Dangerous Breeds?

[CarolineandWill]

Does anyone have any information on Bull terriers and Pit bulls.

When out walking the seafrount with molly today a bull terrier came running towards us, my natural reaction was to pull molly behind my legs and hurry away, Is this an over reaction or should they be on a lead and muzzled.

I have looked on websites and they all dismiss the idea that they are dangerous and that it is just a stigma attached, is this true?

Am I just being paranoid, I also have a slight fear of staffs

[Pammy]

Paranoia about certain breeds comes from the stories you see in the press or that you hear. There have been cases here on COL of bad experiences with Bull Terrier type dogs, be they Staffy, English or Pit.

An over-reaction can make a situation worse as dogs do pick up on our fear.

Most Bull Terriers are fine and their owners will tell you they are the softest dogs going - but like any dog - put it in a situation where it's confrontational or fearful instincts are triggered and it will react accordingly.

I've personally never had a bad experience with a Bull Terrier but others have.

All breeds need approaching and handling with respect for the fact that they are a dog and as such may be unpredictable.

Be aware when you are out and make sure your dog is under control and for the most you will be OK.

[Mike]

This was discussed a wee while ago. Here's the thread.

Personally, I think it makes sense to be careful around these breeds, but that's based on my own experiences with the type of people who tend to own this breed in the area where I live - think Eastenders

[lyn]

i to am afraid of some staffs yet, one of the friendliest dogs i know is a staff.one of my neighbours used to have an american pit bull or some american bull breed and she had to take him back to the breeder.she now has another bull breed though i don't know what one,he is lovely but people think he is viscious and shy away from him it upsets her a lot but she understands they have a bad rep

[PennyB]

Personally any breed or dog potentially can be dangerous!

[Mike]

Of course they can Penny. But once a breed gains a reputation - rightly or wrongly - then it can become attractive to certain types of people for all the wrong reasons. This is what has happened to Staffies - in my area anyway - and so the vicious circle continues.

[clairep4]

I'm one of the ones that has had bad experiences of these breeds so I'm afraid I'm very wary of them and do give them a wide berth. I live in SE London and unfortunately many owners of Staffies and Bull Terriers in this area (we're talking Old Kent Road, Peckham, New Cross etc) have them because they think they are macho dogs, do not socialise them, let them run around the streets and shops off lead (often without even a collar on) and generally aren't what I'd call responsible owners. As an example, in the last week I've seen a woman in the vet's with a Staffie pup who kept really smacking it because it wouldn't sit still, a man who was walking his Bull Terrier and it wouldn't walk to heel, so he kept yanking it back to his side and then slapping it round the head (and obviously thought this would make it want to walk next to him...), and a young couple in Pets at Home with a Staffie that frankly didn't look old enough to be having walks (it was on the floor) and was sitting down looking absolutely petrified and trembling while they literally dragged it around the shop and referred to the pup as "it" all the time.

My view is that I keep a very close eye out for these breeds and try to avoid Bella going near them if I can - she's been attacked 3 times by bull terriers (twice by dogs approaching her when she was on the lead - one of which pinned her down and stood snarling over her throat every time she tried to stand up and whose owner thought it was sweet how they were playing, once when she was 5 months old and I stupidly let her go bouncing over to a bull terrier which then grabbed her by the chest and did alot of damage - she fought back but 5 months on still has a huge lump of scar tissue on her chest) and that's set my mind for good, I'm afraid.

I know that any dog badly brought up can be dangerous - it's just unfortunate that alot of people in my neck of the woods buy staffies and bull terriers specifically because they are trendy and look macho, and they don't care about bringing their dogs up to be well socialised, so you end up with badly brought up staffies and bull terriers who are then aggressive to other dogs, and perpetuate the view that these are dangerous dogs. It's a shame because I think they can be lovely dogs in the right hands - I've come across a couple of really gorgeous bull terriers in my time who were the most placid, soppy dogs you could meet, but then again they had lovely responsible owners who adored them and brought them up that way.

[Jan/Billy]

I think its only the PIT bull that has to obide by special rules under the dangerous dog act, other bull breeds are ok ie have to apply the same rules as any other breed ie cocker spaniel.

I personally get a bit edgy when i see a bull breed because of two things, the reputation/image  they have and also because Billy was attacked by a staffy a few weeks back and the attack was totally totally unprovoked.

Sorry to stereotype but i tend to see a lot of young men with bullbreeds, who think that it makes them look hard if they have a dog with a hard image.So these breeds in my opinion often attract the wrong owners which inevitably leads to problems and a bad image for the dog.

I for one do believe they are a breed that is more likely to attack.

There is a lady who who walks her two staffies on the park each day, she has them off the lead but as soon as she sees another dog nearby, either off lead or on lead, she quickly puts her dogs back on the lead. She also keeps a big distance when passing people even when her dogs are on the lead. This makes me a bit nervy so i often just purpously stay out of her way.


