Can you pick North out of that picture? Although I consider myself pretty good at naming dog breeds, I'm always shocked by the number of people who get confused seeing my lil pup. He begrudgingly endures "I looove Pugs" or "What a cute Frenchie" at least once a week, but the funniest story comes from our days in NYC.
There was an issue with my tub's leaky pipes so a plumber (supervised by the super) had to come in to fix them. On the afternoon of the appointment day, I get a phone call from my building's management company informing me that he could not fix the problem and had to leave because of my (and I do quote) "vicious pit-bull puppy." Umm, yeah, that would be North. In his crate . . . and obviously freaking out because strangers came in and didn't let him out to play!
Trying not to be outraged at the stereotype behind the "vicious pit bull" statement, I had to explain to management that I had a crated, 15-pound Boston Terrier surely hellbent on "death by kisses" and go home on my lunch break to sit with them while they fixed it the next day. Do you have people misidentifying your pups as well? Share in the comments below!
Elizabeth Arden
Lascana
2two
Samson is always mistaken for a pug!
PS, North is absolutely adorable with his tie collar!
1My Boston is often mistaken for a pug. But more worrisome to me is that she's often mistaken for a pitbull puppy. We moved to a safer town for fear that she would either be stolen (this happened to several people I knew) or that I would be mugged for her (this also actually happened to someone else~ they were robbed of their pitbull puppy at gunpoint). I was so afraid that she would either be stolen and sold, or stolen and put in illegal dog fighting.
2My purebred Maltese is 11 months old and (because we keep his hair short) he's often mistaken for a Bichon Frise, I think he looks Maltese, though!
3Ok, here's a question about the pup on the top right ~ I can't tell if it is a Boston or a Frenchie
4I get a lot of people who don't know what to guess Harley's breed as. They seem to think that a pit bull should be a horrifying beast, not the sniff and kiss machine that she is. It's fun to see their reactions when they realize that the dog sniffing and snorting them is a pittie.
5I have a dalmatian, so he is pretty unmistakable! The biggest problem we have is strange kids wanting to hug him when we're out walking. He is safe and has never bitten either of us, but he can get a little excited and jump around. I would die if someone accidentally got scratched by him! He is stronger than he looks.
6Brando gets "What a cute beagle!" on an almost daily basis.
7It's so funny, I actually get the OPPOSITE. When people meet my pitbull, and realize he is so sweet and playful, they are always like - well he definitely isn't purebred. Like justification why he is friendly. That pisses me off like crazy!
8The photo on the top right was taken straight from the AKC website – it's a Frenchie. The easiest way for me to tell is by ear shape: according to breed standard for French Bulldogs, their ears should be "elongated, with round top" versus Bostons' pointier ones. North's a touch tricky because, while his ears are pointy, they're HUGE . . . too big to be considered in proportion to his head. Oh well, I love him (and his Dumbo ears) anyway
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9I can imagine this happens all the time to most dogs. There are just so many breeds and most of us only know the ones we've been exposed to. Still, I cannot believe someone thought North was a pit bull. He looks NOTHING like one.
10My purebred Decker Rat Terrier sometimes is mistaken as a Basenji or Jack Russel by others. She is called a 'rat terrier' but it's not technically correct anymore because Rat terriers and DECKER rat terriers look too different to be the same breed. Many give Deckers their own breed now.
11I have a Treeing Walker Coonhound, he weighs 95 lbs, I get asked ALL the time, if he is a giant Beagle.
12Fox. Is that a fox. No, its a shiba inu.
13What about a fox terrier? No, its a shiba inu.
Akita? Mini husky? No, shiba.
We have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Phoenix who is always mistaken as a pit bull. It's understandable because she really looks like a smaller version. But she's the biggest little sweetie at the dog park!
14My Min Pin is almost always mistaken for a Chihuahua - but I supposed Min Pins are not a very well known breed, so I don't mind at all. However, some people think it's still funny to refer to her as the 'Taco Bell dog.' Seriously people, that was a decade ago!
15I always get asked what breed my little girl is. Sorry, she is a one of a kind mutt! Even the vet is at a loss as to what she is. I am thinking of getting her DNA tested.
