Is He a Blue Nose or a Red Nose???

My first foster for Ambassador Pit Bull Rescue was a 4 month old puppy named Dexter. He was a brindle and white boy with a black marbled (pink sections where pigment has not filled in) nose.  He was totally adorable!



Dexter

The night I picked him up from the intake volunteer I took him to Petsmart. I needed puppy food, and after over an hour in the car he needed to stretch his little legs.  As we were walking into the store a trio of scruffy, young, 20-something's stopped to admire Dexter. Looking directly at him, and his black marbled nose, one of them asked me: "Is he a red nose or a blue nose?"

AAAARGH!!!!

I wish I could say that I had a wonderful teaching moment, but the truth is that I did not. I made an attempt to be funny and say "His nose is black with pink speckles!" but they looked at me like I was a complete idiot.  Since I got a clear vibe that they were badass and knew everything about "pits" (except how to recognize the color of a nose themselves) I walked away instead and let Dexter pick a new stuffy toy.

The idea that "red nose" and "blue nose" are variations within the "breed" is false. It doesn't matter if a dog's nose is red, blue, black, or brown.  It's just a physical trait. It has nothing to do with how gentle or game, friendly or protective a dog will be.
Red and blue are simply dilute colors, produced by gene mutations from the parents.

When someone refers to a red nose dog they are likely referring to the Old Family Red Nose bloodline. They originated in Ireland and were notorious fighting champions first known as "Old Family Dogs".  During the decades long process of breeding for gameness , the "Old Family" (as they were known) inbred their dogs until they perfected their level of gameness and, as a byproduct, the physical traits that were unique to their blood line. The dogs in that strain all had red noses, fur and toenails, as well as amber colored eyes. They were fierce in the pit and they were the most sought after dogs in the fighting world. They were eventually brought to the US by immigrants, who attempted to make their own lines of red nose fighters. During that process the original strain was lost and there is no longer a "pure" Old Family Red Nose line.  There is a lot of history that I'm not going to go into here because it's not positive.  What I will say is people today who think they have an Old Family Red Nose are mistaken. I, for one, am glad that a fighting line as prominent as that one has been eradicated.

Blue dogs are said to be more docile and loving than other "variations" of APBT's. Like red dogs, blues are inbred to perfect the color and appearance of the offspring with little to no regard of health and temperament. When a blue line is established, breeding stock will only produce blue dogs. Once a dominant trait is lost it never comes back.  In all my years of rescue I have met dozens of temperamentally incorrect blue dogs. They were neither docile nor people loving, though they were gorgeous. I'm not saying that all blue dogs are this way, but what I AM saying is that I've met at least as many incorrect as correct blue dogs and that is dangerous for the people who buy them.

If you decide that you'd like to add a pit bull type dog to your family, don't get caught up in the color of the nose and fur, or the size of the dog.  Instead look for the correct temperament and health.  A temperamentally correct pit bull will seek attention from people and will be gentle with children. He or she will be eager to please, insanely smart, and extremely loyal.

If you meet a person who claims to know a lot about pit bulls and they start talking about the color of the nose, tune them out.  They are misinformed and likely not a person who acquires dogs for the joy and companionship they bring to our lives.  Any mention of the color of a nose is a red flag for me.