What type of dog is that? Can you tell just by looking?

Author National Canine Research Council Posted on August 14, 2017April 4, 2023Categories News, Research & PublicationsTags ,

Take a look at the growing body of evidence on visual breed identification, and commit to shifting the paradigm of how we identify and discuss dogs in our daily lives.  

Take a look at the growing body of evidence on visual breed identification, and commit to shifting the paradigm of how we identify and discuss dogs in our daily lives.  

Breed-specific legislation in Australia: a cruel mandate imposes big costs

Author National Canine Research Council Posted on May 16, 2014March 18, 2021Categories News

The City of Monash has spent almost $100,000 defending itself in court cases involving dogs targeted by the breed-specific provisions of Australia’s Domestic Animals Act. Cardinia, a suburb of Melbourne, spent $80,000 on a single case involving a dog that the court later determined should not have been taken. The dog was returned to its owner.[1] Whatever their views of dogs and policies that improve community safety, Monash, Cardinia, and other communities have seen their tax dollars wasted on court … Continue reading “Breed-specific legislation in Australia: a cruel mandate imposes big costs”

Incoherent definitions confound attempts to label dogs as “pit bulls”

Author National Canine Research Council Posted on May 7, 2014May 31, 2022Categories Research & Publications

Most animal shelters continue to assign breed descriptors to dogs whose origin they do not know[1], even though current university research has shown that breed identification based on visual inspection correlates poorly with DNA breed signature, and that observers will disagree with each other when examining the same dog. These difficulties are only compounded when the descriptor itself is subject to different interpretations. A study by researchers in the US and UK examines the question of whether animal shelter workers … Continue reading “Incoherent definitions confound attempts to label dogs as “pit bulls””

Florida animal services agency strikes breed labels from kennel cards and website

Author National Canine Research Council Posted on February 14, 2014March 18, 2021Categories News

Evidence has mounted in recent years that guesses as to a dog’s breed or breeds usually do not correspond with breed identification using DNA technology. Different observers, even those engaged in dog-related professions, frequently disagree with each other when looking at the same dog. Animal behavior and ethology studies have demonstrated that we cannot reliably predict the future behavior of a purebred dog on the basis of its breed or breed mix, whether or not we have documented the pedigree … Continue reading “Florida animal services agency strikes breed labels from kennel cards and website”

Animal professionals shown to disagree with each other when assigning breed(s) to dogs of unknown parentage.

Author National Canine Research Council Posted on May 7, 2013June 6, 2023Categories News, Research & Publications

Summary A survey of more than 900 people in dog-related professions and services showed that they frequently disagreed with each other when making visual breed identifications of the same dog, and that their opinions may or may not have correlated with DNA breed analysis.  More than 70% of the study participants reported that now, or at one time, their breed descriptors were used in record keeping.  The results of this survey call into question the validity of a variety of … Continue reading “Animal professionals shown to disagree with each other when assigning breed(s) to dogs of unknown parentage.”

How long before we discard visual breed identification? A new survey confirms that even dog experts can’t tell just by looking.

Author National Canine Research Council Posted on November 7, 2012June 6, 2023Categories Research & PublicationsTags

In the 1960’s, John Paul Scott and John L. Fuller showed that mixed breed dogs may bear little or no resemblance to their purebred ancestors.[i] In 2009, Dr. Victoria Voith and colleagues from Western University published a short report indicating a low agreement between the identification of breeds of dogs by adoption agencies and DNA identification of the same dogs.[ii] The Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine has also been looking systematically into … Continue reading “How long before we discard visual breed identification? A new survey confirms that even dog experts can’t tell just by looking.”

‘What kind of dog is that?’: Dog experts needed to participate in new University of Florida survey regarding visual breed identification

Author National Canine Research Council Posted on May 17, 2012May 31, 2022Categories News, Research & Publications

Assisted in part by a grant from the National Canine Research Council, the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida’s School of Veterinary Medicine is conducting a national survey of dog experts (breeders, trainers, groomers, veterinarians, shelter staff, rescuers, and others). Based upon responses to an online survey, Program Director Dr. Julie Levy DVM, PhD, DACVIM and her collaborators will compare responding experts’ best guesses as to the breeds of 20 dogs in a series of photographs. Guesses … Continue reading “‘What kind of dog is that?’: Dog experts needed to participate in new University of Florida survey regarding visual breed identification”

Maryland Court of Appeals’ Decision Unfairly Burdens Dog Owners, Landlords, and Shelters

Author National Canine Research Council Posted on May 3, 2012March 18, 2021Categories News

The recent Maryland Court of Appeals decision in Tracey v Solesky modifies the common law in Maryland regarding liability for bites attributed to dogs the Court alternately referred to as “pit bull”, “pit bull mix” or “cross‐bred pit bull mix”. The decision establishes a strict liability standard for persons who own, harbor or control “pit bull,” “pit bull mix” or “cross‐bred pit bull mix” dogs, when a dog so labeled injures a person. Evidence Analysis The rationale and sources relied upon by the Maryland … Continue reading “Maryland Court of Appeals’ Decision Unfairly Burdens Dog Owners, Landlords, and Shelters”