Dog Dna Proves Gold Coast Council Made Wrong Breed Id

[J.H.M]

The family appealed against the decision and last week lodged DNA tests conducted by a private company to support their case.

The $299 tests by the Melbourne lab revealed that Whero was a golden retriever/Boston terrier cross and Mau was a Staffordshire bull terrier/boxer cross, which are both legal crossbreeds.

If this was the "BITSA" dog breed identification test, then the american pitbull terrier isn't one of the breeds it is able to identify. So it's no surprise if the dogs didn't come back as pitbull. They wouldn't have done so even if they were pure pit!

Lucky for these dogs that the council didn't look too closely at the test's fine print.

apparently an Amstaff is an APBT on the Gold Coast now and they do identify an amstaff so ergo.....

More awesome work by QLD government odds on they will piss away vast sums of taxpayer money trying to work their way out of the hole they dug for themselves trying to keep this draconian law viable, smart state my ass

Edited July 24, 2010 by JRM75

[Staranais]

The family appealed against the decision and last week lodged DNA tests conducted by a private company to support their case.

The $299 tests by the Melbourne lab revealed that Whero was a golden retriever/Boston terrier cross and Mau was a Staffordshire bull terrier/boxer cross, which are both legal crossbreeds.

If this was the "BITSA" dog breed identification test, then the american pitbull terrier isn't one of the breeds it is able to identify. So it's no surprise if the dogs didn't come back as pitbull. They wouldn't have done so even if they were pure pit!

Lucky for these dogs that the council didn't look too closely at the test's fine print.

apparently an Amstaff is an APBT on the Gold Coast now and they do identify an amstaff so ergo.....

Oh I see. So if the test identified them as Amstaff, then they would have been in the poo?

I still think they're lucky dogs though.

[helenb]

could somebody please explain to me how to tell a pitbull from an amstaff (no - no jokes about whether it has rego papers or not) I would genuinely like to know what features ppl use to decide what is what

can DNA do it?

[steve11]

could somebody please explain to me how to tell a pitbull from an amstaff (no - no jokes about whether it has rego papers or not) I would genuinely like to know what features ppl use to decide what is what

can DNA do it?

There is no way to be certain by features alone as both breeds were once the same breed. However, generally speaking a good Amstaff has a wider head & chest than that of the Pitbull which has a more brick like head & a narrower chest. The reason for these differences is in the way the standard is interprited for the Amstaff & the fact that the Amstaff was bred solely for looks whereas the Pitbull was bred for ability.

[Robbi]

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American Staffordshire Terrier Breed Standard

Terrier Group

General Impression

The American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. His courage is proverbial.

Head

Medium length, deep through, broad skull, very pronounced cheek muscles, distinct stop; and ears are set high. Ears - Cropped or uncropped, the latter preferred. Uncropped ears should be short and held rose or half prick. Full drop to be penalized. Eyes - Dark and round, low down in skull and set far apart. No pink eyelids. Muzzle - Medium length, rounded on upper side to fall away abruptly below eyes. Jaws well defined. Underjaw to be strong and have biting power. Lips close and even, no looseness. Upper teeth to meet tightly outside lower teeth in front. Nose definitely black.

Neck

Heavy, slightly arched, tapering from shoulders to back of skull. No looseness of skin. Medium length.

Shoulders

Strong and muscular with blades wide and sloping.

Back

Fairly short. Slight sloping from withers to rump with gentle short slope at rump to base of tail. Loins slightly tucked.

Body

Well-sprung ribs, deep in rear. All ribs close together. Forelegs set rather wide apart to permit chest development. Chest deep and broad.

Tail

Short in comparison to size, low set, tapering to a fine point; not curled or held over back. Not docked.

Legs

The front legs should be straight, large or round bones, pastern upright. No semblance of bend in front. Hindquarters well-muscled, let down at hocks, turning neither in nor out. Feet of moderate size, well-arched and compact. Gait must be springy but without roll or pace.

Coat

Short, close, stiff to the touch, and glossy.

Color

Any color, solid, parti, or patched is permissible, but all white, more than 80 per cent white, black and tan, and liver not to be encouraged.

Size

Height and weight should be in proportion. A height of about 18 to 19 inches at shoulders for the male and 17 to 18 inches for the female is to be considered preferable.

