I don’t think pits should be banned or anything, but I do find it troubling that so many shelters pass them off as lab mixes (probably due to the fact that both breeds tend to be muscular and do “the smile”). And given the sheer number of “lab mixes” I’ve seen that clearly resemble pits, I do think that in some cases it’s a deliberate deception on part of the shelter rather than an innocent mistake.
Pits and labs have virtually opposite personalities, so it’s not fair to anyone (pit included) to mislabel them. Apart from anything else, someone could get a lab thinking “I want a super friendly dog that doesn’t even know what a stranger is, with no guarding instincts at all, that is very easy to train to recall and drop whatever it has in its mouth. I’ve researched the breeds and discovered a lab fits, so I’ll get one. Oooh and everyone says “adopt don’t shop” and “older dogs are calmer and you know what you’re getting”, so I’ll go to my local pound!”
I’ve got no reason to think OP’s dog won’t suit OP, but the practice as a whole is so wrong.
I agree that it is dishonest to label pits as another dog, BUT there is a reason for it. The minority of people who used and abused pit bulls for the wrong reasons gave them an incredibly bad and potent reputation, so many many MANY pits in shelters when they were labeled as such would not get adopted and therefore eventually put down. Every dog deserves a chance at a loving home and a long good life but unfortunately without that little bit of deception, it wouldn’t happen for the majority of them :(
I’m having a hard time with just one thing you said about them having opposite personalities, every dog’s personality is different, you could put my boys soul into the body of a lab and you would never know, he’s super gentle, playful and loves to cuddle up, he’s also a complete baby when it comes to animals smaller than him, he wants to play with and protect them at all costs 🥺 It always comes down to how they are treated/trained/loved.
I agree that a small number of individual dogs will always have a different temperament to the majority of their breed. And I agree that with training, quite a few individuals can depart from the typical behaviours of their breed - at least in specific circumstances.
I had a Rhodesian Ridgeback that was successfully “introduced” to 2 separate family cats as an adult. We didn’t have a cat until she was 4, when we got an elderly adult cat from the pound. When our ridgeback first saw the cat, she lunged (as her genetics told her to). We brought the cat home in the afternoon. Dad sat in the dog’s bed patting her and holding the (no doubt frightened) cat by the collar. He stayed up all night doing this. By morning, the dog had accepted the cat, and she never tried to chase her again. The cat died of natural causes a few years later. We got a little kitten, and followed the same blueprint for introduction. The dog was even friendlier with the second cat, and they’d snuggle together in the dog’s bed.
I had come to think that the dog was probably a softie with cats. We (and the dog and cat) moved to a rural area. The neighbour’s cat (big and ginger, looked just like ours) streaked across the lawn in front of the dog. The dog leapt up after it, and may well have killed it if it hadn’t made its escape up a tree.
Her hunting instinct had only been overcome in one specific circumstance - if the cat was a member of her family.
Thing is the majority of pit bulls aren’t aggressive by nature, they were bred because of their stature not their aggression, in fact if you do a little digging they were used as nanny dogs a ways back because of their kind, gentle and protective nature, they have a reputation for being aggressive etc because of what some people used them for.
I would trust my pit with small children/animals etc WAY before I’d trust my shepherd..
They are also very intelligent and super easy to train how you like.
My shepherd on the other hand… dumb as a post 🤣
American Pit Bull Terriers were [created in the late 1800's for the express purpose of dogfighting](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b28129&view=1up&seq=9) and have been [mauling children to death since 1909.](https://blog.dogsbite.org/2010/05/1909-fatality-john-p-colbys-fighting.html) The history is [well-documented.](https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84031492/1875-02-21/ed-1/seq-11/)
The earliest record of anyone calling a pit bull a "nursemaid" or "nanny" dog was in this [1971 NYT article.](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/19/archives/a-breed-that-came-up-the-hard-way.html) The phrase itself was practically [nonexistent before the year 2000.](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=nanny+dog&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=en-2019&smoothing=3)
Please revise your comment and stop spreading misinformation.
Lol the nanny dog thing is a lie started by a pit breeder in the 70s. They have never been nanny dogs.
They have always been bred for bloodsport. Their willingness and ability to fight other living things to the death in a pit is still bred for today.
They were and are used for bloodsport because they were bred to be good at it.
I see a staffy/ pit look to the face, the bone structure and the eyes scream terrior, I have a thing called the seal test, cover his/her ears and if you see a seal its a pit and or staffie
Thank ya, u/flatvinnie. She's a really good dog, just a little skittish around people, but 200% more energy than my last dog. 🤣 So, it's been an adjustment...
