The reason that 50% is often chosen in BSL that targets mixed breeds is that it would seem logical that a dog with one parent that is a purebred target breed would be easier to identify than a dog who might have Rottweiler from several generations back. Seems logical enough at first, doesn't it? But the key words here are "visual identification." If it looks like a target breed mix in someone's opinion, then it's treated as a target breed mix. As we looked at last month in "Eye of the Beholder," visual identification can be a bit tricky for purebreds, and in mix breeds it's a whole other ugly can of worms.
First off, you are only targeting mixed breeds that physically resemble the target breeds, so what about those Rottie and pit mixes that don't really resemble the breed even if one of their parents was a purebred?
A very good friend of mine had a Rottie/ Malamute cross several years ago. Mackenzie's mother was a purebred Rottie, but not very many people would have pegged her for a Rottie cross. She was black and tan, but she a very thick, long coat. And while her ears did droop, they were small like a Malamute's and very thick. Her bushy tail was undocked, too, which always seems to throw people off the track of a Rottie cross. All in call, most people would have thought Mackenzie was some type of shepherd/ Malamute, not Rottie.
Just last month, I was working a Rottie Rescue booth at a local pet fair, when a friendly black lab walked up and "introduced" himself to Chelsea and me. His owner pointed out to me that what I thought was a purebred black lab was actually a Rottie/lab cross. Sure enough, he had some very dark brown hairs mixed in with the black on his knees and around his muzzle. But I wouldn't have even noticed that if the owner hadn't pointed those spots out.
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