# Pharoah hound/Pit mix???



## Nora lind (Jan 7, 2022)

Hello! This is Maggie, I recently adopted her from a shelter in 2021 and we were told she was a pit mix but had no idea what she could be mixed with. We were thinking Pharoah hound but I have no idea. Any suggestions on what she could be mixed with are welcome!!! I'll also answer any questions regarding her  thanks


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Maggie is lovely.

Depending on what part of the country you're in, the two breeds you mentioned are quite rare. So mixes of those breeds would also be rare.

Shelters usually call unknown mixes pit or lab mixes because there seems to be a rule of nature that all mixed breed dogs have lab or pit or both. My daughter has two dogs that are vastly different physically, but DNA tests say that both are high content pit mixes. 

Embark or Wisdom Panel DNA tests are not perfect but can give you some strong clues. I will always regret not doing one of those on Esther, our alleged Plott hound. She may have been all Plott, no Plott at all or something in between. Plotts are actually pretty common in Wisconsin because people hunt bears here. I can't imagine why.


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## Toedtoes (Sep 25, 2021)

I agree. Pharoah hounds are not common enough in the states to be likely in a mix dog.

Some things about mixed breeds:

1. Outside of "designer dogs", most mixes have at least three breeds in them. Often more.

2. Not every breed in the mix will present itself physically. So while the dog may not look at all like a poodle, he may have poodle in his makeup. Same for temperament and behavior. The smaller the amount of a breed, the less likely you'll "see" it in the dog.

3. When breeds mix, they do weird things. The physical traits from each breed may combine to create something different. A large dog may have small dog dna - he just got his size from a large breed in the mix, or visa versa. A dog may get her body shape from a lab and her legs from a bassett. Or a dog may get her ears from a beagle and her muzzle shape from a pug and her tail from an akita.

With all that, the most accurate way of determining the breeds is to do a dna test. Embark and Wisdom Panel are good but more expensive. For dogs here in North America, a less expensive test is dnamydog. It doesn't test for breeds that are rare in North America and they don't do health testing, so the cost is lower. They also don't test for "pit bull" as it is not really a breed in itself. They do test for staffordshire, etc. that have been used to create "pit bulls". I've used them on my past three dogs and have been very satisfied with the results.

Maggie is very cute. She may have weimereiner in her, maybe cattle dog, maybe pointer or setter in there (if the raised foot is an indication). She may have boxer, staffordshire, etc, in her also.


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## Khecha Wacipi (Oct 10, 2021)

What a magnificent looking dog.

I don't think there is any part of the USA where pit bulls are "rare"!
they are everywhere, 

although they are more prevalent in some places than in others, I have been in and through and lived in a great many states and have always seen pit bulls and pit mixes everywhere. 

I do see a potential for pit bull in the dog, and those ears look like those of a pharoah hound, but as Toedtoes says, unlike pit bulls pharoah hounds are rare, so that is not likely. And.....you never know.

I also agree with Toedtoes in that you cannot really tell what a dog is by the appearance, and there could be a dozen or more breeds making up your dog. A DNA test would be fun, and if you do it come here and let us know!


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## DaySleepers (Apr 9, 2011)

I love those ears!

The other posters are right, pharoah hounds are pretty rare in most parts of the US, so unless you live somewhere with an unusually large population that's probably unlikely. It's possible that some kind of sight hound is in there - it's hard to see her body structure without a full-body side-on picture of her standing. Shepherd and husky are also possible, despite the short coat! Maybe a couple generations back, but it'd explain the ears. Pit bull mix could well be accurate, either with American Pit Bull Terrier or Amstaff, or it could be something like a boxer or American bulldog! She's probably a mix of a mix. They're called fairy tale mixes over here, which I've always thought was a very charming way to put it.


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## Toedtoes (Sep 25, 2021)

I like the term "fairy tale mix".


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## LeoRose (Aug 20, 2015)

She's very pretty. 

Considering that Pharaoh Hounds ranked number 180 out of 195 breeds in AKC registration in 2020, the odds of her being a PH mix are pretty low. Pibble mixes on the other hand, are quite common pretty much everywhere, so the odds of her being a pittie mix are high. As to what else is in there... it's anybody's guess. If you did a "guess the breeds" DNA test, I wouldn't be surprised to see something like Rat Terrier or other feist-type breed in there somewhere.


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## 3GSD4IPO (Jun 8, 2016)

That's a Pit Mix if ever I saw one. The jowls, the eyes.. the shape of the head. 

In fact, those who are "into" Pits would say "red nose pit mix...


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## Toedtoes (Sep 25, 2021)

I don't necessarily see pit in her. Her head shape could be pit or boxer or any number of bully breeds or even hound or retriever. The eyes could be from a multitude of breeds including hounds, spaniels, retreivers, heelers, etc. Her jowls and muzzle don't strike me as pit at all. 

She very well could have pit in her, but I wouldn't say it's a given.


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## Nora lind (Jan 7, 2022)

Nora lind said:


> Hello! This is Maggie, I recently adopted her from a shelter in 2021 and we were told she was a pit mix but had no idea what she could be mixed with. We were thinking Pharoah hound but I have no idea. Any suggestions on what she could be mixed with are welcome!!! I'll also answer any questions regarding her  thanks
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Edit: Thanks for all the responses! I would like to add that she was a rescue from Texas where she was found as a stray. Also another pic of her for fun:


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## LeoRose (Aug 20, 2015)

If she's from Texas, then pibble x Rat Terrier x who knows what is a good possibility. 

PS: Where in Texas? I know both my city shelter and local humane society will send animals to other places where the odds of them getting adopted are better.


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## Nora lind (Jan 7, 2022)

LeoRose said:


> If she's from Texas, then pibble x Rat Terrier x who knows what is a good possibility.
> 
> PS: Where in Texas? I know both my city shelter and local humane society will send animals to other places where the odds of them getting adopted are better.


I Have no clue on where in Texas she was found, we were told she was going to get euthanized so her and a bunch of other dogs were sent up to the animal shelter in Ashland, WI Where I found her. I assumed they were getting overcrowded in the Texas shelter


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## Deacon.dog (Mar 8, 2020)

She looks like every other bully mutt I've ever seen in shelters. If you really want to know, try an embark.


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## Khecha Wacipi (Oct 10, 2021)

Deacon.dog said:


> She looks like every other bully mutt I've ever seen in shelters. If you really want to know, try an embark.


That is very surprising to me, as almost all of the bully mixes that I see here (and it is the most common dog mix by far) have ears that are significantly different from this dog's ears . They are rarely such stand-up ears, although of course if there is GSD in the mix, it will usually product those ears..

It is interesting how that may vary from one part of the country to another, and must depend at least in part on the other most common breeds that go into the mix being different.


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## Toedtoes (Sep 25, 2021)

I really don't see anything specific to bully breeds. The coloring and eyes can come from many other breeds. The chest is far too narrow for most bully breeds. She looks more "refined" in structure to me - more hunting dog than bully.


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