Friday 29 March 2013

Are Staffordshire Bull Terriers dangerous?

There has been a fatal dog attack in the UK recently. A 14 year old girl was killed at her friend's house. She was mauled by at least 4 dogs. The breeds of the dogs have not been confirmed but they are thought to be Bull Mastiffs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and an American Bulldog. 4 of the dogs were killed by police and one other was found in the house. 

This is obviously a terrible tragedy for everyone involved. However, as usual there are people demanding that all staffies be banned. ALL of them. Yes.. ALL... including the nice ones. Funny no one mentioned the Bull Mastiffs.. 


There are name callings on twitter, facebook, the internet.

There was even a troll -who told a lady that he wished her kids will one day be savaged by a staffie! What kind of person says that? 




We are responsible dog owners and we do not wish harm on anyone. That's why we train and discipline our dogs! 


Some people say staffie owners are more aggressive than staffies. Do you blame us? We are sick of people accusing our dogs of being killers. Whenever I hear of a dog killing someone, I will think, "please please please not be a staffie" because I know there will be idiots who will start calling us names and calling for all staffies to be killed. We just want to defend our loyal friends.


Staffies are not dangerous. 

Staffies are intelligent, fearless and loyal. That's why they are called nanny dogs. They protect the child.  They are always eager to please. 

Unfortunately, these are the reasons why drug dealers/chavs use them as weapons! They are so eager to please they will do anything for their Master! It's not their fault. It is how they are brought up. 


In the case of Jade Anderson, there were 5 dogs in the property. The owner wasn't home. I am not sure what happened but the dogs are in a pack. Jade wasn't part of it. The house is theirs as far as they know. And why are there FIVE dogs in a small house?!?!


If you look at most dog attacks, the owners were never there when it happened. It is their responsibility! Children should never be left alone with dogs..even if it's a Labrador, Chihuahua or Yorkshire Terrier! Children should also be taught how to behave around a dog. 



"It was six months before Millie-Jo could remember what had happened to her that terrible day last August. She told her mum she had been trying to tuck a toy into the dog's collar when it had gone for her."
Can you blame the dog? It was only trying to protect itself. 

The owners and the Government should be blamed.


The owners for not training their dogs, for not looking after them, for not exercising them enough.


The Government for not putting in place measures to protect its people. So what if all dogs are microchipped? All drivers need to get car insurance but do they? (In 2009, it was estimated that about two million motorists in Great Britain drive uninsured!)


The chavs would not do that. 


All breeders should be licensed. If you are not a breeder, your dog should be spayed or neutered. There are too many dogs in the world... It also keeps their hormone levels down!

Of course there will be people who will breed illegally. There need to be tough penalties for people who are caught doing that. 

So back to the question, Are Staffies dangerous? 


NO!


You must be thinking, I'm saying this because I own two staffies... Damn right I am!! But i'm not the only one to say that.


The American Veterinary Medical Association agrees with me! Or rather, I agree with them.. :D 


The Top 10 most dangerous breeds are (based on a 20 year study!!):

10. St Bernard
9. Great Dane
8. Chow Chow
7. Doberman
6. Malamute
5. Wolf Dog Hybrid
4. Husky
3. German Shepherd
2. Rottweiler
1. Pit Bull

Can you see "Staffordshire Bull Terrier" in the list?


I challenge anyone to come meet my staffies. They will not bite. I can't say the same for myself! 



Ban all Staffies? Well you can kiss my staffy ass!!

18 comments:

  1. Hello, are you fat fingers? Coincidentally I went to check out your old blog around the same time you left a comment on my blog!
    Yeah, back in Sg now. I won't expect you to want to return, since you are married and settled in UK. I don't think you will like it back here either.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would just like to point out that staffies are the most adorable, intelligent and loyal dogs you could get. I have a 11 year old staffy who has never once turned on anyone or any other dog, and it sickens me every time I see a news article accusing staffies of being aggressive and dangerous dogs. My mum told me how people would cross the road if they saw her walking my dog. I agree that staffies are strong but that is nothing to do with their temperament. I have a neighbour who has two jack Russell's and they are always biting each other and strangers, as well as barking all hours into the night and early morning, yet my staffy makes no noise. My point is, just give staffies a chance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They really aren't that intelligent, but I'll agree they can be adorable and loyal.

      Delete
  3. I am a dog owner, not of a staffie I may hasten to add. I am sick of reading articles comparing small dogs to large or medium sized powerful dogs like staffies any dog can bite any time for any reason and thats a fact, but what is also a fact is that you will never read an article saying child mauled to death by yorkshire terrier, or pet dog savaged and killed by yorkshire terrier. The simple facts are that if a small dog attacks a human or another dog they can be pushed off dragged off and brought back under control before doing further damage. When you have a large dog or breeds like a staffie they are not that easy to get off and back under control, quite often the damage has been done before this happens. This often resulting in Horrific injuries and sometimes death. All people who own powerfull large dogs need to understand that potentially their loveable friendly pets has well within its capability of killing a child, adult or another animal. I am sick of reading my dog would never do that my dog is soft, my dogs great with children and other dogs. WAKE AND SMELL THE COFFEE No dog can be trusted 100% Fact. You should ask yourself this question if you own a powerfull dog could you control your dog and be able to refrain it if it went into attack mode if the answer is no then you should not be allowed to own such an animal. People have cats, but tigers and other powerfull cats are kept in Zoo's I shall let you think about that one.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What are your opinion regarding having a pet dog like staffy?

