Stealth

My experiences while dog-walking seem to be different than that of most pitbull bloggers. When I walk my dogs, people don't jump out of the way, clutching their children tightly. No one lectures me about how dangerous pitbulls are. A few people pick up their tiny dogs, and a few people eye us warily and give us a wide berth, but I think they would do that for anyone. Mostly, people react by smiling, waving, and saying hi (while their children bark at my dogs for some unknown reason).

Maybe I should pick up Mushroom when we pass someone who picks up their tiny, barking dog. Bet that would make them feel silly

Now, I don't think I live in non-dog-judgmental utopia. I think it's because I have stealth pitbulls.

Badger stealthily sneaking a sip of my cream soda

 
Badger and Mushroom, though they resemble pitbull-type dogs more than any other type of dog, are very mutty and look like they could be any mix of breeds. Badger has a medium-length coat. Mushroom is very small, weighing in at 33 lbs fully grown. If someone asks what breed they are, I'm torn about whether or not to say they're pit mixes. After all, we don't know for sure what they are. On the other hand, they're cute and pretty well-behaved (especially when wearing their Gentle Leaders), so they could potentially be good ambassadogs. I guess it doesn't matter too much, because they're usually strangers who we'll never see again.

It took so many tries to get this picture because Badger kept trying to lick my phone

However, I've recently started looking for a training program and an in-home pet-sitter. I've read that pitbull-type dogs might not be accepted in some places. Do I awkwardly ask if they accept pit mixes because my mutts might be part pitbull? Or do I stick with the breeds listed on their vet records (Cocker Spaniel/Border Collie for Badger and Lab/Terrier for Mushroom) and skip the whole pitbull topic?

Badger's smile would probably give us away

What would you do?