CENTRAL Victoria is a hot spot for illegal hunting dog breeders and many people are being duped into thinking they are buying pure breds, according to the Bullmastiff Club of Victoria.The warning comes after a three-year-old girl was killed and her younger sister mauled by four mixed-breed dogs in southern New South Wales.The attack prompted RSPCA president Hugh Wirth to comment that bullmastiffs were one of the most dangerous canine breeds.But central Victorian breeder and rescue officer with the bullmastiff club Jill Karena said those comments were unwarranted.Ms Karena said critics should not compare cross breeds with pure bred canines."If you look at attack statistics by breed you won’t find the pure bullmastiff anywhere near the top of the list," she said."Yes, they are a big and powerful breed with a natural inclination to guard, and that has to be taken into consideration in their living environment, but they are also renowned for being relaxed, stable and affectionate family pets."As soon as you cross breed a dog, you lose their characteristics."Comments like (Mr Wirth’s) do not help the debate."The debate should be about responsible dog ownership."Ms Karena said the RSPCA’s efforts would be better spent working with the State Government to stop unregistered backyard breeding.She said many people throughout central Victoria were being sold large crossbreed dogs with no health checks, temperament history, or support and education."There are very few pure bred bullmastiffs in central Victoria,” she said."A lot are sold as pure breds but aren’t... the owners generally believe that’s what they have."Central Victoria is a hotbed for hunting dog breeding."As rescue officer for the Bullmastiff club of Victoria, I am very aware of the large number of large crossbreed dogs being bred for hunting in Central Victoria that are not sold to appropriate homes, not socialised or obedience trained, and end up in trouble or in the pound."Breeds used could include Rhodesian ridgebacks, great danes, rottweilers, staghounds, wolfhounds, greyhounds, bull terriers, Staffordshire terriers, and various mastiff breeds."I am often called upon to identify bullmastiffs that have been abandoned or are in some sort of trouble, but very rarely do I find one that is even close to a being a pure bred bullmastiff," Ms Karena said."Many people are duped into paying big dollars for a mongrel puppy that is sold as a bullmastiff, because the name can bring a high price and the owners sincerely believe they have a bullmastiff and then identify it as such when it is involved in an attack of some kind."