# Do you think my dog is a pitbull?



## RG101 (Jan 26, 2011)

I honestly know you guy's probably hate this question as I assume it comes a lot on these forums but I would really like to know if my dog is pitbull/part pitbull.










What are your thoughts?


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## MISSAPBT (May 10, 2009)

You cannot idenitfy a dogs breed just off what it looks like


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## ashes (Jul 7, 2010)

I want to say a mix but it's hard to tell with the light in the picture and with no papers ull never really know. How old is he?


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

Without a pedigree there is no way to say for sure. Looks to have some terrier in him/her but the only way to know for sure is to have a pedigree bloodline determines how your dog is bred and both parent's would have to be registered with a reputable registry to obtain a pedigree on your dog.


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## RG101 (Jan 26, 2011)

MISSAPBT said:


> You cannot idenitfy a dogs breed just off what it looks like


Ofcourse you can idenitfy the breed of a dog by the looks, maybe not all dogs but the majority of breeds you can.

I have no idea over pitbulls/terrier family as pitbulls and staffies do get mixed up in their looks.


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## RG101 (Jan 26, 2011)

ashes said:


> I want to say a mix but it's hard to tell with the light in the picture and with no papers ull never really know. How old is he?


He is 3 years old, I bought him thinking he was an Irish staffordshire bull terrier he didn't have any papers. I just have growing concerns about what breed he actually is, is there any possible way of finding out for sure?


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## ashes (Jul 7, 2010)

DNA test or papers and 3 years old? I thought he was a puppy still  lol


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

No you cannot identify a breed of dogs by looks .. You know how many breed of dog's resemble an American Pit bull Terrier ? There are several terrier type dogs/mixed breeds that resemble an APBT that are not. The only way to determine a dog's purity is off it's pedigree that's it. An educated guess is just that and educated guess.

Here you go let's see if you can find the APBT

Pet Pitbull - Find the Pit Bull


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Super cute pup , looks like a pitty to me


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## SECD (Jan 17, 2011)

I was about to post that as well Sadie, there is another one where an APBT is not even pictured and it says he stayed at home lol.


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## RG101 (Jan 26, 2011)

ashes said:


> DNA test or papers and 3 years old? I thought he was a puppy still  lol


See the problem is if he was a pitbull he would be taken from me and put down, if I got a DNA test done and it turned out positive do you think the vet/person doing it would automatically call and tell the dogs breed?

I honestly am so worried about losing him, when he was a puppy a specialist came out and examined him over a period of 6 months and let us keep him, do you think he could have known when he was a puppy that he wasn't a pitbull?


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

LOL I haven't seen that one hahahaha


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

DNA test's for determining what breed of dog you own are NOT accurate don't even waste your money on that garbage. 

And why are you at risk of having your dog taken from you if it's an APBT?


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## ashes (Jul 7, 2010)

Wait why would be be taken from you and put to sleep? Are they banned where you're from??


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## ashes (Jul 7, 2010)

If they are banned MAybe possibly the vet would call?? I really don't know how that would work depending on the vet I guess.


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## RG101 (Jan 26, 2011)

Sadie said:


> DNA test's for determining what breed of dog you own are NOT accurate don't even waste your money on that garbage.
> 
> And why are you at risk of having your dog taken from you if it's an APBT?


They became illegal here in the UK before I got him when a pitbull killed a child, that is why they sent out a guy to keep checking up on him, he came out to see his temperment and measured him but after 6 months of random call outs he said we were find to keep him, however recently they are looking to bring in a strong ban on "dangerous dogs" which would include staffies.

Everyone here assumes they are evil dogs, but my dog is everything but evil, he would probably lick you to death if that was possible.

He is actually my life, I have trained him so hard from playing dead to getting socks out of my drawer.

But it doesn't matter how good the dog is if its a pitbull it's taken from you and put down.


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

"Pit bulls" are banned in Britain, but Staffordshire terriers are allowed. I assume that's what they're talking about.


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## k8nkane (Jul 9, 2010)

I have a friend in the UK who, technically, owns a pit bull but is labeling her as a staffie.

I feel bad for you guys.