Faults

Faults to be penalized are: Dudley nose, light or pink eyes, tail too long or badly carried, undershot or overshot mouths.

Approved June 10, 1936

American Staffordshire Terrier Links

[Robbi]

GENERAL APPEARANCE

The American Pit Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, solidly built, short-coated dog with smooth, well-defined musculature. This breed is both powerful and athletic. The body is just slightly longer than tall, but bitches may be somewhat longer in body than dogs. The length of the front leg (measured from point of elbow to the ground) is approximately equal to one-half of the dog’s height at the withers. The head is of medium length, with a broad, flat skull, and a wide, deep muzzle. Ears are small to medium in size, high set, and may be natural or cropped. The relatively short tail is set low, thick at the base and tapers to a point. The American Pit Bull Terrier comes in all colors and color patterns except merle. This breed combines strength and athleticism with grace and agility and should never appear bulky or muscle-bound or fine-boned and rangy. Above all else, the APBT must have the functional capability to be a catch dog that can hold, wrestle (push and pull) and breathe easily while doing its job. Balance and harmony of all parts are critical components of breed type.

Very Serious Fault: Any disproportionate overdone characteristic (such as short legs, excessive bone or massive head or body) that would interfere with working ability.

CHARACTERISTICS

The essential characteristics of the American Pit Bull Terrier are strength, confidence, and zest for life. This breed is eager to please and brimming over with enthusiasm. APBTs make excellent family companions and have always been noted for their love of children. Because most APBTs exhibit some level of dog aggression and because of its powerful physique, the APBT requires an owner who will carefully socialize and obedience train the dog. The breed’s natural agility makes it one of the most capable canine climbers so good fencing is a must for this breed. The APBT is not the best choice for a guard dog since they are extremely friendly, even with strangers. Aggressive behavior toward humans is uncharacteristic of the breed and highly undesirable. This breed does very well in performance events because of its high level of intelligence and its willingness to work.

HEAD

The APBT head is unique and a key element of breed type. It is large and broad, giving the impression of great power, but it is not disproportionate to the size of the body. Viewed from the skull and muzzle are parallel to one another and joined by a well defined, moderately deep stop. Supraorbital arches over the eyes are well defined but not pronounced. The head is well chiseled, blending strength, elegance, and character.

Very Serious Fault: Overly large, heavy heads.

SKULL - The skull is large, flat or slightly rounded, deep, and broad between the ears. Viewed from the top, the skull tapers just slightly toward the stop. There is a deep median furrow that diminishes in depth from the stop to the occiput. Cheek muscles are prominent but free of wrinkles. When the dog is concentrating, wrinkles form on the forehead, which give the APBT his unique expression.

MUZZLE - The muzzle is broad and deep with a very slight taper from the stop to the nose, and a slight falling away under the eyes. The length of muzzle is shorter than the length of skull, with a ratio of approximately 2:3. The topline of the muzzle is straight. The lower jaw is well developed, wide and deep. Lips are clean and tight.

Faults: Snipey muzzle; flews; weak lower jaw.

Very Serious Fault: Muzzle too short, which impairs breathing capability.

TEETH - The American Pit Bull Terrier has a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth meeting in a scissors bite.

Fault: Level bite.

Serious Faults: Undershot, or overshot bite; wry mouth; missing teeth (this does not apply to teeth that have been lost or removed by a veterinarian).

NOSE - The nose is large with wide, open nostrils. The nose may be any color.

EYES - Eyes are medium size, round and set well apart and low on the skull. All colors are equally acceptable except blue, which is a serious fault. Haw should not be visible.

Serious Faults: Bulging eyes; both eyes not matched in color; blue eyes.

EARS - Ears are high set and may be natural or cropped without preference. Prick or flat, wide ears are not desired.

NECK

The neck is of moderate length and muscular. There is a slight arch at the crest. The neck widens gradually from where it joins the skull to where it blends into well laid-back shoulders. The skin on the neck is tight and without dewlap.

[GeckoTree]

Standards mean naught for identification, that 22 point test they used was created by bastardising the breed standard for the APBT.

A breed standard cannot be used for breed identification period, that is not its intent.