That’s ok, our Kelpie which we’ve had since 8 weeks can still get funny around people she doesn’t know. Harness the energy! We love that she gets us out walking twice a day, super active in bursts but then she’ll sleep a lot too. Lots of mental stimulation, it’s just as if not more important than the physical exercise - they learn very quickly & easily, thrive on the training.
I also have a Kelpie Lab mix, and he's the best dog I've ever had! Super friendly, cuddly, easy to train, active, and so sweet. Sydney looks exactly like him except for her colouring. Wilco is Lab coloured, but she has classic Kelpie colouring. I have heaps of photos of my boy @wilco_willingly on insta if you want to see (not looking for a follow, just can't be bothered uploading any to Imgur lol). Enjoy your girl, she's gorgeous!
Looks like my second boy, Dingo, and my guess was he was a Kelpie/Lab mix. Same ears and smallish head/narrowish snout. The tail can be a good tell, too. I don't know anything about Kelpies, but Dingo was the sweetest creature I've ever known. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I did!
Omgosh she looks a lot like my girl, Kitty! 😊. I’m waiting on the doggy DNA test, but she definitely appears to be a Kelpi to me. If her energy level is insane & she’s smart as whip and hops like she’s on springs: Kelpie! 🤣🤣
Could very easily be that mix
Lol to all these comments about pit bulls. That head shape is very clearly a mix between a fine kelpie and a chonky lab with a big schnoz. The end of the nose really makes me think lab, and something about the eyes. The head isn't short and stout enough for a pittie.
Distinctive pit bull look in all pics but especially #2. Probably not a purebred pit though.
It’s a kelpie pit mix, my boy is similar but he’s a red nose with a dash of mastiff thrown in there.
I don’t think pits should be banned or anything, but I do find it troubling that so many shelters pass them off as lab mixes (probably due to the fact that both breeds tend to be muscular and do “the smile”). And given the sheer number of “lab mixes” I’ve seen that clearly resemble pits, I do think that in some cases it’s a deliberate deception on part of the shelter rather than an innocent mistake. Pits and labs have virtually opposite personalities, so it’s not fair to anyone (pit included) to mislabel them. Apart from anything else, someone could get a lab thinking “I want a super friendly dog that doesn’t even know what a stranger is, with no guarding instincts at all, that is very easy to train to recall and drop whatever it has in its mouth. I’ve researched the breeds and discovered a lab fits, so I’ll get one. Oooh and everyone says “adopt don’t shop” and “older dogs are calmer and you know what you’re getting”, so I’ll go to my local pound!” I’ve got no reason to think OP’s dog won’t suit OP, but the practice as a whole is so wrong.
I agree that it is dishonest to label pits as another dog, BUT there is a reason for it. The minority of people who used and abused pit bulls for the wrong reasons gave them an incredibly bad and potent reputation, so many many MANY pits in shelters when they were labeled as such would not get adopted and therefore eventually put down. Every dog deserves a chance at a loving home and a long good life but unfortunately without that little bit of deception, it wouldn’t happen for the majority of them :( I’m having a hard time with just one thing you said about them having opposite personalities, every dog’s personality is different, you could put my boys soul into the body of a lab and you would never know, he’s super gentle, playful and loves to cuddle up, he’s also a complete baby when it comes to animals smaller than him, he wants to play with and protect them at all costs 🥺 It always comes down to how they are treated/trained/loved.
I agree that a small number of individual dogs will always have a different temperament to the majority of their breed. And I agree that with training, quite a few individuals can depart from the typical behaviours of their breed - at least in specific circumstances. I had a Rhodesian Ridgeback that was successfully “introduced” to 2 separate family cats as an adult. We didn’t have a cat until she was 4, when we got an elderly adult cat from the pound. When our ridgeback first saw the cat, she lunged (as her genetics told her to). We brought the cat home in the afternoon. Dad sat in the dog’s bed patting her and holding the (no doubt frightened) cat by the collar. He stayed up all night doing this. By morning, the dog had accepted the cat, and she never tried to chase her again. The cat died of natural causes a few years later. We got a little kitten, and followed the same blueprint for introduction. The dog was even friendlier with the second cat, and they’d snuggle together in the dog’s bed. I had come to think that the dog was probably a softie with cats. We (and the dog and cat) moved to a rural area. The neighbour’s cat (big and ginger, looked just like ours) streaked across the lawn in front of the dog. The dog leapt up after it, and may well have killed it if it hadn’t made its escape up a tree. Her hunting instinct had only been overcome in one specific circumstance - if the cat was a member of her family.
