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Travel with a rottie or other "dangerous" breed
DH and I are going to adopt our foster dog, the sweetest rottie mixed with something - maybe mastiff, shar pei or hound. Here's a picture of her - I can't seem to upload it from my mac or make the link clicky - sorry. http://adoptrose.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/img_23422.jpg
Anyway, we're planning a couple road trips and want to bring her and our other dog. I called one hotel so far and they were fine with our lab but said no to the rottie.
Is this typical? Before I start calling more places, does anyone have suggestions on how to handle the question? Should I bring it up if they don't ask what kind of dogs we have? I'd hate to show up somewhere and be turned away. This really sucks because she is the sweetest dog.
Anything else we should think about when traveling with her?
Tired after a long morning of hiking and swimming.
Re: Travel with a rottie or other "dangerous" breed
I have no experience with this, but I just wanted to say how much that sucks that the hotel turned you down. One of my pups is a pit mix, and I've learned the hard way, that no matter how sweet she is, some people just do not like the breed.
Maybe, if they ask what type of breed, just say 'two mutts, we're not really sure what they are!', or 'a lab mix and a mastiff mix?' You'd be telling the truth one hundred percent if you said she was a mix.
For example, if I were ever to come across an issue like that, I do have the paper work that my vet specifically has her down as a 'mix breed, pit/boxer/lab'.
PS- saw her picture. And I just want to give her a big hug!!!! I can definately see mastiff.
Try searching for friendly hotels at http://gopetfriendlyblog.com
The site was born out of a complaint similar to yours - hotels not allowing "dangerous" dog breeds.
I feel like lying doesn't do anything to solve the problem.
Advocates (and enforcers) of BSL don't care what you say your dog is. If they think it's a pit bull, it's a pit bull and it's on you to prove otherwise.
The way to change policies is through education, and "rewarding" businesses that don't discriminate based on breed by patronizing them over businesses that do.
Thanks everyone. I will say she's a mix, which really is true, and hope for the best. I was thinking about it and most of the hotels we've stayed at put dog friendly rooms on one side of the hotel with a door that bypasses the lobby so that could help too.
I hadn't thought about how to register her with the city. I believe MN has a law prohibiting cities from passing BSL so hopefully it's something I won't have to worry about but better safe than sorry. Our vet has her listed as a Rottie mix but doesn't list what else she's mixed with. Maybe I should ask them to, or have them list mastiff mix instead.
Is there anything else I should think about in general with having a rottie? I never even thought about any of this before. Blach.
Tired after a long morning of hiking and swimming.
If your vet changes his paperwork, I'd question his ethics.
And by requesting this change, you are enabling breed discrimination policies. You are essentially saying, "Yes, you're right, there IS something wrong with them and I should hide that side of him."
I'm curious why you would question the vet's ethics? I'm the one who told them rottie mix. At our first visit, the vet said she thought the dog has some shar pei or hound.
I see what you're saying about the second point but at the same time I need to protect my dog. If I can do that by having records say she has these other breeds in her then I'll do it. You are right that people look at her and see rottie and to them, that's what she is and nothing I say can change it. But those are the times we can educate. One guy in the neighborhood used to send his kids in the house when he saw us coming. Now they can be outside but can't come near our dog. Baby steps. I'm not sure how having a record say she's a rottie would educate him or stop breed discrimination. But I've never had to deal with any of this before so I'm just going off the little bit I know and have seen.
I also wouldn't support a business or organization that discriminates if I'm aware of the issue. Verizon had a commercial a while back with a pit bull, if I remember right. I ate the early termination fee and switched carriers because I didn't feel good about giving them my money. I do that on so many other issues that it drives my husband crazy.
Tired after a long morning of hiking and swimming.
I find the "questioning of ethics" to be a bit ridiculous. There is nothing wrong about changing a generalized "label" that is typically used more to identify the dog when there are multiples in the room. Some purebred dogs do have genetic predispositions for certain diseases, but that basically goes out the window with any mix breed animal so there is no ethical reason to maintain a specific breed mix on the record.
There is no need to lie, but saying your have a lab and a mixed breed dog is far from a lie.
Now that is a vicious face if I ever saw one.
