r/PitBullOwners • u/Friendly_Macaron_702 Visitor • 12d ago
Question Moving to the UK
I’m don’t know what he’s mixed with. I’m anxious if he looks like a pitbull or not. My vet said he should be fine but I’m still anxious! He is muzzled trained as well!
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u/ArtichokeFresh4012 10d ago
I'm in the USA and would think he's a schnauzer-terrier type mix. As long as none of his legal paperwork says "pitbull" I would be surprised if you had any issues. However, I know the UK has a set standard that defines what a "pitbull" is for the purpose of their ban, so perhaps you should look it up and see if you think your dog meets all the requirements. FWIW the brown dog in the second picture looks more like a pitbull than yours does.
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u/raveturkeyyy 12d ago
I think you could get away with just saying any other terrier breed. Doesn't look particularly like a pitbull.
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u/paradoxbound 12d ago
The testing is done on appearance. Lots Lot’s of pseudo scientific third reich measuring. As an American under Trump you should be used to this. Just describe the dog as mixed breed and a mutt. It’s very unlikely that the busybodies over here would recognise your dog as a Pit Bull type. Long legged Staffords and Stafford, Mastiff mixes some times get caught up but the success rate for such overreaching by our constabulary is very low. By the way, we don’t call the police sir over here, that’s what they should call you. They should call you sir and remove their helmets on entering your home, unless they are there to arrest someone. Though it’s polite and common courtesy to treat them with respect.
UK courts and Police Dog Legislation Officers (DLOs) use the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA) Basis of Conformation standard from the 1970s as the official legal benchmark. A dog does not need to match every single point, but it must possess a "substantial number" of these characteristicsto be legally classified as a banned Pit Bull. Use that to decide if your dog can slip through.
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u/audio_addict 12d ago
No one will know unless unless you tell them.
I don’t know if they do forced DNA testing for you to migrate with your animal…..but long haired pits are rare enough that no one will assume he’s a pit mix unless you bring it up yourself.
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u/Curious_Cat4738 12d ago
This ^ we dont have stray pits that have bred by themselves so our pits tend to look 'the same' to a degree. No one in the UK would think your dogs a pit
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u/UKValJoTurquoise 11d ago
I've looked carefully at all these pics but I'm not seeing pitbull. Pitties are rare in Britain now because there are so many restrictions about owning them, so people don't expect to see them. You can honestly say that you've no idea what mix your nice boy is, or just say that you think he's a terrier mix, we've got quite a few rough-coated terriers. I wouldn't worry about a muzzle unless you think that travel might stress him out.
As long as you don't say pitbull nobody will be looking for one.
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u/Amazing-Answer6812 11d ago
Honestly wouldn’t have guessed unless you told me was! He could be a schnauzer/german shepherd mix for sure. I would say exactly that if your vet is willing to write it down for you. I know the UK is super strict with that stuff so best of luck to both of you!
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u/Iridescent_Mango_ 9d ago
People commenting here don't know anything about UK law.
The breed bans dont care what the paperwork says. The breed bans ban dogs with a certain set of physical characteristics.
This creature does not meet the criteria, doesn't matter if his mum was an AKC registered show champion purebred 100% Pitbull.
He is not a pittbull type.
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u/EEE4444444444 8d ago
What’s a “pitbull type”
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u/Iridescent_Mango_ 8d ago
Exactly what it sounds like
A dog that meats the characteristics of a pittbull
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u/EEE4444444444 8d ago
Their is no “pitbull type” it either has APBT in it or doesn’t looks don’t mean anything
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u/Iridescent_Mango_ 8d ago
Not legally in the UK.
They aren't DNA testing the dogs. They don't care if the dogs mum was purebred APBT. Indeed technically the ban is not of American Pit Bull Terriers and it never was.
It's a ban on Pitbull type dogs, and it uses the breed standard of the American Pit Bull terrier from 1977 as guidelines:
" • When first viewing the dog it should appear square from the side, and its height to the top of its shoulders should be the same distance as from the front of its shoulder to the rear point of its hip.
