he's not a dalmation.
March 10, 2011 8:26 AM Subscribe
What breed of dog is this?
My roommate found an adorable puppy in an abondoned barn in rural virginia. The fact the he was alone, only a few weeks old, and it was about 12 degrees outside led her to bring him back to our apartment. She took him to the vet, started getting his shots, and he's doing great. Vet tried to pinpoint an age, he was about 4/5 weeks old when these pictures were taken. He's grown a bit more since then, and its mostly his legs getting longer and longer. He's a bit lanky. His projected weight:40 ti 60 pounds.his ears are triangular and floppy, but he can stick them up. His fur is short and a bit stiff, kind of like a beagle's. His tail is long and short-haired, also like a beagle. We're guessing some kind of terrier hound mix.
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My roommate found an adorable puppy in an abondoned barn in rural virginia. The fact the he was alone, only a few weeks old, and it was about 12 degrees outside led her to bring him back to our apartment. She took him to the vet, started getting his shots, and he's doing great. Vet tried to pinpoint an age, he was about 4/5 weeks old when these pictures were taken. He's grown a bit more since then, and its mostly his legs getting longer and longer. He's a bit lanky. His projected weight:40 ti 60 pounds.his ears are triangular and floppy, but he can stick them up. His fur is short and a bit stiff, kind of like a beagle's. His tail is long and short-haired, also like a beagle. We're guessing some kind of terrier hound mix.
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Best answer: Let me be the first to say, his breed is officially "Adorable."
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 8:33 AM on March 10, 2011 [57 favorites]
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 8:33 AM on March 10, 2011 [57 favorites]
That is one incredibly cute pup. I'm a terrier person and I don't see much terrier there (possible exception, there might be a rat terrier in the woodshed somewhere). I see some hound and some pointer (maybe German short-haired?) maybe (maybe) some spaniel (water spaniel type). Some of that is because he's from VA where you're going to get a lot of hounds and pointers. Very hard to tell at this age, but I think he's too big to have any significant contribution from any of the terrier breeds that look like that.
posted by The Bellman at 8:34 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by The Bellman at 8:34 AM on March 10, 2011
Oh my god, seconding adorable.
posted by londonmark at 8:35 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by londonmark at 8:35 AM on March 10, 2011
I've known two dogs who had their genes tested. Their breeds had been a source of endless speculation. (Corgi and... something taller? With a tail? Pit bull and basset hound?) When the actual info came back, they were... mutts. Really, really mixed breeds, for several generations back. Point being, it isn't always possible to identify one or two breeds in a given dog. Mutts is mutts.
(It didn't matter - both dogs are smart, adorable, and utterly awesome. Go mutts!)
posted by restless_nomad at 8:42 AM on March 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
(It didn't matter - both dogs are smart, adorable, and utterly awesome. Go mutts!)
posted by restless_nomad at 8:42 AM on March 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
I was gonna say some pointer too. And seriously adorable!
posted by needs more cowbell at 8:44 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by needs more cowbell at 8:44 AM on March 10, 2011
That there is a hound dog mutt who needs a good snorgle from me. Please send him along immediately.
Seriously - beagle mix, maybe with American foxhound (or more probably, lab genes) for the lankiness.
Does he howl or bay when he barks? Is his nose always to the ground? Those are hound traits.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:45 AM on March 10, 2011
Seriously - beagle mix, maybe with American foxhound (or more probably, lab genes) for the lankiness.
Does he howl or bay when he barks? Is his nose always to the ground? Those are hound traits.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 8:45 AM on March 10, 2011
Best answer: Based on the markings, I'm going to second pointer (like this english pointer), and those look like some houndy ears. And yes, absolutely adorable.
posted by specialagentwebb at 8:47 AM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by specialagentwebb at 8:47 AM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Nthing pointer or hound. I really just posted to say Holy shit OMFG that is one cute puppy. I want it. Bring it to me.
