Please just be honest with me

[dardan]

@voraces Black Labrador / American bulldog mix. I have her dna results that include other breeds but those are the two main breeds. Shes a mutt basically

 

[christopherb]

@dardan Sounds like she probably looks like a pit bull mix even if she doesn't have a pit bull breed as her main breed. Not especially easy to rehome an adolescent pit-looking mutt with reactivity, to be honest.

If she legitimately has a significant content of Lab, you might be able to get a Lab rescue to take her. Especially if you can show them the DNA test (a lot of breed rescues near me have been getting burned lately so they won't take ambiguous dogs they can't verify the breed of). Real lab mixes from breed rescues are in higher demand than shelter "lab mixes" (pit bulls) which is what she'll be perceived as.

I would focus on the Lab rescues because they have higher demand and lower supply. American Bulldog rescues in some areas are inundated with dogs (that are and aren't real American Bulldogs). While they're still worth contacting, I'd prioritize Lab rescues.

 

[dardan]

@christopherb I will try reaching out to Lab rescues for sure. To me she looks Lab-ish, definitely has bully features . I didn’t know if Breed rescues would even take in mixes I had thought they only took in pure bred

Heres what she looks like: (hopefully the link works)

here

 

[jhofste]

@dardan Her head is not as big and blocky as the stereotyped pit look people see.

She does have that bulldog face, but not everyone sees the difference between the dogs

 

[christopherb]

@dardan It depends on the rescue. Some rescues only take purebreds, but many take mixes as well. Not sure where you're located, but Golden Gate Labrador Rescue in SF takes mixes for sure, as an example.

 

[devotedbaker54]

@christopherb Seriously? What, like they demand to see AKC papers or something before they’ll take on the dog?

A rescue not taking on a “lab mix” that’s clearly a pit mix is one thing, but for a dog like OP’s or similar, where it clearly has lab in it even though it’s not only lab, that’s pretty shitty. Is it just an issue because of space, and they’d take them if their shelter was pretty empty, or is it like that all the time?

 

[christopherb]

@devotedbaker54 The rescues that only take verifiable purebreds are typically run by the AKC parent breed club (or similar). They're meant to be a last resort support for members of the breed club rather than an independent organization for that breed overall.

It is partially a function of not being able to dedicate more resources to rescue. Some of them probably view it as not their problem that shitheads are breeding mutts and tbh it's not. Some of them are tired of getting actively lied to by shelters and surrenderers. A greyhound rescue near me no longer takes young puppies without a DNA test or papers after someone pawned off several very young brindle pit bull puppies on them as "greyhound mixes" one too many times. And that's just a general independent rescue. They can't be spending their limited funds rehoming the infinite supply of pit bulls, they're a greyhound rescue and it's a zero sum game.

 

[devotedbaker54]

@christopherb Ah I see that makes sense. And not to sound like a dick, but these people breeding (or allowing to breed by being irresponsible twats) pitbulls are literally ruining many aspects of society. Aggressive dogs terrorizing neighborhoods, dogs getting injured and killed, cats being killed, people being mauled, shelters absolutely full to the brim with pits, leaving no resources for all the other dogs in need. Shelters straight up lying about breeds, lying about pits, lying about behavioral issues, shaming those adopters when they inevitably bring back the aggressive dog they were tricked into adopting, etc etc. Ruining a greyhound rescue for dogs/people who may need it is just the icing on the cake. I really really wish people were forced to face consequences for their actions. All it does is hurt the dogs – the pits shoved into shelters or worse, the other dogs who can’t be helped because of lack of space, and people like OP who have tried but are just unable to care for their dog any longer. So infuriating. Sorry for the tangent, I just really despise what so many rescues and shelters have turned into lately.

 

[christopherb]

@devotedbaker54 I don't disagree tbh, I think we're in an awkward growing pains era of dog rescue where we need to be preparing for people switching to getting their dogs from ethical breeders as rescue supply of adoptable dogs continues to dwindle (which is a good thing). Instead, rescues are just continuously lowering the bar for what constitutes adoptable, and the ethical breeding community isn't rising to meet the need either.

In addition, people spaying and neutering their friendly pet dogs (which is also a good thing) means the proportion of non-ethical dog breeding that happens with proven family pets is lower all the time. It wasn't ideal when most people got their dogs from someone whose family Labs had puppies, but it did have the effect that the parents' temperaments were generally demonstrated to be good/safe for a family. Rescues near me are importing literal feral free-breeding dogs from the rural South and adopting them to urban families.

I love my rescue dog, I donate to the rescue I got him from and volunteer with both it and the SPCA, but I'm going to a reputable breeder for my next dog. I just don't have it in me to go through that shit again (with however different the rescue scene is even going to look in a year's time).

 

[monde128]

@dardan I definitely see lab, good luck!

 

[jessephilz]

@dardan Where are you located? I thought she was going look monstrously ugly or something (bull dog mix with lab had me suspect) but seriously, get her on a lab rescue page ASAP. We were turned down by 3-4 big lab rescues in so cal multiple times for dogs we wanted to adopt because there was just so much interest and they gave priority to families with kids and a backyard.

 

[dardan]

@jessephilz LOL alot of people hesitate when I say shes a Lab mix. before adopting I didn’t realize how many rescues put “Lab mix” as a cover for “pitbull/bully breed” , thankfully I feel like she looks enough like a Lab to have me not look like a liar I will definitely reach out to a lab rescue, upon everyones suggestions I think I found one in New Jersey which is close to me . Im on long island NY

 

[abexiii]

@dardan She is adorable. I’m sure if you could get a rescue to list her on their website/petfinder she’ll go quickly.