dturm wrote:
CA POPPY wrote:
If I was "placing" Daisy I would call her a Beagle/Lab cross. At least I'd know she'd be adopted. :B
:B We never see Pit crosses coming from rescues around this area. Go figure...
Ziggy is listed as a "lab mix" on her adoption papers. When I got her, I lived in a place where pits were not allowed. I did assure the shelter staff that I'd move before I'd ever give her up, and she's listed as a pit on my insurance now.
Unfortunately, it works both ways. Any dog, short-haired in particular, is subject to being labeled as a "pit mix," even though they frequently bear little resemblance to the breed. Pointers are frequently mis-identified as a lot of them have fairly coarse muzzles. Boxer mixes, mastiffs, labs, you name it. Sometimes there is a blockier look to their head and that's why, sometimes not.
Of course, if the dog has been involved in a bite or a fight incident, that is even more likely to happen. This may doom the dog and also tars actual pits with the brush of whatever that dog did.
There are certain facial features that do tend to show up, such as a particular curve to the jawline, the muscular head that's heart-shaped on top, pronounced stop, big fat blunt snoot (the better to hit...er, kiss... you with... from a sitting position on the floor). Other things are more difficult to describe, such as the eyes, but when I see them the resemblance is impossible to miss. Not to mention heartbreaking, since the ones I see are usually on death row.
Still, getting back to the issue in this thread, they are mostly a pretty healthy lot, other than a tendency to demodex, which seems to respond well to treatment in most cases. You don't hear a lot of pit owners talking about losing a five year old to cancer or DM developing later in life... so there's that. When Zig is old and perfect, I'll have a pretty good shot at having her a good long while.