Please? I said please.
posted by iconomy at 8:49 AM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Please? I said please.
posted by iconomy at 8:49 AM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
There was a recent post to the front page of mefi about a dog that was put to sleep and later found alive in a dumpster. When I saw your photos I went, omg is that the same dog? I can't find that post now, but they had some breed guesses in the article, from what I remember.
Although I'd have to say it looks like full blooded Adorable to me.
posted by routergirl at 8:53 AM on March 10, 2011
Although I'd have to say it looks like full blooded Adorable to me.
posted by routergirl at 8:53 AM on March 10, 2011
Ah, my bad. As soon as I hit post I realized it wasn't a mefi link. Here it is. The Petfinder thing they created for it just says Terrier Mix. Ah well.
posted by routergirl at 8:55 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by routergirl at 8:55 AM on March 10, 2011
This dog looks almost exactly like Kalie, a dog my husband's old roommate has. Her puppy is beagle and border collie. Very cute puppy!
posted by Palmcorder Yajna at 8:55 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by Palmcorder Yajna at 8:55 AM on March 10, 2011
Yeah, pointer + hound + maybe a little terrier in the face, but that's hard to tell with a puppy. Super cute!
posted by Rock Steady at 9:04 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by Rock Steady at 9:04 AM on March 10, 2011
I'm going to guess Pointer + Lab, with the Lab part being perhaps further back in the ancestry.
I once had a vet explain to me that black Labs were the, ahem, horniest of horn dogs, partially explaining their popularity and frequency.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:05 AM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
I once had a vet explain to me that black Labs were the, ahem, horniest of horn dogs, partially explaining their popularity and frequency.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:05 AM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you really want to know, use these guys.
posted by TheBones at 8:32 AM on March 10 [+] [!]
Have you used their service? Is it good? Is it legitimate?
It's a lot of money to spend on a dog, and I doubt I'd ever do it, but my pup is a mystery wrapped in an enigma and I'd really like to know.
posted by Stagger Lee at 9:06 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by TheBones at 8:32 AM on March 10 [+] [!]
Have you used their service? Is it good? Is it legitimate?
It's a lot of money to spend on a dog, and I doubt I'd ever do it, but my pup is a mystery wrapped in an enigma and I'd really like to know.
posted by Stagger Lee at 9:06 AM on March 10, 2011
Dear god in heaven, what a cute puppy! There could be some blue tick coon hound in there. Otherwise, yeah, pointer and maybe some lab. Blessings to you and your roommate for taking care of this little guy.
posted by rhartong at 9:14 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by rhartong at 9:14 AM on March 10, 2011
I'm doubtful about the DNA testing. In The Truth About Dogs, Budiansky says "Essentially no breeds have breed-unique sequences; for example, one particular sequence shows up in a Siberian husky, a chow chow, an English setter, a Border terrier, an Icelandic sheepdog, a Japanese spitz...The family tree of breed relatedness that emerges from DNA data bears no discernible resemblance to any family tree of presumed breed relations based on outward appearance, functional type, or AKC grouping."
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:30 AM on March 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:30 AM on March 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'm going with pitbull (which are terriers) / pointer (German Shorthaired?) mix . . .
Start buying stock in tennis balls now!
posted by MeiraV at 9:40 AM on March 10, 2011
Start buying stock in tennis balls now!
posted by MeiraV at 9:40 AM on March 10, 2011
I'm doubtful about the DNA testing. In The Truth About Dogs, Budiansky says "Essentially no breeds have breed-unique sequences; for example, one particular sequence shows up in a Siberian husky, a chow chow, an English setter, a Border terrier, an Icelandic sheepdog, a Japanese spitz...The family tree of breed relatedness that emerges from DNA data bears no discernible resemblance to any family tree of presumed breed relations based on outward appearance, functional type, or AKC grouping."
I was suspicious because they demand a picture -- it's hard not to suspect it's a scam, and mostly guess work based on your picture. How would the owner know to argue?
...but I want to believe.
posted by Stagger Lee at 9:45 AM on March 10, 2011
Have you used their service?
No
Is it good? Is it legitimate?