    I agree with your opinion because I also have a staffy and they are really kind to my children. We can definitely teach our dogs and we can also teach them what they need to do or the behavior that they must be. We must be a responsible owner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can't train out or love out genetics.

      If your dog is genetically aggressive (and staffs have a high incidence of dog aggression due to their original breed purpose) then you cannot change that, you can only manage it.

      I'm not saying all Staffies are dog aggressive, but MANY are and they are potentially dangerous because of it.

      Dogs that attack other dogs can redirect on the people trying to break up the fight.
      There are multiple instances in the news of this exact thing happening and the person trying to help getting mauled.

      More breeding for temperament needs to be done on this breed to make it safer. People need to deliberately breed out the dog aggression and only breed from gentle non game (cur) dogs.

      Delete
  5. Hi I have a 7 month old staffie never had 1 before or been around to many but ill say this this he is the best dog I ever have come across all this nonsense about them been child killers an savages it how u fetch em up were I live its like dog walkers paradise all the dog fights I see when walking my dog is labs jack russells etc
    I had a border collie growl at me the other day is he deemed a dangerous dog no its just ignorant ppl jabbering if ur nt gonna do any thing with ur dog then dont expect it ta do the right thing human beings kill more ppl and children than dogs

    ReplyDelete
  6. My friend has a long legged staffy that looks identical to a pit bull (but she swears its a staffy). We stayed at a villa over the weekend and took our dogs, my dog is a male border collie. The dogs at first seemed to get on fine with each other, but I did notice the staffy snarled at my dog a lot, over toys, over me (she stopped my dog getting near me while she was seeking attention from me) and she enforced it with teeth. Play was very rough, and I had to step in a few times to break it up when it looked like it was turning into a real fight (all initiated by the staffy who apparently "likes to play rough" according to her owner).

    There were no marks on my dog so she didn't actually harm him but i was worried the whole time that she'd just get too into it and forget she was playing. He did yelp a few times sounding in pain and the staff didn't stop so I guess she ignores such signals. My dog also ran away from her and hid from her quite a lot of the time.

    The second night, she grabbed a cat that came into the garden and shook it - I had to scream at her and hit her to get her to let go. The cat ran off but I have no idea if it later died from its wounds. I felt so bad for the poor thing but my friend just shrugged and said "oh well, it won't come into the garden again."

    This dog has not been raised to be aggressive or vicious and she's great with kids but she's starting to become aggressive with dogs (other bitches mostly) now that she's 3 years old. According to my friend she attacked a bitch a while ago - I don't know if the other dog was injured, I didn't ask.

    It seems to me that although these dogs CAN be very sweet to people, they are dangerous to have around other dogs (and small animals). I didn't trust her the whole time I was there and I felt I had to supervise all interactions between my dog and her.

    I didnt find my friend's staffy particularly intelligent. She had to be told multiple times (in a loud firm tone) before she'd obey a command. I don't know if that's stubbornness or stupidity but it's certainly not "intelligent and willing to please". Maybe I'm just spoilt from owning a BC? :)

    She also kept licking my arms and legs whenever she got near me. I had to snap "no!" at her in a loud tone to stop her, and 3 mins later she'd be back, doing it again. My friend shouted at her and took her away but it didn't stop her doing it again later...

    This this is the sum of my personal experience with this breed. It's not much to go on but it's convinced me that I do not want to own a dog of this breed. I see them as being hard headed, aggressive and rough, and extremely attention seeking to the point of being annoying. I don't know about dangerous but they are strong enough to be more dangerous than most other breeds, and hard headed enough not to stop once they've started attacking.

    I've only ever owned border collies so I'm used to being obeyed first time and with only a conversational tone of voice. If I give my dog a boundary (don't lick me / don't jump up on me / dont eat that) he sticks to it. I don't have to tell him twice.
    I prefer a breed that does as it's told without having to resort to shouting at it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds as if your friend has done a terrible job training and bringing up her dog . Probably is potentially a dangerous dog . Again all about the idiot on the other end of the lead.

      Delete
    2. Well I don't like to think that of her but it's true that she disciplines the dog with a smack when she "misbehaves" (I never ever hit my dog, for discipline all he needed was a disappointed glare and he'd come groveling to win back my approval - hence my preference for Border Collies, they LIVE to please).