When Billy was attacked he was off the lead. The staffy ran up to him and attacked for no reason. Eventually the owner distracted the staffy and i managed to get Billy back on his lead. I quickly started to walk away to get us home when the staffy came back for seconds. This time Billy was on the lead, i pulled Billy behind my legs to protect him but it was no good.  The staffy knew it wanted another fight and nothing was gonna stop it and i for one was not able to protect Billy. I do think it is unfair on your dog if it is on the lead when it is being attacked. I know in future if i am out with Billy and a dog comes our way without an owner i will let Billy off the lead, that way if it does attack, Billy has a better chance.

I would be inclined to say that if the dog was with its owner and off the lead then it should have been fine with your Molly, as i would like to think that the owner would not allow it to roam off lead if there was a chance it would attack.

This is how i decide what to do, i look at how the owner is reacting, if the owner is calm then the dog is probably ok.

[Joelf]

As Claire said it is unfortunately the wretched owners of these breeds that perpetuate the general feeling that the bull breeds are nasty with other dogs.I've known really super staffys & english bull terriers but they had good owners who socialised them properly. Domino was bitten on the nose by an old mongrel who gave no warning that he would bite so I think that any dog has the potential to do damage.Having said that I think the bull breeds tend to have a high pain theshold & once they do attack they really mean it!!  

[Jan/Billy]

I've seen a woman in the vet's with a Staffie pup who kept really smacking it because it wouldn't sit still, a man who was walking his Bull Terrier and it wouldn't walk to heel, so he kept yanking it back to his side and then slapping it round the head (and obviously thought this would make it want to walk next to him...), and a young couple in Pets at Home with a Staffie that frankly didn't look old enough to be having walks (it was on the floor) and was sitting down looking absolutely petrified and trembling while they literally dragged it around the shop and referred to the pup as "it" all the time.

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What chance does any breed have with owners like these     .

I was looking out of my bedroom window a few months back and saw a man with a staffy off the lead. There were some children nearby playing with a football, the staffy got excited and ran up to the children and pinched their ball and popped it  :: . I was giggling to myself thinking how embarassed the owner must have been, the staffy wasn't vicious it just got a bit excited and wanted to play, just one of those things IMO.

I saw the owner give the children some money to replace the ball. I felt really embarassed for him    Anyway the children took the money and walked away , the dog owner looked around and when he saw no one was looking he wacked the dog accross the head with its lead   . I was absolutley furious but by the time i got dressed, ran downstairs found the keys unlocked the front door crossed the road and got in the park he had gone. I was ready to give him a piece of my mind. That poor dog would not have had a clue why it received a whack across the head  

[PennyB]

Of course they can Penny. But once a breed gains a reputation - rightly or wrongly - then it can become attractive to certain types of people for all the wrong reasons. This is what has happened to Staffies - in my area anyway - and so the vicious circle continues.

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I agree, but admit more to being prejudiced about owners than I do about the dog. If the owner looks iffy (or just not in control of their dog that's obviously acting up) then I give their dog a wide berth, and this includes all sorts of dogs.

[sarah25]

all breeds can be dangerous
i think it just depends on the owners how they train them 2 be friendly or not so friendly!!
none off our dogs have neva got bitten before.
the owner off the pub round the corner from me hass got a Bull terriers and she is lovely she goes round and get all the beer mats  

the dogs wot i really dont like is rottweiler   dont trust them at all

[Jan/Billy]

I agree, but admit more to being prejudiced about owners than I do about the dog. If the owner looks iffy (or just not in control of their dog that's obviously acting up) then I give their dog a wide berth, and this includes all sorts of dogs.

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This is why people avoid me then        

[Mike]

[I agree, but admit more to being prejudiced about owners than I do about the dog. If the owner looks iffy (or just not in control of their dog that's obviously acting up) then I give their dog a wide berth, and this includes all sorts of dogs.

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Well I think we all do that, don't we - it's common sense  

The thing we're saying with Staffies though, and obviously it's not going to be the case everywhere but it is, for example, in the area of London where I live which might be considered one of the poorer boroughs - and by the sounds of it in the area where Claire lives too - for so many reasons, there is now a lot more truth than there used to be to the stereotype of Staffies having bad, anti-social and aggressive reputations - and paying more attention whenever you come across this breed is no longer buying in to a false stereotype... it's simply being responsible.

[Colin]

I think in most urban areas there a lot of dogs bought both for macho reasons and also specifically to protect people and their property. As a result it means they are brought up to behave in a manner that makes them a potential danger for other dog owners. More or less any dog can probably be taught to behave in such a way but bulldog breeds, Boxers, Akitas and GSDs seem the most popular ones bought for this purpose- round here anyway. ( I've never had a problem with Rotties)

I think you develop a sixth sense when out walking the dogs of certain types of people, dogs and also situations to try and avoid - much as instinct tells you what to watch out for when driving a car. I don't like discriminating against Bulldog breeds but will try and avoid them when walking my dogs - experience has taught me this is the best policy, better safe than sorry. I don't think these breeds should be banned, kept on leash or forcibly muzzled though.... the only breed I've come across that I think shouldn't be allowed off lead is Akitas.

Incidentally people always describe scary looking bull breeds as being Pit Bulls - I don't think I would be able to differentiate one of these from some other bull breeds that  don't fall under the DDA.

There's a dog owner that avoids me when he sees me with my dogs - his dog has an aversion to spaniels due to being attacked by one when a puppy. It's a big Mastiff !