There is no reason to expect it to be remotely accurate. Dog breeds aren't separated by clear DNA markers.
Here's a link to someone learning that her purebred AmStaff is actually, according to its DNA and the not-at-all claptrap of one of these companies, mostly a border collie.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:03 AM on March 10, 2011 [4 favorites]
No
Is it good? Is it legitimate?
There is no reason to expect it to be remotely accurate. Dog breeds aren't separated by clear DNA markers.
Here's a link to someone learning that her purebred AmStaff is actually, according to its DNA and the not-at-all claptrap of one of these companies, mostly a border collie.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:03 AM on March 10, 2011 [4 favorites]
Or, someone else learning that their purebred dachshund is mostly mastiff.
Pure 100% voodoo.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:05 AM on March 10, 2011
Pure 100% voodoo.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:05 AM on March 10, 2011
I see pointer, plus whatever it is that makes it possible for him to stick his ears up. Whatever he is, he's about as cute a pup as I've ever seen. Thank your roommate for me for rescuing him.
posted by Dolley at 10:06 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by Dolley at 10:06 AM on March 10, 2011
He has the almost exact same markings as my dog, adopted from the local animal shelter. Mine has the same striped nose, spots on the legs, small floppy ears, etc. They claim he's a cattle dog mix. He's about 50 lbs,
posted by annsunny at 10:07 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by annsunny at 10:07 AM on March 10, 2011
His colouring looks almost exactly like our Rat Terrier, especially the ticking (spots) but the size & build is way off. What ever he is he is super cute.
posted by wwax at 10:07 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by wwax at 10:07 AM on March 10, 2011
"Seriously - beagle mix, maybe with American foxhound (or more probably, lab genes) for the lankiness."
I'm with you on the Beagle part for sure.
posted by bz at 10:55 AM on March 10, 2011
I'm with you on the Beagle part for sure.
posted by bz at 10:55 AM on March 10, 2011
I don't know what basis you say he's not a dalmatian, because my first guess (without previewing) is Dalmatian-Pit. Dalmatian mixes often revert to pointer-ish markings (partial or full mask, large random body patches, and ticking/poor-quality spotting). The head (and ears in particular, but also the eyes) is rather pit-bullish. For reference sake, here's our Dalmatian-mystery meat mix.
posted by drlith at 11:01 AM on March 10, 2011
posted by drlith at 11:01 AM on March 10, 2011
Looks a bit like this catahoula/pointer mix. His ears and bone structure looks similar to our catahoula.
She will know if it's a catahoula pup because the pup will eat her house. And by that, I don't mean just things in her house, I mean the actual house. NOMNOMNOM.
posted by Dr. Zira at 11:03 AM on March 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
She will know if it's a catahoula pup because the pup will eat her house. And by that, I don't mean just things in her house, I mean the actual house. NOMNOMNOM.
posted by Dr. Zira at 11:03 AM on March 10, 2011 [2 favorites]
Im going to go with border collie mix. Scent hounds generally have floppy ears even if theyre crossed with prick-eared dogs. Border collie + something short haired like a pointer or cattle dog seems more likely. Especially given that he was found on a farm.
posted by fshgrl at 11:50 AM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by fshgrl at 11:50 AM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
I would potentially go with a cattle dog mix. The cattle dog breed has both dalmation and bull terrier in it and could explain some of the characteristics people pointed out.
ps. cute dog!
posted by buttercup at 12:34 PM on March 10, 2011
ps. cute dog!
posted by buttercup at 12:34 PM on March 10, 2011
How do you keep from nibbling on those ears all day??
To the point: The speckles on the legs make me think blue heeler or some other cattle dog.
posted by orrnyereg at 12:49 PM on March 10, 2011
To the point: The speckles on the legs make me think blue heeler or some other cattle dog.
posted by orrnyereg at 12:49 PM on March 10, 2011
Definitely Adorable breed, with maybe a dash of Border Collie (in the ears) and Beagle (in the markings & coat type). But definitely Adorable :)
posted by geeky at 12:56 PM on March 10, 2011
posted by geeky at 12:56 PM on March 10, 2011
nthing short haired border collie and something else. Super cute for sure!
posted by korej at 1:11 PM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by korej at 1:11 PM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
Best answer: He is precious! And looks like, despite his young age, he's got a lot of mischief in him.
