Breed labels assigned to dogs of unknown origin are usually inaccurate.

Victoria Voith, PhD, DVM, DACVB, and colleagues from Western University of Health Sciences surveyed adoption agency personnel, asking them to name the breed or breeds of mixed breed dogs whose origins they did not know, and then comparing their guesses to DNA analysis of the same dogs.

Dr. Victoria Voith describes her research concluding that there is little correlation between dog adoption agencies' identification of probable breed composition with the identification of breeds by DNA analysis.

NCRC Interview with Dr. Victoria Voith.

Dr. Voith has published the following materials establishing the unreliability of visual identification of dogs of unknown origin:

- A Comparison of Visual and DNA Identification of Breeds of Dogs, Victoria Voith, Ph.D., DVM, DACVB (AVMA July 2009).

- Comparison of Adoption Agency Breed Identification and DNA Breed Identification of Dogs, Victoria Voith, Ph.D., DVM, DACVB (presented at ACVB/AVSAB July 2010).

An important new study by Maddie's Fund conducted at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida further confirms the unreliability of visual breed identification used in dog adoption, lost and found, and regulation.

- Read the NCRC commentary: Dog breed identification is no basis for public policy.

It is impossible to predict the behavior of dogs of unknown history and genetics solely on the basis of appearance.

- The Relevance of Breed in Selecting a Companion Dog, Janis Bradley

- Breed Labeling Dogs of Unknown Origin, Amy Marder, V.M.D., CAAB, and Bernice Clifford, CPDT.

- Breed Specific or Looks Specific, Kristopher Irizarry, Ph.D.

- Video Interview with Dr. Kristopher Irizarry.

- Don't Let Liability Hysteria Keep You From Sending Good Dogs Home, Bonnie Lutz, Esq.

- Breeds and Behavior, by Janis Bradley, The Bark, April/May 2011.

- Canadian study shows no difference in suitability as pets between "pit bull" dogs and other kinds of dogs, MacNeil et al

- It's Not Just Semantics, Words Do Matter, by Pamela J. Reid, Ph.D., CAAB.

- Poster: Can you guess the mix of breeds in these dogs? Which are Labrador mixes?

- Poster: Can you guess the mix of breeds in these dogs? Which are Pit Bull mixes?

To understand more about the dogs you live with, read this NCRC interview with Dr. Alexandra Horowitz, author of the best-selling book, Inside of a Dog.

 ". . . in the aftermath of a highly-publicized event people are often more fearful than they ought to be – the phenomenon of 'availability bias.' An available incident can lead to excessive fixation on worst-case scenarios – just as the absence of such an incident can lead to an unjustified sense of security."

- Cass R. Sunstein, University of Chicago

Click here to read An Historical Overview of how media has shaped our impression of dogs, or download a free copy of The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths, and Politics of Canine Aggression, by Karen Delise for a full understanding of the topic.

Media Reporting Of Canine Aggression: Distinguishing fact from fiction.

Headlines and reporting decisions influence what we believe about dogs:

2008 NCRC Report On Media Bias.

2007 NCRC Report On Media Bias.

Breed identification of dogs of unknown origin is usually inaccurate. Read more about Breed Identification.

Limitations of the media. Today's expectations for lightning-speed, sensationalized reporting create barriers to accurate, documented reporting of dog-related injuries. Click here to gain a better understanding of how deadlines and audience interest instill fear and impact what we believe about dogs.

"Resident dog" v. "Family dog." Frequently, news stories report that a dog involved in an incident is a "family dog" where "resident dog" is a more accurate description. The distinction between a "family dog" and a "resident dog" is an important one. Click here to learn more about this distinction.

The quality of a dog's relationship to humans is a critical determinant of social behavior.

Troublemakers: What Pit Bulls Can Teach Us About Profiling, by Malcolm Gladwell, The New Yorker, February 6, 2006.

America's Blame Game Goes to the Dogs, by Karen Delise, published by the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals e-newsletter Out of the Cage, Spring 2008.

Myths About Dogs - Many myths have surrounded different kinds of dogs throughout history. Today, many myths are perpetuated about "pit bull" dogs. Click here to learn more about what is "Fear" and what is "Fact."

Dogs have lived as loved and loving friends to human beings for thousands of years, but it is only in the last few decades, as their role as companions has become indisputably their primary one, that we have begun to understand how much their companionship benefits us. Living with dogs makes tens of millions of people in the U.S. healthier, happier, calmer, and more likely to interact with other people.

At the same time, though, we have come to idealize dogs so much that we overreact if they express any irritation, however slight, at any other creature, especially ourselves. There are studies that attempt to count and track every nip, even when no harm whatever is done. Dog bites are usually so minor that typically children who have been on the receiving end are no more likely to fear dogs than their friends who haven't been nipped.

This overreaction becomes even more marked when a dog bite actually reaches the level of significant injury. These incidents are often described cumulatively as "epidemic," or as a major public health issue, even though hundreds of thousands more people are seriously injured in falls than by dogs. We are in far more danger from ourselves and other people than we are from dogs.

To help keep the risk of living with dogs in perspective, and to understand the small risk dogs pose in comparison to other risks that we regularly accept, we discuss dog bites in depth in a separate section of the website that can be viewed by clicking here.