We were chatting about 'pit bulls' the other day.

As usual, the question that weighs on all our minds came up.

"What are all these mixed-breed dogs that people call 'pit bulls', anyway?  They can't possibly all be related to the banned breeds, because there just aren't enough of those dogs in Canada to account for all the short-haired, medium sized mutts out there."

It's true.

When you look at the CKC registrations for any given year, you can see that Staffordshire Bull terriers and American Staffordshire terriers are very rare breeds indeed.  The American Pit Bull terrier, recognized by other registries, is equally scarce around here.

While 2006, the year I used for my chart, was somewhat unusual in that no AmStaffs or Staffords were registered for that year in Ontario, it really didn't have a big impact on breed numbers overall.

For example, information I obtained from the CKC indicates that during the seven years of 2000 - 2006 inclusive, there were 69 American Staffordshire terriers registered in Ontario, or roughly 10 per year.

So this really does beg the question:  What are all these mixed breed, so-called 'pit bulls' that the media people, officials and non-doggy types on the street are always yammering on about?

Are they Labrador retriever mixes?  Labs are, after all, the most popular registered dogs in Canada.  We've all seen a wide variety of Lab crosses - some have smooth coats, some don't.  Some have a short, stout frame, others are lean and rangy.  The conformation Labs these days look remarkably like double-coated AmStaffs to me - similar size, similar head, amber eyes, deep chest, legs on the short side, well sprung ribs - they really aren't that different overall.

How about Beagles?  There are lots of Beagles around.  If I mixed a Beagle with a Jack Russell or a Whippet, would I have a dog that could be called a 'pit bull'? 

A Boxer crossed with anything could end up looking like a 'pit bull', no question.  Seek and you shall find and all that.

Since the Jack Russell terrier already contains Staffordshire Bull terrier in its ancestry, it is technically a 'pit bull' too, as much as any other dog is, so maybe some of these mutts are Jack crosses.

Dogs, left to their own devices and freed from the tight genetic control created by conscious breeding, would return to a very primitive pariah-type within a few generations.  Breeds are really nothing but shapes and sizes kept isolated to preserve superficial traits.  Breeding simulates (and accelerates) the natural isolation which created distinct types of dogs in different parts of the world, even though they are all virtually identical genetically.  Selection pressure is created by humans instead of the environment overall, usually for esthetic or pragmatic reasons that have little to do with the ability to survive in nature.  Which is fine by me.

It is not at all difficult to accept that all these so-called 'pit bulls' are really nothing but the old Heinz 57 - a product of multi-generational random (natural) or backyard breeding, a link in the chain of reversion to the original pariah, or primitive type of dog.

And wouldn't that be a kick in the caboose for all the dog-haters and pontificators out there?

As we like to say, no dog and every dog is a 'pit bull' at the same time.

Ain't it the truth.