Looking for a good dog of the mutt variety

16 years ago we adopted a mutt who was a wire haired pointer mixed with Lab, we recently had to say goodbye. She lived to be 18! She was a great dog we got at the Humane Society. We are now looking for a new dog and have visited the HS 6 times and have not found a good match for a variety of reasons. One thing my wife and I agreed on is we did not want a Pit Bull or a PB mix, lots of those at the HS. We adopted a dog that was listed as a ‘Boxer mix’ but everyone sees Pit Bull in her. BTW we have 2 cats and my wife is afraid the PB will give out cats a problem, we also fear our neighbors will not warm up to a dog that is part Pit. I have mixed feelings about this dog fell in love with the last one right away.Ideas?

Pit bulls are awesome family dogs with a bad reputation.my neighbors have 2 pits and 3 cats. It’s all a happy family. But thats besides the point. There are many hs around. Maybe have to broaden your search area. Also Craigslist pets and Facebook has places to search.

Secondhand Hounds is a great rescue, I’d reach out to them. Without doing a DNA test it will be tough to be 100% sure there’s no pit in any rescue mutt.

I’m with BC on this one.. My sister has 2 rescued Pitbull mixes (8 & 4 years old) & they are the sweetest most well behaved dogs I’ve been around that didn’t get $1,000’s of training pumped into them.
I know its a hard choice, especially rescuing, not knowing what the dog has been through.

Secondhand Hounds & Ruff Start Rescue are both places we have looked for dogs in the past. Good luck on your search!

my daughter has a pit bull mixed with god knows what. its the dumbest dog i’ve ever run across………but also really friendly.

but i see your point……i personally wouldnt have one either………for alot of reasons!!!!!!

We just adopted a poodle mix a couple weeks ago and primarily used Petfinder to search for dogs. We had to go up to the Brainerd area to get him. Due to allergies we need hypoallergenic which is harder to find in adoptable dogs. He’s about 1.5 years and gets along great with our 3 year old labradoodle.

Thanks guys, this is the best site for questions like this.

I would open up my search area a bit.I’m sure there is another family member out there.If your like me you know the one when you see it’s picture.

I was in Petco yesterday with my dog and someone’s lovey dovey neckerchiefed pit snaps and decides it wants to attack my dog, from a distance with mine healing next to me. They smothered it and spoke to it like a baby. I was on high alert until they left. It was so typical of what I so often hear. My opinion is pits are bad news no matter how many seem nice.

Yeah, like you I’d skip the pit or pitbull mix myself. It’s not a stereotype. They are BY FAR the most dangerous breed. Nothing else even comes close.

It never fails, after every mauling or fatal attack by a pitbull the owner or a friend says “It was the sweetest dog in the world, we never expected this would happen”

All dogs have the potential to bite, but not like they can….

I’ll come right out and say it, if our neighbors had a pitbull I wouldn’t let my kids play with their kids.

Not so fun fact:

Pit bulls make up only 6% of the dog population, but they’re responsible for 68% of dog attacks and 52% of dog-related deaths since 1982.

One time I had pitbull owner tell me that I’m more likely to be killed by lighting than by a pitbull (which is statistically true per 100,000 people)

I smiled and said, “I agree, but most people also choose not to play outside in the lighting, let alone live with a thunderstorm.”

She didn’t have much of a reply

Here’s another chart showing more recent data.

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I just got a rescue dog. part black lab part blue heeler. Dog is smart , loves to play fetch with tennis ball. does like to gather and corral shoes from around the house and place in the living room. stays by my side when we walk. greets every visitor with wagging tail. I have a 14 yr. old Brittany as well, the 2 of them sleep next to each other.

Never been a PB fan, bad interaction with one was enough for me, turn on a dime.
Though sounds like others have had great experiences.

Good luck with the search. Had a few other rescue dogs on a visit till we found right match.

I no longer have the dog I had he was a small St Charles mixed with a chihuahua. Rescue dog that I really started to love. 3 weeks later walking in town I hear a bark. Within seconds a pit bull broke it’s leash ripped my dog by the neck wrung it until it died no need to tell you the screaming it will last your life time ripped both my legs one hand. roughly 200 stitches later. I was able to get away. Police called deadbeat owner found deadbeat owner goes to jail for other warrants. Dog destroyed owner stays in jail no insurance and I get a hefty Dr. bill. To this day I don’t care if you have a lab or a poodle I want nothing to do with dogs and scared to death of them however not a dog hater but you could not ever get me to pet a pit bull ever again.

KG25 wrote:

We just adopted a poodle mix a couple weeks ago and primarily used Petfinder to search for dogs. We had to go up to the Brainerd area to get him. Due to allergies we need hypoallergenic which is harder to find in adoptable dogs. He’s about 1.5 years and gets along great with our 3 year old labradoodle.

+1 on searching Petfinder. Search it at least once a week. There’s lots of dogs of all breeds, sizes and ages available. Our latest family member was found there. He’s an 18# Ragamuffin cat. He’s half Ragdoll. The previous owners bought him as a kitten for $700 and flew him from California to Illinois. They were moving and wanted to find him a good home. They interviewed several people and chose us for his new forever home. He’s an extremely special animal and they wouldn’t take any money for him. They were more concerned about him having the right home than money. Instead of giving them money, I donated $100 to their favorite charity (pets for vets) in their name. A lot of pet owners & foster pet homes use Petfinder to avoid humane shelters. This cat was 4 years old when we got him and he has thoroughly bonded with us. Good luck on your search.

Just my opinion but I would never trust a pitbull. And yes I know people with them and never had problems but not for me. Go to your local animal rescue and see what’s available. My girlfriend works at a vet clinic and they get dogs all the time that are found and dropped off at the vet. Most the time they are very nice dogs and the owners never claim them and they get taken to the animal shelter. I don’t know how many times she’s asked me if she can bring one home but we already got 4 dogs!

My dog ended up being a pit mix, and is smart as a whip but a bit stubborn. Just a FYI it’s tough to tell what you’re getting from a shelter without a DNA test. When I got him I was told he was a lab and shepherd mix. I did a DNA test and he ended up being a quarter lab, quarter shepherd, and quarter pit, with the remaining being chow, bulldog, and blue tick. I only bring it up because often times the shelters don’t actually know what they have. If you’re dead set on not having any pit in there you better make sure you know who the parents are. I will say so far the dog has been phenomenal with kids, and is really good with cats as long as it’s not the neighbor’s in our yard. That cat is mean!