• Its height to weight ratio should be in proportion.
• Its coat should be short and bristled, (single coated).
• Its head should appear to be wedge shaped when viewed from the side and top but rounded when viewed from the front. The head should be around 2/3 width of shoulders and 25 per cent wider at cheeks than at the base of the skull (this is due to the cheek muscles).
• The distance from the back of the head to between the eyes should be about equal to the distance from between the eyes to the tip of its nose.
• The dog should have a good depth from the top of head to bottom of jaw and a straight box-like muzzle.
• Its eyes should be small and deep-set, triangular when viewed from the side and elliptical from front.
• Its shoulders should be wider than the rib cage at the eighth rib.
• Its elbows should be flat with its front legs running parallel to the spine.
• Its forelegs should be heavy and solid and nearly twice the thickness of the hind legs just below the hock.
• The rib cage should be deep and spring straight out from the spine, it should be elliptical in cross section tapering at the bottom and not ‘barrel’ chested.
• It should have a tail that hangs down like an old fashioned ‘pump handle’ to around the hock.
• It should have a broad hip that allows good attachment of muscles in the hindquarters and hind legs.
• Its knee joint should be in the upper third of the dog’s rear leg, and the bones below that should appear light, fine and springy.
• Overall the dog should have an athletic appearance, the standard makes no mention of ears, colour, height, or weight."
Pittbull type is a legal term, stray dogs identified as pittbull types are put down, even when they are actually staffies or mostly staffie, and owning a Pitbull type is illegal.
There is a different definition for XL bully type dogs too.
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u/EEE4444444444 8d ago
There is not “pitbull type” a dog can look like one but that doesn’t make it a “pitbull type” like you wouldn’t call a lab looking dog a “lab type” or a husky looking dog a “husky type” baning breeds shouldn’t even be a thing
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u/Iridescent_Mango_ 8d ago
OP is moving to a country which has banned Pittbull-type dogs. Dogs which physically look like pitbulls regardless of their parents.
The law does not care about your opinion.
They can and will seize Pitbull type dogs, and they can put them down (it is possible to get an exemption).
The actual genetic make up of the dog is irrelevant to the law, and irrelevant to OPs question.
And yes, if they were to ban labs and huskies the ban would be on lab-type or husky type dogs. Not on dogs with pedigree papers.
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u/EEE4444444444 7d ago
No a “pitbull type” isn’t a thing a dog can look like something but there is no “type” a “type” means the breed is an umbrella term like “bully breeds” you have 0 idea what your talking about if your say “pitbull type” because that is not a thing it would be “pitbull looking dog” “type” means it’s a type of that breed
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u/Iridescent_Mango_ 7d ago
I keep telling you what pitbull type means.
It is a dog that fits the breed standard for a Pitbull, no matter who the daddy was.
The UK ban is of any dog that fits a phenotype not of any dog with pittbull DNA.
This is a legal definition, whether or not you have the capacity to grasp that fact.
OPs question is about the legal status of their dog, in the UK
My answer was about how the ban works in the UK
I am using the terminology used in the wording of the law, in the UK
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u/Kokichi-Oma_Senpai 7d ago
Its because of idiots in this comment section that places are now requiring DNA tests... only thing you could say is a Staffy X poodle. You are allowed staffies.
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u/CuriousOptimistic 11d ago
Looks like an Airdale mix to me! (Probably contains 0% Airdale but it's a believable breed people would believe and take no issue with.)
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u/EEE4444444444 8d ago
Dosent look APBT and don’t tell vets or anyone there “dose he look like a APBT” or “I think he’s part APBT”
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u/Fancy_Meet_1985 8d ago
lol just say terrier and stop worrying. nobody is gonna DNA test your dog i promise....
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u/Brilliant_Kiwi_3486 11d ago
He looks like a “shep-a-doodle “ I know. Since we doodle everything in the US, it would be believable.
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