Here's my somewhat similar dog as a 2-month-old puppy, but my dog apparently had a bit more hound to her. She has the same kind of markings--it doesn't show, but she had black speckles too. Her mom apparently looked like a Jack Russell/Bassett hound cross. (The tan dog also in the pic was her littermate, who got stumpy legs; when they were full grown, the tan dog could walk entirely under the black&white dog's belly without crouching. We don't know if they had different fathers or just each inherited different types from the same parents.)
I gave you the pic mostly to provide a comparison: This little guy's ears are not hound ears :) They are more likely to be terrier or herding dog ears, I think. They'd be typical of, say, a Jack Russell or a border collie--or a rat terrier, or an Australian shepherd, or many others in those breeds. Interestingly, sometimes when you cross two breeds with upright ears, the puppies get the upright ear shape but half flopped over, like this, so you can't be too sure based on the ears.
The speckles are present in a lot of breeds and coat colors. People tend to think Dalmation or pointer when they see spots, but you can find a mostly solid dog with speckles in the white markings in hounds, spaniels, herding dogs, lots of breeds.
That pronounced curve in the forehead may be an artifact of the fact that he's pretty young. It's prominent, but he may grow out of it a bit. It's also something found on quite a few breeds. Many of the smaller breeds with round heads and small muzzles have that, like cocker spaniels, terriers, etc. It's not specifically a Pit thing in larger breeds, either, though a lot of people think it is. You'll find dogs of many breeds with a lot of forehead.
But the shape of the forehead (if he doesn't grow out of it) and the shape of those ears, along with the short coat, suggests to me that whatever other parents he may have had, he's probably got a lot of terrier in him :)
Of course, it's possible you could get a dog who looks like that by breeding a Chihuahua and a boxer, or other similarly oddball and you-wouldn't-think-to-see-it parents. I've seen some bizarre combos, like the litter observers swore was purebred Redbone Coonhounds with a mother that looked like a wolf.
The groups doing the DNA typing started out with a pretty small group of dogs (for a project this large) of known ancestry. They then took the differences in those results and arbitrarily decided that these were DNA differences in the breeds. They can't possibly know that, not from their small sample size (and possibly not at all). Basically, they're a very expensive way to guess.
posted by galadriel at 1:30 PM on March 10, 2011
Here's my somewhat similar dog as a 2-month-old puppy, but my dog apparently had a bit more hound to her. She has the same kind of markings--it doesn't show, but she had black speckles too. Her mom apparently looked like a Jack Russell/Bassett hound cross. (The tan dog also in the pic was her littermate, who got stumpy legs; when they were full grown, the tan dog could walk entirely under the black&white dog's belly without crouching. We don't know if they had different fathers or just each inherited different types from the same parents.)
I gave you the pic mostly to provide a comparison: This little guy's ears are not hound ears :) They are more likely to be terrier or herding dog ears, I think. They'd be typical of, say, a Jack Russell or a border collie--or a rat terrier, or an Australian shepherd, or many others in those breeds. Interestingly, sometimes when you cross two breeds with upright ears, the puppies get the upright ear shape but half flopped over, like this, so you can't be too sure based on the ears.
The speckles are present in a lot of breeds and coat colors. People tend to think Dalmation or pointer when they see spots, but you can find a mostly solid dog with speckles in the white markings in hounds, spaniels, herding dogs, lots of breeds.
That pronounced curve in the forehead may be an artifact of the fact that he's pretty young. It's prominent, but he may grow out of it a bit. It's also something found on quite a few breeds. Many of the smaller breeds with round heads and small muzzles have that, like cocker spaniels, terriers, etc. It's not specifically a Pit thing in larger breeds, either, though a lot of people think it is. You'll find dogs of many breeds with a lot of forehead.
