Staffies

Penny Less

Penny Less

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I have been looking at the various dog rescue centres after losing my dog and am so saddened by the number of staffies that are in the homes, They seem to make up about 90% of the dogs. Are they a problem breed or is it the link with the yobs and hoodies that we read about, that they are used as the "hard cases" dogs and then discarded ?
 
It totally depends on the dog and how it was treated when it was brought up. I have 4 staffs and a 2 yr old daughter and they are fabulous with her, i have never had cause for concern (though as with any dog she isnt left unattended with them).
Some dogs are brouight up to be keen and can have a nervous disposition, and therefore i think are more likely to be unpredictable but they are very very loyal dogs. My little bitch will follw me everywhere, comes out with me when i ride and heels to my heel when im on the horse.
DOnt rule them out because they have had bad press but think about the dogs temp carefully first.
 
I used to work with a girl who had a staffie bitch and went on to have twins and she never had any problems. She was however very responsible and as the children grew they were taught to respect the dog and not pull her around.
 
I've lived with Staffies for over 20 years and I've never known a bad one, my own or others I've met. I think you are totally right in the latter part of your sentence.

There were periods when Staffies became fashionable, they were a trend, as are other dogs at this moment in time, sad but true.

I'd say most of the staffies in shelters are in there not through their own fault - sadly.

I'll always have a staffie in my home, couldn't live without one.
 
I have a little Staffie pup, she is about 10/11 months. She came from Battersea in Jan.

She adores everyone and gets on well with my other dogs. Her name is Lily but sometimes she is called 'Hoody' when she has the 'whatever' attitude.
 
It breaks your heart, doesn't it? We have the same issue with Pits. If you look at the dogs available at NYC's Animal Care and Control, the overwhelming majority are Pit Bulls. I used to be volunteer at a different shelter, and never met a bad one. The dogs that were more unpredictable--speaking very generally--were the Shepherd mixes and the Jack Russell types.
 
The RSPCA rescue centre we used to live near always had mostly staffies/staffy crosses and have to say they were all the friendliest dogs! They always came up to the bars and pushed against them for a stroke, unlike the collies and terriers all screaming and rebounding off the bars!
For that reason I really have a soft spot for staffie types.
Also stayed at someone's house once who had a staffie and it was the most mental dog ever - so excited to be doing anything and nothing all at the same time! Can quite honestly say don't think i've ever seen a happier dog! and made my collies look positively quiet!
 
I have a Staffie, we got him from battersea, he is so friendly gets on really well with our other dog. They get such a bad press due to yobs that see them as a status symbol. I wouldnt be without ours hes a real star.
 
People get them, cos they look like cute puppies, then discard once they dont look like a cute puppy, they previous owner/dog dumper dont socialise the majority of them,and when they want a new puppy that looks cute and the un socialised one does not like it, they dump the un cute adult dog
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an unsocilised staffi is very hard to home, and the kennels have limited experience and staff to work with the dogs, this narrows down the chance they have of being rehomed
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Other common reason to discard
Seperation/chewing problems, which staffs can commonly suffer if not correctly trained(very easy to do)

Press/media with the latest savage story, makes people get rid.

They are breed in the masses and very cheap, making them accesible to more scum
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Lack of socialisation, no longer able to manage...GET SHOT
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I have recently taken on alot of staff breeds to socialise and work with them, in order to show other rescues that they can be worked with and re-socialised, these dogs do not do well in rescue, they are very affectionate, loving animals who thrive on human affection, it's sad that they are being put to sleep left right and center
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This was the latest, at only 12 months old he was going to be pts, no rescue would offer him back up, and he was deemed ferocious and savage, he did have a few issues, but with work and a little training, he is now in a home with another dog.
He was very much misunderstood, and just needed a little guidance
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The staffie itself is a pleasant, happy dog. The problems the breed has had is that as it is a smaller dog to the rottweiller and Doberman but 'looks' just as imposing it has been taken on by alot of people as an image dog. These people have no idea of bringing up a dog and these dogs therefore develope behavioural issues. The way the Staffie is built is to kill (the jaw muscles are designed to clamp down and cause as much damage as possible) so you add this to the behavioural issues individual dogs have developed and you get a recipe for disaster which has hit the press alot.

Added to this the staffie is too easily bred, anyone will put a bitch to some staffy dog up the road without pedigrees or line breeding or temperament being considered as it is quick money. Even an unregistered staffie type can be sold for up to around £250, but due to the flooding of the market they can also be picked up very cheaply!! Unfortunately with this type of indescriminate breeding added to the fact that alot of pit bull blood has been added over the years (I refer to unregistered dogs here not responsible breeding), these used to be called 'irish staffies' (slightly longer legged) but nowadays they are just staffy crosses!

I have come across alot of lovely staffies over the years, all of which I would trust as much as my lab x, but I've also seen alot put to sleep through biting and aggression. (Not the dogs fault but the indescriminate breeding and irresponsible rearing).

I personally with kids would not take the chance of homing a staffy with no history, only because if something were to click in it's head then it can kill whereas a lab type is more likely to maim.

A dog is at the end of the day an animal and as such I wouldn't leave any, no matter what breed alone with children.
 