      We have vastly different ideas on dog training - she agrees with the Cesar Milan approach, while I favour positive / operant conditioning approaches. I don't believe for a second that dogs are constantly vying to be the "leader" as that whole idea was based on now debunked pseudoscience.

      I really hope her dog never becomes vicious to humans - she's still very sweet with people and children so it may just stop at dog-aggression (something that is hardwired into many members of this breed through selective breeding unfortunately).

      Delete
  7. Its the irresponsible backyard breeders and people like Anonymous24 September 2014 at 14:54 that are destroying the good name and reputation of the Staffie

    Their is no such thing as a long legged Staffie, it's something the backyard breeders made up to cover their bad breeding

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Um... how exactly am I responsible for destroying the good name and reputation of the Staffie??

      All I did was report a TRUE experience that I had with this breed (identified as a Stafforshire Bull Terrier by the owner herself). I never said that she named the breed "long legged staffie" just that she was a staffie that had extra long legs in comparison to the squat stout little things one normally thinks of as a staffie.

      Personally I think the dog is mixed with something longer legged maybe 2 or 3 generations ago, the owner doesn't have KC papers for her dog proving her ancestry (neither did I since my dog was from rescue).

      I'm not denying (actually I rather suspect) that her dog was backyard bred and may not even be a pure staff. That doesn't detract from the fact that she is MOSTLY staffordshire and the traits she displayed that I found extremely annoying were traits that are apparently (according to multiple Stafford forums and sites) part of normal staffie temperament.

      But not everyone has to love every breed - there are different breeds for different owners. A stafford is clearly not for me but I'm not saying you shouldn't own one.

      Delete
  8. "There has been a fatal dog attack in the UK recently. A 14 year old girl was killed at her friend's house. She was mauled by at least 4 dogs. The breeds of the dogs have not been confirmed but they are thought to be Bull Mastiffs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers and an American Bulldog. 4 of the dogs were killed by police and one other was found in the house"

    RUBBISH!!!! Jade was NOT mauled by a Staffy, get your facts right BEFORE posting!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have a pure bred staff and guess what? I personally don't see my staff as dangerous she is brain damaged and has been poisoned once and attacked twice! Once by a mix breed (unknown) and once by a jack russel. The mix breed attack was completely un provoked, no sniffing or growls just attack my dog is left with a bite in her back SO THERE! STAFFYS CAN BE TRAINED TO ONLY DEFEND THEIR OWNERS OR THEMSELVES!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. In defence of anonymous, she did clearly state that she thought her friends dog was of pit bull cross and not full Staffordshire, which by her description I'm inclined to agree with her. I'd also like to add that, if she is the visiting party in her friends house and has to do most of the disciplinary action towards her friends dog, then that speaks volumes to me about her friends ability to handle the dog responsibly.

    Any dog regardless of breed if not given the right training and guidance can be dangerous. Just as any human can instigate a dog attack unknowingly by their actions towards the dog in question. And I say that through experience.

    For example:-

    My jack Russell (dog) was in a really deep sleep once to the point that when I came in he never woke. So I put my face down to him stupidly which startled him.... Resulting in him running his tooth down the left hand side of my face just narrowly missing my left eye.

    Now in that situation the end result was purely my fault and mine alone. The dog was not scaulded in any way. I just simply stood up calmly and walked away.

    I do think stbs get a ridiculously bad press due to the idiots that breed them purely for money purposes.

    Due to the dogs power and energy levels more guidance and training and supervision should be taken with the. Not as much for people's protection but for their own. No dog should be put in a situation that it feels it's only option is attack in order to defend itself.

    Dogs are not babie... They're animals

    And should be respected and loved with that in mind.

    Sorry for the rant folks lol

    ReplyDelete
  12. Just eight hours ago our cat - who was a much loved family pet for 14 years - was brutally murdered by a staffordshire bull terrier. This happened just outside our back door in our garden which is very private - the dog would have needed to get over at least 3 fences from the nearby park to get in. It had a collar on but was off its leash, owner nowhere to be seen. The incident was witnessed by my wife and 8 year old daughter who has been deeply traumatised by it. My wife did manage to get the dog away and take our cat to the vet, but he had to be put down. I hope you will understand why our family is now committed to the cause of euthanising all 'staffies' - a process that would involve a great deal less suffering than what our cat was put through. You might say it is down to the owner but this strikes me as reminiscent of the argument by the NRA that 'guns don't kill people...' I am happy to live in a country where gun ownership is very tightly controlled which correlates well with one of the lowest rates of gun homicide in the world. A staffordshire bull terrier is akin to living with a loaded gun. If you saw a loved member of your family brutally and senselessly ripped apart in front of you I feel you would have a different opinion of your beloved dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow, how stupid is your comment. Doesn't even deserve a response but I cant help myself.
    Staffies only breed of dog that has or will kill a cat?? Because your cat was killed by a staffie, all staffies are murderous killing machines and should be wiped from the face of the earth. Im sorry for your loss as Im sure you loved your cat as much as I love my staffie but seriously????

    ReplyDelete