Shelter workers often misidentify dogs as "pit bulls," study finds
By Kim Campbell Thornton
Could you pick out a pit bull from a lineup? You might think so, but there's a good chance you'd be wrong. Even experts have problems when it comes to labeling a particular breed or mix. That's bad news for dogs who are misidentified, especially if they are in communities with breed-specific legislation -- laws that ban certain types of dogs.
To test the accuracy of shelter dog identification, University of Florida researchers went to four shelters and asked a total of 16 shelter staff members with at least three years of experience, including four veterinarians, to look at 120 dogs (30 at each shelter). Their task? To identify the dogs' breed or mix based solely on appearance. The researchers then took blood samples from the dogs, developed DNA profiles for each animal and compared the DNA findings against the staff's initial assessments.
The results, published in the November 2015 issue of The Veterinary Journal, found that dogs with DNA of breeds often considered to be pit bulls (such as American Staffordshire terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers) were identified only 33 to 75 percent of the time. Dogs with no genetic evidence linking them to pit bull-type dogs were labeled as pit bulls from 0 to 48 percent of the time. Veterinarians were no better at identifying a dog's breed than other shelter staff.
Misidentification can seriously affect a dog's chances at adoption, or even end his life. That's because more than 700 communities, including Denver and Miami, have passed breed-specific legislation (BSL) aimed at restricting ownership of certain breeds.
The restrictions are based on assumptions that those breeds are inherently dangerous, that such dogs can be reliably identified and that the restrictions will improve public safety, the study states. In most instances, the laws target "pit bulls," a term that can refer to several breeds -- usually American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, bull terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers -- as well as mixed breeds that have a particular appearance: blocky head and stocky body.
"Identification of dogs as pit bulls can trigger an array of negative consequences, from the loss of housing to being seized by animal control to the taking of the dog's life," says Julie Levy, DVM, Ph.D., the study's lead author and a professor of shelter medicine at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville. "In the high-stakes world of animal shelters, a dog's life might depend on a potential adopter's momentary glimpse and assumptions about its suitability as a pet. If the shelter staff has labeled the dog as a pit bull, its chances for adoption automatically go down in many shelters."
Niko's case is a good example of what can go wrong. He was seized in 2007 by animal control officers in Kansas City, Kansas, who declared he was a pit bull, in violation of the city's ban. Niko spent eight months in a kennel before a DNA test showed what owners Mike and Amy Johnson had claimed all along: He was a Boxer mix.
More than 15 years ago, the Centers for Disease Control recognized the problem with visual identification of dogs. In its study published in the Sept. 15, 2000, issue of the Journal of the AVMA, the authors noted the difficulty of determining the breed of a particular dog, saying that descriptions are often vague and rely on subjective visual observations.
"CDC continues to have concerns over the ability to accurately identify breeds of dogs and to effectively reduce dog bites through the use of breed-specific legislation," says CDC health communications specialist Courtney N. Lenard.
The conclusion? Public safety would be better served by reducing risk factors for dog bites by supervising children, recognizing canine body language, avoiding unfamiliar dogs in their territory, neutering dogs and socializing puppies, Levy says.
Q&A
Dogs' motto:
Lick it good
Q: One of my dogs goes around licking the other dogs' empty bowls for several minutes after eating. He also likes to lick one of our area rugs and sometimes the sofa upholstery. My other dog has a foot fetish: She loves to lick my feet. What's going on with them? -- via email
A: Compulsive licking sounds like it should be an underlying behavioral problem, doesn't it? That's certainly a possibility, but it can also be a sign of a physical problem. My colleague Gary Landsberg, a veterinary behaviorist, says a large proportion of these environmental licking behaviors are due to underlying health issues that cause gastrointestinal upset.
Among the conditions that might be causing a dog to feel nauseated are adrenal disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal lymphosarcoma and liver disease. Some dogs lick because they have dental or other mouth pain. Excessive licking can also be a sign of hunger -- it's called an appetitive behavior. On the behavior side of things, excessive licking might signal anxiety or some type of conflict.
Obviously, a veterinary exam can be a good idea. Consider filming the behavior so your veterinarian can see what's going on.
"A colleague did a study a couple of years ago and found that many dogs were improved when gastrointestinal signs were treated," Dr. Landsberg says. "However, licking can arise in situations of anxiety and conflict, can be a reinforced behavior and can be a compulsive disorder. Therefore, look for behavioral, but rule out gastrointestinal or medical first."
And if it turns out that there's nothing physically or mentally wrong with your dogs, well, maybe one just likes to make sure he's getting every last molecule of food from his dish and the other simply loves the taste of your feet. -- Dr. Marty Becker
Do you have a pet question? Send it to askpetconnection@gmail.com or visit Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker.
THE BUZZ
Lab holds top dog
spot for 25 years
-- America's most popular dog breed is the Labrador retriever for the 25th year in a row. His medium size, easygoing nature, versatility, athleticism and trainability have made him a family favorite. Labs are successful in most dog sports as well as search and rescue, service dog jobs, therapy visits and, of course, hunting. Only three other breeds have occupied the top spot in the past century -- the poodle, the beagle and the cocker spaniel -- but none for as long as the Lab. The current Top 10 list also includes the German shepherd, golden retriever, bulldog, beagle, French bulldog, Yorkshire terrier, poodle, Rottweiler and boxer.
-- Conventional wisdom says you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but a recent study from the Clever Dog Lab at the University of Vienna finds that dogs are capable of learning well into their senior years. The three-year study tested learning, memory and problem-solving in 95 pet border collies ranging in age from 5 months to 13 years. All of the dogs were capable of learning, although older dogs took longer to reach the same level of proficiency as younger dogs. Older dogs performed better than younger ones in reasoning ability, and once they learned something, they remembered it over the long term. So train away: It will help your old dog's brain stay flexible.
-- Blue and gold macaw Gigi can eat on her own now, thanks to a Brazilian veterinary team that fitted her with the world's first 3-D-printed titanium beak. Gigi, who was the victim of illegal exotic animal trafficking, had a stunted beak that made it difficult for her to eat. The prosthetic beak is lightweight, strong and rust-resistant, perfect for cracking and smashing seeds and nuts. Other animals who have benefited from 3-D technology include a couple of toucans, whose prosthetic beaks were made from durable resin materials, as well as tortoises Fred and Cleopatra, who received new shells. -- Dr. Marty Becker, Kim Campbell Thornton and Mikkel Becker
ABOUT PET CONNECTION
Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by "The Dr. Oz Show" veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and award-winning journalist Kim Campbell Thornton. They are affiliated with Vetstreet.com and are the authors of many best-selling pet-care books. Joining them is dog trainer and behavior consultant Mikkel Becker. Dr. Becker can be found at Facebook.com/DrMartyBecker or on Twitter at DrMartyBecker. Kim Campbell Thornton is at Facebook.com/KimCampbellThornton and on Twitter at kkcthornton. Mikkel Becker is at Facebook.com/MikkelBecker and on Twitter at MikkelBecker.