the potential behavioural traits of some of the breeds you have mentioned .
My child would never be allowed to be in the presence of a mixed bull breed or full breed presa canaria , pit bull or american bulldog without me or her father.
If she were at a friends house without us with a dog like this i would be furious if i had been lied to.
A person in your dogs presence has every right to know how potentially safe / unsafe they are.

Sorry but I worked in a vets and met the most wonderful bull terrier types but who had savaged either another dog or bitten a child especially or an adult usually a male. They have an inbuilt instinct that no amount of training or care can get rid of. The vet I worked with often would try and rehome a dog brought in for euthanasia but many times these types would reoffend and end up euthanised later. I love staffies and have had two rescues myself but they were of mystery parentage too and although cared for and never mistreated by me they would still react to children racing around so had to be locked in another room. They love peace and quiet and usually the one owner!

I think the thing to keep in mind is that your dog is NOT a pit bull. The only thing the DNA test has proved is that he's a cross. A mongrel, really, like most DDogs used to be!

Forget about the test, train him to within an inch of his life and enjoy him.

You should definitely speak to the police about where you got him and the circumstances around getting him.

Definitely follow what the rspca say too, please be a responsible pet owner.

@Immaculatemisconception

Register her as a Labrador cross and tell everyone that's what she is.

The op sounds as if they are trying to be a responsible dog owner but replies like this show why deadly dog attacks have been on the rise. Some people just don’t care about the welfare of others or even of the dogs who didn’t ask to be bred and who will need to be put down after attacking someone. (Not saying ops dog will do this but the principle of passing a banned breed off as something else and hoping your neighbours don’t notice… it’s just not cool)

@Staryflight445

You should definitely speak to the police about where you got him and the circumstances around getting him.

Definitely follow what the rspca say too, please be a responsible pet owner.

Why? The pup is what used to be called a mongrel. Not a clue what kinds of dogs I had growing up as they were all mongrels and never had a nasty one amongst them.

Isn't the American Pitbull a descendent of the s Staffordshire Bull terrier? Is that why it might show similar DNA profile?

You can license your dog, they need special insurance and to be registered and licensed, unlike other breeds. This is probably the route I would go down to be extra sure.

@tsmainsqueeze

To lie and say she is a lab cross is unfair , hopefully she will be a lovely dog but she is not a lab cross. I work with dogs every day , i love dogs and have no fear of them , but i am aware of the potential behavioural traits of some of the breeds you have mentioned . My child would never be allowed to be in the presence of a mixed bull breed or full breed presa canaria , pit bull or american bulldog without me or her father. If she were at a friends house without us with a dog like this i would be furious if i had been lied to. A person in your dogs presence has every right to know how potentially safe / unsafe they are.

And this!

To lie and say she is a lab cross is unfair , hopefully she will be a lovely dog but she is not a lab cross.

But no one knows do they? She's had a DNA test that going by some of the comments on here isn't reliable.

Why? The pup is what used to be called a mongrel. Not a clue what kinds of dogs I had growing up as they were all mongrels and never had a nasty one amongst them.

This, she's mongrel, the best type of dog as far as I'm concerned.

Enjoy your dog OP

Pic op? Pleeeeease

I have a staffy x. I don't know what he's crossed with as he's a rescue dog. But he weighs almost 4 stone.

I've had him 10 years now and I just never put him in a situation where anyone can accuse him of anything.

He's an incredibly loving and loyal boy.

Those DNA tests aren't worth the paper they are written on. For instance if your dog was seized as a pit bull type - you couldn't use one to prove it isn't.

Your dog could be 100% fish.. If its head and body measures a certain amount then they are classed as a dangerous dog breed, list her as the vet thinks she is, don't ever mention it elsewhere, people are assholes, train her to be a beautiful family dog, and you will be fine.

A friend of mine went through this with her dog, once she passed the temperament tests, she was allowed home, but never allowed off the lead or without a muzzle in public places, so she spoke to some land owners and walked her in those places away from the public, good luck

@KurtWilde because someone is breeding a banned dog.

I am on that Facebook group @AwkwardPaws27 I joined when we first went in the breeders waiting list and have been following the training advice. Fingers crossed but she learns very quickly and is so happy to train.

Oh I will try imgur!

I think if all the mutts out there were tested a good amount of them would have some level of banned breed in them.

So long as your pup has a good upbringing there shouldn’t be any reason why she’d be an issue. After all, the most docile breeds can be dangerous with poor socialisation and training.

If it helps, growing up my friend had a pitbull. They would tell people he was a large staffy cross. He was a really lovely dog and always got on with other dogs, their cats and small children.
Try not to worry too much OP, you’ll be okay!

So the police don’t use DNA to determine what your dog is, because almost all breeds will come back with a random mix.

What will determine if she’s a banned breed will be head/ jaw/ back measurements and you won’t know if she fits in that category until she’s fully grown. You will only get measured if she’s flagged by someone.

Ducks in a row time. If she’s flagged, you will need to price she’s not a banned breed (which you can’t do because she’s a rescue?) or that she’s no danger to the public.

To prove she’s no danger to the public, make sure she does the full good citizen dog scheme awards right the way to gold and NEVER put her in a position where she’s a risk to others. The GCDS goes a long way to proving a dog is safe and is often taken into account in cases like this. Unfortunately, I would include never letting her off the lead in keeping her safe and making absolutely sure she’s well socialised and well adjusted.

I speak from experience. I live in Staffordshire and did some work with the Staffordshire bull terrier rescue locally. We used to get pits all the time from people who bought puppies from council estates and genuinely thought they were Staffies. The ‘breeders’ would breed pits for ‘protection’ and fighting, then any of the litter they couldn’t sell as pits they’d sell to unsuspecting members of the public as staffies. Once the owners realised the pup was growing large, the breeder would be long gone and they’d end up with us.

If you’re worried about your dogs behaviour in the future; In the years I volunteered, of the hundreds of pitbull types I met I only ever met one pitbull I’d say was in any way unsafe, and he had been very very badly abused. Even then, he’d never bitten. Treat the dog in front of you, not the breed. If she’s lovely (and she sounds it!), trust her until she isn’t.

[quote Staryflight445]@KurtWilde because someone is breeding a banned dog.[/quote]
No, they're not. The dog is a Heinz 57 and likely they didn't know what bits the parent dogs were made up of either.

Seriously rip the test up
They are absolutely useless
I have seen them come back with bizarre parentage like Chinese crested in the mix, how random is that.
There was a tv show, possibly watchdog, where they sent the same sample to the lab under different names and got three different results.

Just train your lovely puppy as well s you can
Be a super responsible dog owner
And call her a lab x staffie

She sounds very sweet