It's the people who own them that let the breed down! They love their human companions, they are loyal friends who have been let down by their menacing looks!

I've owned Staffies for over 20 years and never had a bad one. They have all been well socialised (my current pair play at the park with entire Rotties, Weimaraners, English Bull Terriers etc, etc and show no sign of inter-dog aggression).

They have been trained to call, they do play rough but know when they are told to settle. I find them very willling to please and their devotion to our family is amazing.

I prefer to keep them in pairs as they love company (we work full time). I adore Staffies and really wish that they hadn't become some kind of chav accessories!

They are the best...get two...you'll become addicted! I wouldn't have any other breed
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Can you please back this statement up - what 'clicks' in a Staffs head that makes it want to harm a child more than a Lab? Is there some written research/statistics that prove this?
 
i have had my staffie for 12years and he is the best dog i have ever had,great with kids and other dogs ,it the yobs that give them a bad name,hope i have him
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for a long time yet would never get anything else
 
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Can you please back this statement up - what 'clicks' in a Staffs head that makes it want to harm a child more than a Lab? Is there some written research/statistics that prove this?

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I think statistics will say that more children are actually bitten by collies and JRTs than Staffies but that doesn't get newspapers excited in the same way and goes mainly unreported.

This comes from the whole background of the staffie. Years ago when the 'hoodie' typed where into pitbulls and their crosses problems with staffies weren't an issue. It was only when the more contraversial breeds were banned that the these people turned to staffies in such a big way and in turn gave them the reputation they have today by portaying them as this fearsome fighting dog. They do undoubtedly 'click' and bite people but how many truly responsible owners have staffs that have bitten anyone? The ones that bite are more likely to come from homes that shouldn't be allowed to own a dog.......or have children come to that
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The rescues are full of the poor things because of the type that buy,sell, own, breed and discard them. St Giles in Taunton have 21 dogs to rehome and 10 of those are staffs
 
Have a look at the Battersea site, 3/4 of th edogs are staffy/staffy x

Out little bitch is tiny, however she actually meets the breed standard with regard to height and weight.

14 - 16" at the shoulder and 11 - 15 kg, for a bitch.

Yet most that you see are almost the size of labs, where they have been bred bigger and crossed to look mean.
 
Have to agree with you Oneofthepack, the press doesn't help the image of the Staffy.

Someone gets bitten by a staffy and you can see the headlines, so & so mauled by pit bull type dog.

By another breed and it's so & so attacked by family pet.

Not that I am condoning any attack by any dog but the Staffy always gets the bad publicity.

Lets have a Staffy appreciation society, of course I live with just THE BEST staffy in the whole world
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I have no personal experience of staffies but I live in south-east London where they are very much the dog to be seen with if you are an adolescent male.

However, I'm going to stick up for the hoodies a bit because I'm always struck by how well behaved their dogs are (in SE4, anyway). I came across two boys the other day with three staffies, two adults and a pup, and they were diligently teaching the pup to sit and wait at the kerb before crossing the road - not something I see the average London dog owner attempting.

The dogs are out and about the whole time, jumping on and off of buses and trains, trotting to heel along busy streets off the lead or dozing under benches in the park. They seem very far removed from the dogs I read about in the paper!

Obviously, there is another side of the coin but it is unfair to assume that people in inner cities can't or won't look after their dogs properly - whatever their reason for having them.

The funniest thing I saw was on the train one evening when a woman got on a bit the worse for wear - alright, she was pissed as a fart. Her staffie jumped up onto the seat next to her and maintained a dignified and stoic expression while she spent the entire journey telling him about her tragic love-life. Every so often he'd look at other people in the carriage with a face that clearly said 'can you believe what I have to put up with?' When they got off we all burst out laughing and somebody commented that it was good job one of them knew the way home.

They look like super dogs to me.
 
When I refer to something 'clicking' I don't refer to it as a breed specific statement, just if a trigger is set off in a dogs head (whatever breed) which reverts it to its natural fight mechanism (fight animal as opposed to flight animal) then a staffie, built as it is is likely to cause more damage than a lab type dog.
 
Minnie is a staffy x and is such a wuss! she honestly hasnt put a paw wrong since we got her from the rescue home in Bath as a 6 month old, she has fitted in so easily and is just wonderful - we have travelled all over with her and she comes to auctions and antiques fairs all the time, she has never done anything other than just stand next to us or go and sleep on my coat in the corner - if people say hello she is happy to be petted if they dont she just carries on sleeping, she likes being in sight of us so we never have to worry about what she is up to as we can see her, she sleeps till we wake and never nags or pesters for anything, never broken or chewed anything, she loves kids and will play ball with them for literally hours at a time, she won the local dogs ome agility last year and has been a fabulous little ambassador for staffies IMO - just the most perfect gorgeous dog you could ever want to live with - as long as you aren't a cat that is!!
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I believe the main reason Staffies have a bad press is because they were previously used as fighting dogs, and many of them are overly aggressive towards other dogs.

As it is, I've seen too many dogs savaged by Staffs for no reason (including my own) so I'm rather wary of them. I wouldn't own one...ever...
 
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