And I agree with others who said calling her a mastiff mix is no more of a lie than saying she's a rottie mix. Just because she LOOKS like a particular breed, doesn't mean she is that breed. And when a dog isn't a purebred, you really can't lie about what "type" of dog they are because they aren't on single type. A short haired hound looking dog could be mixed with poodle for all we know.
Try visiting Miami or Denver with a short, stocky barrel-chested dog with a square head. No matter what you say it is, they'll call it a pit bull, confiscate it, and kill it.
OK, maybe unethical is a bit far, but I still think it's wrong. If no other reason than it doesn't address the root of the issue.
There are times to address the issue and times to just get business taken care of. If she talks to a hotel on the phone says Rottie mix and they say no can do how is that helping? If she says mixed breed gets the ok and walks through their hotel with a sweet, loving Rottie ish looking dog they have to make the connection that THAT dog may fit their list of aggressive dogs but in reality it shouldn't. I think that goes a heck of a lot farther for awareness than what you suggest.
And same goes with the breed label on the records. If changing the label gets her into situations to educate and change misconceptions is that bad?
If I spoke with a hotel on the phone that would not allow my pit bull, I wouldn't be patronizing that business, even if I called back and said I had a "mixed breed."
If she's changing the vet records to hide the fact that her dog is a Rottie mix, that's not educating anybody.
I see every interaction as an opportunity for education. I feel that hiding my dog's (possible) breed mix is letting the pro-BSL side win. I'm proud of my pit-bull-type dog. I had a hell of a time finding an apartment that would allow me to keep him, but it never crossed my mind to lie about his mix, just for my convenience.
Not exactly. I can't speak for Miami, but in Denver they're more likely to tell you to get out of the county immediately as long as you don't reside there. I still never felt comfortable driving my dead-ringer-for-a-pit dog through the city, but I did have a run-in with code-enforcement, and they simply requested that I take him home. (I lived in the suburbs.) Forget trying to live there with one, though. The city went on a huge rampage a few years ago and started confiscating pits left and right.
i totally agree with this...at the end of the day....i will do anything i need to do to protect my dogs in any given situation. I do tons of work with pit bull groups and rescues, and I know first hand that it is a society issue. It's going to take a lot more than one person or a rescue group to change anything....in the meantime, I do what i need to do. And there is no lying going on...if it's a mix..it's a mix!
How is getting out in public with your dog educational if you're not forthcoming with the dog's (potential) "dangerous" breed in its genetic history?
According to this blog, written by a vet in Miami, the first fine for a pitbull citation in Miami-Dade is $500, and the second is $10K. And it doesn't matter whether your dog is a pit or if someone thinks they just look like a pit.
Scary stuff! I hate BSL!
"The hardest thing is to live richly in the present without letting it be tainted out of fear for the future or regret for the past." - Sylvia Plath
Wow, lots of things to think about. I respect and appreciate everyone's opinions, really.
It's scary to think that Miami and Denver are like that. We were actually talking about driving from Minnesota to San Francisco and stopping in Denver but obviously that's a bad idea. I would go absolutely crazy if someone tried to take her from us. I'm talking you would hear about me on the national news crazy.
I was able to find a place to stay for one of our trips. It's a resort near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in MN and they actually work with a reduce and have a dog weekend with seminars and activities just for dogs! We aren't staying for that weekend but they assured me that breed isn't an issue. Still working on the other trip.
Tired after a long morning of hiking and swimming.
You can still stop here. Rotties aren't illegal, and other than Denver and Aurora (which I grant you is a large part of the metro area) pits are OK, too.
Wow, who knew this post would start up such a great debate.
After more searching, we got our summer vacation plans in order. It seems like a lot of hotels have size or number limits on dogs - go figure. I got sick of calling hotels so I looked at vacation rentals on vrbo.com. We found some great places that don't have any dog restrictions so now we're all set. And I bookmarked them for future trips.
This is off the topic of travel but it's so interesting how different people react to her. We've had everything from people who cross the road when they see us to people who stop us to ask if we're going to breed her because they'd like a puppy. Our other dog is a black lab so I'm not used to all these reactions.
Tired after a long morning of hiking and swimming.