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## ashes (Jul 7, 2010)

Oh ya I'm really sorry about that It sucks but I think if even if he wasn't a pit bull and the fact that he may look like one and with no papers he can be taken away... :/


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## ashes (Jul 7, 2010)

well he said staffies are probably going on the list as well


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

RG101 said:


> They became illegal here in the UK before I got him when a pitbull killed a child, that is why they sent out a guy to keep checking up on him, he came out to see his temperment and measured him but after 6 months of random call outs he said we were find to keep him, however recently they are looking to bring in a strong ban on "dangerous dogs" which would include staffies.
> 
> Everyone here assumes they are evil dogs, but my dog is everything but evil, he would probably lick you to death if that was possible.
> 
> ...


Yes I understand I am so sorry your in this situation it's very sad The APBT in general is a human friendly dog they don't get along with other dogs but they were never bred to be human aggressive. Many of the attacks that happen are from mixed breeds/pitbull type breeds or unstable dogs(that the owner should have PTS) that were a result of bad breeding practices.

The only thing I could suggest is that you get your vet to write up something saying the dog you own is something other than what it appears to look like a pit or pit/mix. I don't know if you have a vet you are very close with that would do this for you. Otherwise my last suggestion would be to move from the area that the breed is banned. I am not sure if that is an option for you but if they ban all pitbulls or like breeds your not going to have a choice without some sort of documentation stating your dog is NOT a pitbull/related mix .


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## RG101 (Jan 26, 2011)

I just think it's terrible that they don't give the dog a second glance, but if worst comes to worst I can just move to Ireland where they are not illegal.

I'd rather move than give him up, he is the child I never had.

He is registered, insured, neutered and microchipped. (all that had to been done when the man said I could keep him)

My house is completely fenced up with 6 foot fences and I walk him in my grandas field (he loves to chase the sheep).

People say they are unpredictable dogs and could bite at any second, yet he runs towards sheep barking but when the sheep run at him he runs back to me with his tail between his legs like he has been told off.

Bah, now i'm heading away from the topic itself.

Thanks for your help guys.


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

That is the thing with owning this breed you have to be prepared for BSL to hit home even though we hope to never have to deal with it. There are far to many irresponsible owner's and bad breeder's that are ruining it for the good owner's like us. You seem like a very loving and caring responsible owner and I really hope this can all work out for you so that you can keep your baby. You may have to move that might be the last resort I hope it doesn't come to that but I would rather you move than to loose your baby.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

Oh man this is just heart breaking to read. I think it's very sad that they are all labeled bad because of some that were unstable. I wish you and your baby all the best of luck ( hugs ) please keep us updated.


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## RG101 (Jan 26, 2011)

This is a big story a lot of dog owners are following:


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## Sadie (Jun 18, 2008)

I know it hurts my heart to read this .. At the same time it makes me even more angry at the stupidity of bad owner's and bad breeder's and the lack of education in the public eye about the breed in general.


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## Black Rabbit (Nov 14, 2009)

OMG that is just sad. We had to fight our vet and provide a pedigree for our American Bulldog to not be registered as an APBT. At that point we faced BSL in our area, Luckily it didn't pass but for many it does and they are not so lucky.  Poor pups.


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## performanceknls (Apr 4, 2009)

find another breed that is not outlawed and call him that. Who knows what he really is but if there is a ban they could call him a APBT and put him down so come up with another breed.


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## aus_staffy (Nov 10, 2009)

performanceknls said:


> find another breed that is not outlawed and call him that. Who knows what he really is but if there is a ban they could call him a APBT and put him down so come up with another breed.


That's pretty much exactly what I was going to suggest. Just to clear things up a little, I know Staffordshire terriers (Amstaffs) are also banned in the UK but I think you should be OK if you said he was a Staffordshire *Bull* Terrier. AFAIK they're completely unaffected by breed bans in the UK. I don't live there though so I'm happy to be corrected.


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## PerfectPit (Aug 2, 2010)

I am sorry to hear that. When my vet saw Beastley he told me I had three choices, and two were my best options because BSL was still high in Ohio. He recommended I register him as either a Large Breed Mix or a Boxer Mix in order to avoid the drama of BSL of APBT. I chose registering him as a Boxer Mix even though I follow the standard guidelines. I license him, muzzle and leash him in public. I also have a fenced in enclosure for him. Maybe your vet will do the same for you. Good Luck. Thank goodness BSL failed in my area.


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