Why Adelaide Pets Alive! does not breed label dogs
Updated: Sep 16
Identifying the breed mix of a dog from its appearance has proven to be highly inaccurate.
We have known for decades that even first-generation mixed breed dogs can look dramatically different thanks to Scott and Fuller in 1960.
Research undertaken by Dr. Victoria Voith has concluded that identifying a dog’s breed mix through appearance is often inaccurate with up to a 75% mistake rate.
"Neither physical appearance nor genetic makeup can accurately predict an individual dog's behaviour" National Canine Research Council
"Even if the practice of DNA identification were to become routine, breed attribution should still be avoided as it serves to reinforce misconceptions among the general public about realistic expectations for the dogs carrying such labels." Janice Bradley
So why is this important to us?
At Adelaide Pets Alive! our values include responsibility and integrity. We believe that breed labelling is inaccurate and that focusing on a breed label can provide a false expectation of behaviour for the new pet owner. Focusing on a breed label can lead to poor adoption matches because a person can speculate how that animal should behave in the home.
It is our responsibility to be truthful and honest, to treat each animal as an individual, to observe the behaviour of each animal and to share this information to the best of our ability with a potential adopter.
References:
Animal Farm Foundation (2021) Resource Library: Removing Breed Labels
Bradley, Janis (2011) The relevance of breed in selecting a companion dog, USA: National Canine Research Council, pg 40-41.
National Canine Research Council (2020) Canine Genome Infographic
Voith, Dr Victoria (2020) Comparison of visual and DNA breed identification of dogs and inter-observer reliability.
National Canine Research Council (2020) Visual identification of dogs: Can you guess the breed mix? Find the Pit Bull Infographic.
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