But the shape of the forehead (if he doesn't grow out of it) and the shape of those ears, along with the short coat, suggests to me that whatever other parents he may have had, he's probably got a lot of terrier in him :)
Of course, it's possible you could get a dog who looks like that by breeding a Chihuahua and a boxer, or other similarly oddball and you-wouldn't-think-to-see-it parents. I've seen some bizarre combos, like the litter observers swore was purebred Redbone Coonhounds with a mother that looked like a wolf.
The groups doing the DNA typing started out with a pretty small group of dogs (for a project this large) of known ancestry. They then took the differences in those results and arbitrarily decided that these were DNA differences in the breeds. They can't possibly know that, not from their small sample size (and possibly not at all). Basically, they're a very expensive way to guess.
posted by galadriel at 1:30 PM on March 10, 2011
Reminds me of a rat terrier. You can probably guess better when he gets bigger.
posted by elpea at 1:36 PM on March 10, 2011
posted by elpea at 1:36 PM on March 10, 2011
Oh wait, he's going to be way too big for that, so disregard.
posted by elpea at 1:37 PM on March 10, 2011
posted by elpea at 1:37 PM on March 10, 2011
We used the Wisdom Panel for DNA testing our dogs. It worked well, although the results were a little short on detail. One of our dogs is a collie/lab mix, and the panel came back as 100% collie. The other dog had some incredibly strange breed characteristics (who the hell breeds a Shiba Inu with a Bichon Frise?).
They didn't require a picture, which is another plus. I have it on good word that they have a real lab doing the tests, and that there are real genetic markers that the test evaluates.
(I am not affiliated with the company. My wife is an industry analyst.)
posted by fremen at 2:02 PM on March 10, 2011
They didn't require a picture, which is another plus. I have it on good word that they have a real lab doing the tests, and that there are real genetic markers that the test evaluates.
(I am not affiliated with the company. My wife is an industry analyst.)
posted by fremen at 2:02 PM on March 10, 2011
My Kenda looked like that when she was a puppy. Her face structure is a bit different, making me think that maybe yours is more houndy than my Kenda. I admit it, though, I have no earthly idea what kind of dog Kenda is. She weighs 33 pounds. I tell people that she's Border Collie mixed with Something Sneaky. Her ears folded as a pup, but as she grew up one stood, giving her a perennially puzzled aspect. Kenda has the same black spots in her white fur that your pup has, but fewer of them. Kenda's fur is also kinda stiff, but she has a fringe around the trailing edge of her back legs. I assume it's for aerodynamic stability.
I guess what I'm saying is that you may have to get used to not knowing. Make up a good story - tell people she's part basenji and part treeing walker coonhound just to watch their faces as they try to figure out what the parents looked like. Mutts are awesome (srsly! read up on hybrid vigor!) and enjoy the mystery and marvel as you become acquainted with the dog within the puppy.
posted by workerant at 2:08 PM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
I guess what I'm saying is that you may have to get used to not knowing. Make up a good story - tell people she's part basenji and part treeing walker coonhound just to watch their faces as they try to figure out what the parents looked like. Mutts are awesome (srsly! read up on hybrid vigor!) and enjoy the mystery and marvel as you become acquainted with the dog within the puppy.
posted by workerant at 2:08 PM on March 10, 2011 [1 favorite]
BTW look up the term "lurcher" to see a startling variety of terrier- hound and hound sheepdog crosses. The sight hound crosses have the half-prick ears for the most part.
posted by fshgrl at 2:46 PM on March 10, 2011
posted by fshgrl at 2:46 PM on March 10, 2011
He looks a bit like a younger, spottier version of Crosbie, who turned up as a stray but seems by popular and veterinary opinion to be at least mostly pit bull.
posted by tangerine at 3:30 PM on March 10, 2011
posted by tangerine at 3:30 PM on March 10, 2011
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posted by TheBones at 8:32 AM on March 10, 2011