Receptionist hands me the chart for the drop-off appointment. New client, new dog, just adopted from shelter. The shelter records indicate that she is a 2 yr F/S white & brindle Whippet mix. Her name is Libby (not really). Good stuff. I check her vaccine history and get her boosters ready. I grab a leash and walk out the drop-off cages, where I see three dogs - a big Lab, a Pit Bull, and a nervous-looking Maltese sandwiched in middle cage. Hmm. No Libby. I trot off to find the receptionist.

Me: "Where's Libby?"

Receptionist: "In the third cage over there. Didn't you see the name tag?"

Me: "But Libby's a Whippet. There are no Whippets."

Receptionist: ::blank stare:: ::shrug::

At the county shelter, you see, Pit Bulls have three days to live and are considered "unadoptable". Also, the shelter isn't in the business of adopting out fighting dogs to potential dog fighters. However, since shelter workers possess the most hemorrhaging of the bleeding hearts, we see lots of purebred/mostly purebred Pits passed off as Lab Mixes and Boxer Mixes.

Clearly, they are getting more creative.

I pulled the owner aside when she came back to make sure that she understood that Whippets do not weigh 50 pounds of solid muscle and do not possess enormously broad heads and linebacker shoulders.

Very sweet and very gorgeous pit bull, though. She followed me around and sat on top of my feet whenever I stopped for a second.