Dog Community

What breed IS this dog?!

Posted : 2/19/2011 12:31:34 PM

I work at a doggie daycare where we have all shapes and sizes of dogs. All the dogs must be spayed or neutered by 7 months of age to continue coming and we recently had one dog who turned 7 months and his owners said that he is a rare breed of dog and the breeder they got him from didn't want him to be neutered before he was 12 months so he could grow to represent a proper specimen of the breed (they spoke with the breeder and explained the situation and he is now neutered and can continue to attend). Now what I'm curious about is what breed this guy is? We all thought he was a mutt, and I can't ask his owners as I don't see them when they drop him off and pick him up as I am down in the play rooms with the dogs. He doesn't exhibit any traits typical of herding dogs, hounds, or any specific group...he looks maybe a bit like a sight hound but is a bit too stocky. He's a typical playful puppy with lots of energy and no real "problems," such as excessive barkiness, herding small dogs, etc. Here are some photos, he is wearing the black harness. Sorry, there aren't any great shots of his face.

[img]http://danceswdogs.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=351504&g2_serialNumber=2[/img]

[img]http://danceswdogs.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=351495&g2_serialNumber=2[/img]

[img]http://danceswdogs.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=351423&g2_serialNumber=2[/img]

[img]http://danceswdogs.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=351420&g2_serialNumber=2[/img]

sillysally

Posted : 2/19/2011 12:51:00 PM

Chinook I think.....

paperflowers11

Posted : 2/19/2011 1:03:59 PM

I think he's too small, and doesn't have enough coat. His face doesn't look like the ones in the photos I googled, either. He doesn't have much of a stop.

paperflowers11

Posted : 2/19/2011 1:08:48 PM

Hm, upon more googling he appears to possibly be a Carolina Dog?

Liesje

Posted : 2/19/2011 1:09:14 PM

I think a mix of mixes? That is basically what dogs tend to look like after a few generations of mixed breeding - short stock coat, tan-ish color, erect ears... I think the Carolina Dog is rare and probably looks the way it does for the same reason that street dogs and mixes often end up looking that way, that's usually how dogs start to look in the wild or as strays.

sillysally

Posted : 2/19/2011 1:10:08 PM

There seems to be a lot of variety in the breed though, and he is still young yet. Or maybe a Carolina dog?

AgileGSD

Posted : 2/19/2011 1:34:41 PM

I would guess a Carolina Dog.

Your boss may want to do a bit of research on early altering and how it could poorly affect the dog. Really, while you wouldn't want to allow bitches in season at daycare dogs should be evaluated continually for their suitability to daycare. Altering generally is not the deciding factor as to if a dog remains suitable for daycare or not - maturity, breed and individual temperament plays a much bigger role.

zatchbell322

Posted : 2/19/2011 3:24:38 PM

Did the owners have to fill out any paperwork on the dog, does he have a chart? At the one I worked at a few years ago every dog had a file. The breed of dog as well as his birthday and shot record would be listed in there. If not, I agree he does look like a Carolina dog.

paperflowers11

Posted : 2/19/2011 4:33:20 PM

Yes, each dog has a file in the computer but I do not have access to those.

paperflowers11

Posted : 2/19/2011 4:37:10 PM

AgileGSD
dogs should be evaluated continually for their suitability to daycare. Altering generally is not the deciding factor as to if a dog remains suitable for daycare or not - maturity, breed and individual temperament plays a much bigger role.

Did anything in my OP lead you to believe that was not the case? Altering is not required solely due to temperament issues, and if a dog owner wishes to withdraw their dog from daycare based on our policies, they are perfectly welcome to do so. We have a great group of dogs and we work very hard to keep it that way.

rwbeagles

Posted : 2/19/2011 5:19:42 PM

still, always a shame to neuter a dog that could contribute something to a rare breed gene pool, It's a bummer it comes down to gonads when so much more than that goes into a dogs temperament.

AgileGSD

Posted : 2/19/2011 7:49:37 PM

paperflowers11
AgileGSD
dogs should be evaluated continually for their suitability to daycare. Altering generally is not the deciding factor as to if a dog remains suitable for daycare or not - maturity, breed and individual temperament plays a much bigger role.

Did anything in my OP lead you to believe that was not the case?

Yes. You stated that it is your employer's policy that all dogs must be altered by 7 months old to continue attending daycare. That is pressuring your clients to do something that may not be in their dog's best interest to continue to use a service which they find value in.