In shelters, it is usually someone who has no clue what the dog is or even how to decide. They look at the color, and make a determination. It is funny, when we have pet fairs that the local county shelter organizes, they have never been able to tell me what my dogs are. Even the director didn't know what any of my three were. The TM I can understand, but a wolfhound or pyr should have been relatively easy for a person in her position. Luckily, here they usualy call 95% of the dogs lab mixes. My son adopted 2 pupppies 5 years from the local shelter and because they were called lab mixes and he has it on his adoption papers, he is still able to get reasonably priced homeowners insurance. In reality, his dogs, brothers, are obviously some type of bulldog or staff mix. They are great dogs, protective but very gentle with his sons. He travels a lot with his job, so his wife is home with the boys alone, sometimes for a week or more at a time. The dogs give her a real sense of security.