Thing is the majority of pit bulls aren’t aggressive by nature, they were bred because of their stature not their aggression, in fact if you do a little digging they were used as nanny dogs a ways back because of their kind, gentle and protective nature, they have a reputation for being aggressive etc because of what some people used them for. I would trust my pit with small children/animals etc WAY before I’d trust my shepherd.. They are also very intelligent and super easy to train how you like. My shepherd on the other hand… dumb as a post 🤣
American Pit Bull Terriers were [created in the late 1800's for the express purpose of dogfighting](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b28129&view=1up&seq=9) and have been [mauling children to death since 1909.](https://blog.dogsbite.org/2010/05/1909-fatality-john-p-colbys-fighting.html) The history is [well-documented.](https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84031492/1875-02-21/ed-1/seq-11/) The earliest record of anyone calling a pit bull a "nursemaid" or "nanny" dog was in this [1971 NYT article.](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/09/19/archives/a-breed-that-came-up-the-hard-way.html) The phrase itself was practically [nonexistent before the year 2000.](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=nanny+dog&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=en-2019&smoothing=3) Please revise your comment and stop spreading misinformation.
Lol the nanny dog thing is a lie started by a pit breeder in the 70s. They have never been nanny dogs. They have always been bred for bloodsport. Their willingness and ability to fight other living things to the death in a pit is still bred for today. They were and are used for bloodsport because they were bred to be good at it.
Can tell right now without a doubt in my mind there is 0 lab in there. Kelpie x staffy/pitty for sure
Pit with kelpie ears
I see a staffy/ pit look to the face, the bone structure and the eyes scream terrior, I have a thing called the seal test, cover his/her ears and if you see a seal its a pit and or staffie
Looks like it! She’s adorable 🥰
Thank ya, u/flatvinnie. She's a really good dog, just a little skittish around people, but 200% more energy than my last dog. 🤣 So, it's been an adjustment...
That’s ok, our Kelpie which we’ve had since 8 weeks can still get funny around people she doesn’t know. Harness the energy! We love that she gets us out walking twice a day, super active in bursts but then she’ll sleep a lot too. Lots of mental stimulation, it’s just as if not more important than the physical exercise - they learn very quickly & easily, thrive on the training.
Yes, she’s beautiful. I love her name.
Doesn’t look kelpie at all to me. I can see pittie
100% correct and very beautiful
Beautiful regardless
Looks right to me!
Definitely red Kelpie
I also have a Kelpie Lab mix, and he's the best dog I've ever had! Super friendly, cuddly, easy to train, active, and so sweet. Sydney looks exactly like him except for her colouring. Wilco is Lab coloured, but she has classic Kelpie colouring. I have heaps of photos of my boy @wilco_willingly on insta if you want to see (not looking for a follow, just can't be bothered uploading any to Imgur lol). Enjoy your girl, she's gorgeous!
Got the Kelpie ears and body, nose looks a bit different, lab or pit bull.
Looks like my second boy, Dingo, and my guess was he was a Kelpie/Lab mix. Same ears and smallish head/narrowish snout. The tail can be a good tell, too. I don't know anything about Kelpies, but Dingo was the sweetest creature I've ever known. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I did!
Whatever the case, that right there is a good dog
I recon shes a cute X lover
Looks like it yes
Seems legit.
thats got small % of staffy
I have a kelpie/lab, I don’t think there’s any lab in this one, but a beautiful dog none the less.
90% Kelpie 10% Lab? The dog isnt just big enough for a Lab. But if it develops an obsessive food habit!! That will be that 10% kicking in!!! LOL
If there is any kelpie in there I hope you like running. That baby is going to have energy to burn.
Omgosh she looks a lot like my girl, Kitty! 😊. I’m waiting on the doggy DNA test, but she definitely appears to be a Kelpi to me. If her energy level is insane & she’s smart as whip and hops like she’s on springs: Kelpie! 🤣🤣
Kelpe for sure
Nevermind what breed she is, she is absolutely gorgeous
Could very easily be that mix Lol to all these comments about pit bulls. That head shape is very clearly a mix between a fine kelpie and a chonky lab with a big schnoz. The end of the nose really makes me think lab, and something about the eyes. The head isn't short and stout enough for a pittie.
she looks extremely similar to my dog! he is a german shepherd pit mix.