Why are so many dogs listed simply as mixed breed?
Often the first thing people ask about a shelter dog is what breed they are. While breed can be a good indicator of some behaviors and traits such as energy level, prey drive, herding tendencies, and so on, with many dogs we don’t know their breed, and even if we do there is no guarantee they will act like most other dogs of their breed, as dogs are largely bred for appearance, not behavioral traits. The fact of the matter is that for the most part we don’t know what breed the majority of the dogs we get in are. Many come in as strays, so we have no background information, and even when they are surrenders we don’t necessarily get much (or always reliable) information about them. This forces us to guess, which might not be accurate. “One study found that for 90 percent of dogs, breed guesses by adoption agencies didn’t match the predominant breed identified through DNA analysis.” (source below, animalsheltering.org)
“A “pit bull,” science is showing, is most often simply a mutt.” We had a dog who looked like a lab mix, who turned out to be 90% pit. We’ve had ones we thought were pit mixes who were only a tiny percent any breed that could be considered pit. The stigma against pits makes them harder to adopt and by removing the likely incorrect label, it helps dogs get adopted.
A great question to ask to really get to know a shelter dog is, “What is their personality like?” The shelter staff knows our dogs very well and we are more than happy to have a conversation with you about which dog would be the best fit for you.
While it is a good idea to do a little research into a breed of dog you might be interested in, it’s important to remember there is no guarantee all dogs of any breed will behave in a particular way. This is why it is important to look at each dog individually. Talk to the shelter staff and really listen to what they have to say. These people see these dogs almost (if not) daily, so they tend to get a good feel for the dogs’ personalities and behaviors.
Sources and for more information:
https://www.animalsheltering.org/magazine/articles/no-more-guessing-games
https://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/breedlabels/
We also only list cats as DSH (domestic short hair), DMH (domestic medium hair), and DLH (domestic long hair). So many people ask is that a Maine Coon mix? Is that a Russian Blue? My answer is always the same. Without a DNA test, I will not tell you they are any particular breed. We occasionally guess one is a Siamese mix of sorts due to their coloring, but that is never a promise they actually have any in them.
This is a fantastic video on why removing labels is a great idea:
Author: Rebecca, Assistant Manager of CCHS