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"In my experience as an expert on breed identification, various dog types have been erroneously misidentified as American Staffordshire Terriers or American Pit Bull Terriers, and when there is a mixed breed dog involved accurate identification becomes problematic. In my opinion, when percentages fall below approximately 75% for the American Pit Bull terrier or American Staffordshire terrier, I do not feel that it is possible to accurately assess the breed composition of a mixed breed dog based on appearance alone for the purpose of stating that the dog is partially American Pit Bull terrier or American Staffordshire terrier or a closely related breed."
-Richard H. Polsky, Ph.D, CAAB
Animal Behavior Counseling Services, Inc.
Certified applied animal behaviorist / Dog Bite Expert
Misidentified, Misjudged, and Misunderstood
The three breeds most often referred to as Pit Bulls. Three separate breeds. Each, with distinct differences, size, weight, physical features, yet all called Pit Bulls due to an ancient bloodline.
Follow the lives of any litter of puppies, any breed, from birth to death, no two of those puppies will turn out exactly alike. It is not possible for every “Pit Bull” from three different breeds, to be dangerous. Each dog, like each human and each tree is an individual and should be seen as such.
It is believed that the three breeds of today, most commonly referred to as Pit Bulls, all began in the seventeenth century, in the British Islands, with the blending of three now extinct breeds…the Bulldog, the Black and Tan Terrier and the Old English White Terrier.
Dogs From The Same Ancestry
You cannot judge a book by it’s cover nor a deed by a bloodline. Each of the dogs listed below, are heirs to the bloodline of one or all of these dogs. Yet they are not ostracized or feared.
The dogs in this list, like Pit Bull breeds, or any other breed of dog, need love, care, understanding and guidance to become happy healthy family pets. The fear and unfairness surrounding the Pit Bull breeds, is due solely to their exploitation by man and media.
Alapha Blue Blood Bulldog Dogo Argentino Norfolk Terrier
American Bulld English Bulldog Norwich Terrier
American Pit Bull Terrier English Foxhound Otterhound
American Staffordshire Terrier Fila Brasileiro English Pointer
Airedale Terrier Smooth Fox Terrier Rat Terrier
Australian Cattle Dog Wirehaired Fox Terrier Sealyham Terrier
Australian Terrier French Bulldog Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Bedlington Terrier German Longhaired Pointer Tosa Inu
Border Terrier Harrier Hound Toy Fox Terrier
Boston Terrier Jack Russell Terrier Toy Manchester Terrier
Bull Terrier Lakeland Terrier Welsh Terrier
Bullmastiff Manchester Terrier Yorkshire Terrier
Dachshund Miniature Bull Terrier
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Pit Bull breeds may share a bloodline with many other dogs but, no other dog breeds, in history, have been as abused or misunderstood as the dogs labeled Pit Bull.
More often than anyone realizes these dogs take the blame for the acts of other breeds. When a dog bites, someone at the scene may say they thought it was or it might have been, a Pit Bull. That’s it, decision made, the media reports a Pit Bull Attack. Those three words guarantee attention and guarantee ratings.
The story goes out, later the dog responsible is found, it turns out to be a hound mix or a Boxer. The misidentification is never made public, people, having heard the report, continue to fear Pit Bulls and the prejudice against these dogs just keeps growing.
In fact, if the dog involved is found not to be a Pit Bull, the story may never run, or they report, a dog bite, no breed mentioned.
Unfortunately the media is not alone in false identification of Pit Bull breeds. A dog owner chases a Roaming Romeo away from their Lab, just moments too late and the litter is called Lab/Pit mix. It is not easy to visually identify the breed of a dog, especially if it is running away.
Later some of that litter is turned in or picked up stray by animal control, shelter workers must take the word of the owners during turn ins, with strays they must guess at the breed of a dog, by the way it looks. DNA testing of every shelter dog is an unrealistic concept and looks can be deceiving.
Below you will find a list of dogs often misidentified as Pit Bulls and a link to test your own identification abilities. Can you be deceived?!?
African Boerboel Central Asian Ovtcharkas
Alapha Blue Blood Bulldog Dogo Argentino
American Bulldog Dogue de Bordeaux
American Bully Entelbucher Sennehund
Black Mouth Cur Fila Brasileiro
Bull terrier Labrador Retriever
Bullmastiff Old English Bulldog
Boxer Patterdale Terrier
Cane Corso Presa Canero
Catahoula Leopard Dog Rodesian Ridgeback
Kramer and Friends
Chesapeake
Can you Find the Pit Bull?