16My Havanese is constantly being misidentified. I hear Maltese, Bichon Frise, Cocker Spaniel, West Highland Terrier, Terrier Mix, any variety of breeds mixed with poodle, the list goes on. When I tell people he is a purebred Havanese I get blank stares. I try to explain, but I'm pretty sure people think I'm making his breed up.
17Awww Pet that so rude!
Vicious pit bull puppy...since when are puppies even vicious!?
AND that is also breed discrimination....
Anyways, when my Pittie was smaller some people though she was a chichuawa (spelling?)....like come on people!!!
18B-Bop is a mix but we know for sure his mom was a dachshund, people still argue with me about it though. My parents have a whippet and people always ask if she's a baby greyhound. They actually look a little different, but I can see how people get confused because they aren't common. I have an idiot aunt who has a pitbull and therefore thinks EVERYTHING is a pittbull. And I've noticed everyone think B-Bop is part Chihuahua I guess because he's small and big eared, but I really don't think he is. Every small mix people assume is chihuahua.
19BridgetJones - my brother in law always had doxie's growing up. One time the pizza guy came to their house (his name was Surf, that's what his tg said) and asked if his doxies were taco bell dogs. Chris said no they're dachshunds, weener dogs. And the guys was like, You sure? They look like the yo quiero taco bell dogs. SERIOUSLY? A weener dog is PRETTY distinct. some people just aren't too bright!
Oh- I HATE the wiener dog comments! It's usually kids that say it but seriously- Brando may be longer than he is tall but he is NOT a wiener dog!
20If my little girls get called Chihuahuas one more time... The worst part is that people don't believe me when I say that they are pure-bred Toy Fox Terriers, or ask me if a terrier is a type of Chihuahua! grrr
21I have a purebred Chihuahua that happens to be the love-child of a smooth-coat tri-color father, and a long hair fawn mother. I've gotten everything from "is that a pomeranian (or papillon)", to "is that a cat?". But 90% of the time people ask if she has fox in her. PS she has an album on my page haha
22My Pug, Tank, hasn't been mistaken for anything else, but my previous dog, Dell, a Papillon, was frequently mistaken for a long haired Chihuahua, which pissed me the hell off. Grrrr.
23I DESPISE it when people call my pretty little award wnning Sheltland Sheepdog a 'mini collie'. I mean I don't get pissed or nothing, but she's not a mini collie! But yeah she does look like a little lassie so I can understand
24My fawn Frenchie is constantly mistaken for a pug. My brindle Frenchie (like the one pictured) is mistaken for a Boston. I often get a very incredulous look when I tell people they are Frenchies. I don't mind though, usually people are giving my dogs love and attention while we have this conversation, and I don't mind educating people.
25For a while I was caring for my stepmom's dog - a long-haired basset hound. A clerk at a petstore asked me what breed he was and I told him. The clerk then proceeded to tell me that I was wrong, there is no such thing. I was like, "well, buddy, you're looking at one. I don't know what else to tell ya." He may have been trying to say that it is not an AKC recognized breed or something, but he had a bit of attitude about it.
My boyfriend has a golden retriever, but she's a redhead and she's a bit smaller than average, so people often assume she's a mix or a setter. It doesn't bother us, but I could definitely see how it could be grating!
26my dog isn't purebred so i can't comment on that, but I ALWAYS find somewhere else for her to go when maitenance or cleaning people are coming to my house. She has wicked anxiety and I wouldn't want her to harass the poor workers by barking and crate escaping when she freaks out at strangers in the house. Either I'm home and I'll take her out for walk when they are around, or I drop her off at doggie daycare or my bf's house.
27Nah. No one ever mistakes my roommate's lab mix for anything other than a lab. Labs are very distinctive looking I think.
People might be thrown off by my parent's doberman mix. She's very very dobie-looking but they left her tail long and her ears natural.
28I get annoyed when ppl think Storm is a mutt... she is a Mini Australian Shepherd. Since she is a red merle, ppl find that confusing.
