I'll start off this section by saying, there is simply no one way to tell a person that their beloved dog is not a Jindo or even a Jindo mix.   After years of trial-and-error, here is my thought process on what tack to take in informing a person that their dog is or isn't a Jindo.

Are they asking my opinion?

If a person is asking my opinion, then it's a simple enough decision to give it and only the delivery needs to be adjusted to the person and dog.

However, if a person isn't asking for my opinion, it can be a difficult thing to do to sit on my hands or bite my tongue, especially if that person is presenting their dog as a typical Jindo or if that person has intentions of breeding.

When do I give my unsolicited opinion?

Well, frankly, if the person irks me via private email, I probably will give my opinion on their dog.

If a person is annoucing their breeding intentions without doing their research, then I probably will give my opinion.

I have given my unsolicited opinions with regards to homeless dogs in shelters and other rescues when it would reassure prospective adopters that the dog which they are looking at is likely to be a Jindo.

When it comes to the reverse situation of the dog not being a Jindo and yet called a Jindo in rescues or shelters, things have to gauged carefully.

If the shelter is asking me to intercede and pull a dog labeled as a Jindo (but is highly unlikely based on appearance), then I tell them the truth that the dog doesn't look to be a Jindo to me and explain why..

If there is an intermediary flooding my inbox with emails of "Save this Jindo or else!" and "You'll be responsible for this Jindo's death!", then I just delete, delete, delete and don't bother responding back.    I've found that when people are running on emotions, telling them that the dog isn't a Jindo is perceived as callousness or breed-snobbery.

I try to avoid negatively evaluating dogs already in rescue groups in a public setting.  If I know the rescuer and know how they would take the evaluation, perhaps I would, but I wouldn't do so for an unknown rescuer who could perceive it as rescue sabotage or rescue politics.

When do I defer requested evaluations?

There are several situations where I would defer judgement on a dog.

I will defer if the pictures submitted are of poor quality or can misrepresent the dog.   I prefer side body pictures, front body pictures, and head close-ups at the the level  of the dog.  Lighting has to be not-to-bright to wash out features but also not so dark as to not be able to see any features.  I prefer the dog to be standing naturally.

I will defer judgement if the dog is from a known pedigree and looks to be of good quality.  Such a dog is likely to be a breeding prospect and so I would recommend that the owner brings the dog to the Jindo show for a Jindo expert to look at in person.

I will, out of a rare softness of the heart, defer evaluations when I really, really don't want to crush the person's pride in their dog.    It could be someone who is excited about getting involved with the Jindo scene.   It may be a spayed or neutered dog owned by a motherless family.  It's a case-by-case issue.

What tone do I use?

Lately, I've been reciprocating tones.

If a person sends off an email confidently saying that their dog is a Jindo (and it's not), then I'm going to respond back in a no-nonsense tone.

If a person is asking for a breed ID on their dog with an air of sincerity, I'm going to take the time to explain in detail what physical features make their dog not a Jindo.   If I'm really inspired, I do side-by-side pictures of a Jindo with their dog to train their eye.

If the person is a rescuer who will need to do additional future ID's, I try to give generalities that will apply to all Jindos and elaborate on what's desired and what's not.

My euphenisms

Sometimes when I say "low quality Jindo", it may mean I think there is some mixed blood in the dog.  Sometimes when I say, "pet quality dog", it may mean I'm squinting one eye and trying to decide between Jindo mix, a very poor quality Jindo, or something else altogether.  Sometimes I say the dog is a nice looking dog, but never say the dog is a nice looking Jindo.  My favorite euphenism for "No way that dog is a Jindo!" is to say, "The dog isn't the kind of Jindo that I prefer."

Sometimes when I say these phrases, it really does mean what I say, but other times, it means I'm trying to be tactful.  The neat thing about euphenisms is that nobody but me knows which way I'm using these phrases.  :-)