1. Fact: “Pit Bull” is not an official breed. “Pit Bull” is an umbrella term generally considered to include the following 3 registered dog breeds: Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier and American Pit Bull Terrier.
Many dogs classified as “pit bulls” are actually a combination of mixed dogs of unknown parentage or other purebred dogs that bear some physical resemblance. It is not easy to identify the origin of a dog breed based on appearance alone, which is why many dogs labeled as Pit Bull type dogs are not.
Part 1: “Tyke” and Its Cognates
The word dog is a bête noire in English etymology. With no obvious lineage anywhere (the languages that have a dog are said to have borrowed it from English), it had a shadowy existence in Old English but managed to chase from its dignified position the ancient name of man’s best friend, the name it has kept in the rest of Germanic. Before even making a cursory guess as to where the dog came from, it will pay to research the bigger picture, that is to inquire about other known names for “dog” and also for various dog breeds.
Some such names are self-explanatory: for example spaniel and Bolognese (Spain, Bologna). Some easily give away their romantic roots: terrier is such (terra “earth”); others, such as the beagle and mastiff, are considerably less transparent. Poodle, from German, seems to designate a creature that loves to splash in puddles. Talbot is apparently derived from Talbot’s personal name: the image of a greyhound was borne in the coat of arms of the Talbot family. We are told that the Collie is related to coal because the oldest breed was black. The words for “dog” and its breeds sometimes go back to names such as “fierce”, “tame”, “fast”, “loud” and even “musical” (the latter two describe the animal’s bark) or dominant color (the collie is not the only the example). Dog may be related to Latin canis “dog”, but the vowels do not fit well and the final -d has never been explained. The origin of the Latin noun is also unclear despite numerous conjectures about its origin. The idea of the kinship of the dog and the Gothic verb meaning “to catch” (there; þ = th) was abandoned long ago, even though this approach is quite attractive and has a figure no less than that of Jacob Grimm. Also, hunting is not a sister-in-law.
What do you call a dog that has been sprayed?
A grassy female dog is still called a bitch.
Again, if you’re not talking to breeders or dog show attendees, “bred dog” will work just fine. Our female dog, Tiki, is a sprite, so if I were to talk to someone about her, I would describe her as a “grumpy dog”.
doggu– ドッグ – Dog
Japanese also pick up and imitate English words and culture. This is evident in the Japanese term doggu ドッグ which means “dog”. Some non-native speakers of Japanese will feel comfortable calling their dog, doggu, because the tone is similar to the English word for dog.
Kaiinu is a dog that you take as a pet in your home. These dogs are friendly, serving as a companion and reducing your loneliness, while also encouraging exercise and playfulness. Although this word is not often used by most people, it is rarely used when differentiating a pet dog from a stray dog known as a norainu (野良犬), during conversation.
How about Spot then?
A popular book series between the 1930s and 60s, Dick and Jane featured a character named Spot.
Originally Spot was a cat, but it was later their dog.