29I have gotten that people think my Cavalier is a Brittany puppy, which I guess I can see because the coloring is similar and they are both spaniel type dogs. No one mistakes my chocolate Lab.
30People think Fuji is a terrier because I keep his fur really short. And when people see shih tzu's they are usually so tiny but Fuji is a normal size shih tzu.
31On a side note, I'm not sure why they couldn't just ignore him while they were there. I mean, he is in the crate, so why worry about him? He can't get out or attack them!
32People call my Frenchies pugs all the time. I don't see a resemblance, and I wonder how people can mix them up. When someone says they look like a Boston I say they can tell them apart because bulldogs are a lot thicker than Bostons.
The bigger one sometimes gets questions about whether he's crossed with a pit bull because he's so big and lean. But nope. Just a really bigass Frenchie.
33I have 3 dogs of the same breed. They are Chinese Crested. 2 powderpuff (shaved like hairless) and 1 hairless. People always say one is the cutest Maltese, the other a Poodle, and my hairless they have no idea what he is. I find it quite funny when I tell them my dogs are the same breed!
34My dad had a purebred boxer and kids used to always think that she was a pit bull. They would act scared and run away. It actually used to piss me off because of the lack of education that children receive about dogs. I would stop walking the dog and make the kids come over and tell them about her, pet her and see that she is not going to attack. Then I would give them a little pit bull education too because they are a misunderstood breed.
35Cuba is a purebred Doxie papers and all. People usually think he is old because he is a dapple I always have to say no he's 4.
36I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and I was dog sitting my Dad's Cocker Spaniel for a week about a month ago. When I took them both for a walk this couple stopped and said what cute cockers! I normally don't mind, but it is pretty obvious when they are standing next to each other that they are different breeds.
37People sometimes think that my Italian Greyhound is a Chihuahua.
38When my English Bulldog was a puppy, people constantly asked if he was a boxer... I think maybe because he wasn't as chubby as bulldogs usually are? C'mon people, really? Bulldogs are pretty recognizable
39My silver lab harley is always getting mistaken for a weimeraner, and everytime we tell them she is a lab they always say oh no she must have been mixed. It is very frustrating.
40My Raja (a siberian husky) has obviously gotten mistaken as an Alaskan Malamute (even though she's soo small!) and once someone asked if she was a german shepherd!
41No one has ever mistaken Luna for another breed, but a lot of people do seem to ask me what she is... She's a beagle, looks like a beagle, acts like a beagle..
42i get excited when people come up to me and mac and say 'oh is that a frenchie??' because it very rarely happens! usually people think he is a pug or a boston terrier, or some people just have no idea. i dont mind though because i can totally understand the confusion, especially if you aren't familiar with the smooshy face breeds. since i am totally obsessed with frenchies i can spot one from a mile away.. i think the best way to tell them apart from bostons is their body. bostons have longer legs and are leaner, frenchies are more stumpy and have broader shoulders.
43*My boyfriend and I have a pure bread American Bulldog, which people usually assume is a Pit Bull. Although she does have a very similar stature, their faces are quite different. A lady in PetSmart argued with me because she 'knew' Zoie was a Pit Bull. Sorry lady, I have her papers at home...*
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44My rottie gets mistaken for a german shepard...?????... I dunno why even by a pet store employee or mixed with something although he's pure bred. And my pit was mistaken for a bulldog but only when he was a round chubby puppy!
45my dog is a pomeranian. she is small like one (weighs under five pounds) and is a petite little girl. people have asked me before if she was a chihuahua. that was back before her hair started to really come in. if someone asked if she was a chihuahua now I would get angry.
46haha I read the comment above me. some people obviously don't know about dog breeds. a rottweiler and german shepard look nothing alike.
47my chihuahua princess was mistaken for a baby pit when she was a puppy. she was wearing a sweater and strutting her stuff. she always holds her head high so i guess maybe.. ?
48I have a black purebreed pug, and people always say they've never seen a black pug before and think he's some sort of bulldog or a boston terrier... silly!
49My pure breed beagle has always been consider a beagle, and always will be. My bichon frise is always confuzzled for a poodle, since people have probably never even heard of bichons
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