Please don't be judgmental but I would like some advice:  a friend has a 9 month old pup who we think is a pitbull cross.  She isn't coping, he is her first dog, is obviously very strong (mentally and physically) and she doesn't have the experience to handle him.  Are there any rescues that would take him in, or would they refuse/put him to sleep because of his breed?  Thank you in advance.

Where is your friend living - Pit Bulls are banned in the UK (which I'm sure you know) and PB 'types' are often being seized for what they are to be decided, usually only if involved in an attack however, I'd suggest. 

Given it's unknown what this puppy is, can 't she get help re sorting him out (training) so he doesn't need to be rehomed and risk being put down?   Can he go back to his breeder for him/her to rehome if it comes to that?

There are several rescues that deal specifically with bull breeds and often have ones that I would describe 'as type'. Try this one for example.

Personally I would not rehome anything that I suspected was a pit bull cross, particularly if I was having problems with it, in my opinion the right thing to do with such a dog would be to put it to sleep.

You'd put a perfectly healthy and non-aggressive dog to sleep, simply because of its breed??? 

While I am equally horrified at the idea of PTS simply because of type, it is illegal to rehome a pit bull or pit bull cross, so it may not be a matter of choice if she cannot keep it.

That said, we do not know if the dog definitely is a pittie cross, so it may be a moot point.  More likely it's a staffy cross and plenty of these can look very pit-like.  Unfortunately that does fall foul of the law, of course.  It's a very difficult area.

> usually only if involved in an attack however, I'd suggest. 

Sadly not - thousands have been seized simply for how they look, when they have done nothing wrong.  The law as it stands is awful.

> Given it's unknown what this puppy is, can 't she get help re sorting him out (training) so he doesn't need to be rehomed and risk being put down?   Can he go back to his breeder for him/her to rehome if it comes to that?

This would be my preference regardless of the breed - work with the dog in situ.  Bull breeds in general are among the hardest to find suitable homes for but in any case, I would always prefer to try and help and owner train their dog to be able to keep it, unless it's obvious from the get-go that the dog is in completely the wrong home and the situation isn't salvageable.  There is usually some improvement that can be made, though.

> You'd put a perfectly healthy and non-aggressive dog to sleep, simply because of its breed???

Yes, it's illegal to sell or rehome one, and even to own one that isn't exempt - and the procedure to register your dog as exempt is arduous, for the dog too.. so yes, if I couldn't keep it the only responsible option would be to put to sleep.

Sadly under the dda pts is something that can and is done simply because of breed . I feel there are a lot of things to consider here .maybe starting with can the dogs parentage be proved ? If pitbull that gives tier consideration than if it isn't just of.type

I know several people who've had their dog declared exempt and the dog is now muzzled and on lead always.  PTS is not something to be advocating for.  

But frankly, if it's a private rehome and she can find someone who wants him, that sounds preferable to me than involving a rescue who may have to follow the letter of the law and get the dog typed up, if he fits.

I'd advise they contact DDA Watch. They should be able to give them advice.

A bullbreed rescue would be a good bet although even then if the dog falls under the term type a rescue should report it and have it accessed before rehoming it.  Rember watching a program once at they were at the dogs trust and in a kennel Of dogs waiting to be accessed.

Thank you all for your helpful comments.  The situation is a mess and she’s really not the right home for him. I’ve passed on the helpful links but it will have to be her decision. I don’t think the ‘breeder’ will be the sort to take him back.

It is illegal to breed, sell or re-home a dog that comes under the dangerous dogs Act.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/65/section/1
"
(1) This section applies to—
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(a) any dog of the type known as the pit bull terrier;
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(b) any dog of the type known as the Japanese tosa; and
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(c) any dog of any type designated for the purposes of this section by an order of the Secretary of State, being a type appearing to him to be bred for fighting or to have the characteristics of a type bred for that purpose.
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(2) No person shall—
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(a) breed, or breed from, a dog to which this section applies;
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(b) sell or exchange such a dog or offer, advertise or expose such a dog for sale or exchange;
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(c) make or offer to make a gift of such a dog or advertise or expose such a dog as a gift;
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(d) allow such a dog of which he is the owner or of which he is for the time being in charge to be in a public place without being muzzled and kept on a lead; or
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(e) abandon such a dog of which he is the owner or, being the owner or for the time being in charge of such a dog, allow it to stray.

But this dog doesn't come under the DDA - he hasn't been typed up and found to be of-type and there is no legal definition of what a pitbull is. 

Until he is typed up, he is just a dog like any other dog...

That is my feeling on it, as things stand - there is no actual evidence that he is a pit bull, only a hunch, and more than likely he's simply a staffie cross that looks a bit like that.  Of course, that is sufficient for our idiotic legislation, but unless he is officially typed by a dog legislation officer, he is not pit or pit cross.

Please don't be judgmental but I would like some advice:  a friend has a 9 month old pup who we think is a pitbull cross.  She isn't coping, he is her first dog, is obviously very strong (mentally and physically) and she doesn't have the experience to handle him.  Are there any rescues that would take him in, or would they refuse/put him to sleep because of his breed?  Thank you in advance.

is the dog friendly around people/children and what's he like with other dogs/animals ....? in a nutshell , is he reliable ....?

You'd put a perfectly healthy and non-aggressive dog to sleep, simply because of its breed???

No, not because of ''its breed'', as the posts have made very, very clear >because of the law<

If I owned a Pitbull cross who had done absolutely nothing wrong, I would 'never' (not in a million years) hand him over to anyone knowing that the dog will most probably be put to sleep. Should the law then get changed at a later date (because the law was wrong) which is a strong possibility, at least you can still sleep at night knowing that you done everything possible to 'protect' an innocent dog.

This dog is not a pitbull cross.  He has not been assessed or measured up as one.  In the eyes of THE LAW, he is not a pitbull cross or a pitbull or a banned breed.  He is a dog.

Therefore, there is no basis for putting him to sleep.

Until a dog has been seized by the authorities as being of a suspected pitbull type, kept until adult and not adolescent so he is able to be measured up, and then deemed to be a pitbull, he is not subject to any LAWS, restrictions or penalties whatsoever.  He can be sold, change hands, or otherwise rehomed.  Nothing illegal about it.

If a rescue decides to turn him over to the authorities and have him measured up, that would be down to the individual rescue to decide to do that and it might be an idea to get a sense of where a rescue stands on this policy, when deciding which rescue to use (if any).  Private rehoming would be subject to no restriction.  Otherwise a bazillion people who rehome bull breeds each year would be breaking the law.

Ignore button back on

Not to do specifically with this case, as I fully agree with you, but this caught my eye:

> kept until adult and not adolescent so he is able to be measured up

There have been incidents of litters of young puppies being looked at to see if they were type.  And yep, some were.  And some weren't!  It's a farce, it really is.

If a rescue decides to turn him over to the authorities and have him measured up

I don't get why some folks are suggesting 'a rescue' - for those who it has not yet dawned on, rescues are all (as far as I know) charities who get voluntary donations from the public, specificly, to re-home dogs suitable to be rehomed & live out  their lives as normal dogs.
If they (rescue charities) start spending the donated money 'outside' the designated perameter's they ask for money for, which is whats being suggested by some here, they are no longer a 'rescue' as normally defined by average men & women, the charity would have to state clearly they were trying to rehome illegal 'property' (in law dogs are property)otherwise risk a 'gaining money by false pretences' charge.