walking thomas and lunged on by staff bull terrier

[Cob-Web]

i have had many different breeds of dogs come up and have a go and attack my lot but i don't tar them all with the same brush

I would hope that you wouldn't given your experience with the breed, i wonder what you would say though if your only experience was to see an aggressive looking dog snarling at your pet and what you read in the press, would you still be unbiased or would you jump on the anti staff bandwagon with the rest?

I'm not a staffie owner, and never have been - I just find breedism from people who call themselves dog lovers difficult to understand 

[Tracy S]

I have to admit that all the Staffies we have come across so far have been very friendly. Thankfully we haven't come across a many dogs who haven't had a very good temperament but the ones we have have been Border Collies and other Cockers.

What really does annoy me though is we have always been met by the same response from their owners, 'oh he's only playing' or, 'they tend to get jealous' . Well that's okay then

[daunting]

i have had many different breeds of dogs come up and have a go and attack my lot but i don't tar them all with the same brush

I would hope that you wouldn't given your experience with the breed, i wonder what you would say though if your only experience was to see an aggressive looking dog snarling at your pet and what you read in the press, would you still be unbiased or would you jump on the anti staff bandwagon with the rest?

i have experience with many breeds as i foster and i will take in any breed that needed it
have also transported a wide variety too - had a car full of staffs once ( about 5 of them ) and they were the best behaved of them all

if i was to believe all the hype that i read in the papers and what i read in forums i would not have any dogs at all - especially cockers who get 'rage' 

i have a staff 'despite' all the stuff said about them so i obviously haven't jump on any bandwagon 

i would expect reasonable adults to form an opinion based on many experiences and not on the odd couple they do come across and that goes for ALL breeds of dogs

[daunting]

Staffie's make adorable puppies but i always think they look almost mutant and aggressive once fully grownl

There are some rather beautiful looking staffies around, and I also find comments like something looks mutant very sad really

Just my own personal view - some people see beauty in hairless dogs, just because they do doesn't mean that i should or will. My point is quite simply that if you own a dog that looks agressive, regardless of wether it is or not, then you must accept that others will find it intimidating and brand it aggressive, not to do so is to bury your head in the sand.

i find it insulting that anyone - especially a so-called dog lover - can call a dog a mutant just because they don't like the look of , there are many breeds i don't like the look of but i wouldn't be nasty about their looks in the same way i wouldn't about any human i thought didn't look quite 'pretty' in my eyes

Harley to some looks aggressive, he is a rottie/collie x - why should i accept people's blinkered views based on how he looks without knowing him - again same as many people who look 'tough' but aren't...

[clairep4]

I live in an area with alot of staffies owned by young men, who buy them as a status symbol (often they're actually staffie crosses as you can tell when you see a properly bred staffie), and who do no socialisation or training with them and couldn't care less when they attack other dogs. I've seen a guy literally dragging a 6 week old pup along the pavement next to a really busy road (I asked if it had had its jabs etc and she didn't even know it was supposed to  ), I've seen people do the same with tiny pups in PAH, pulling them along on the lead as they are too scared to walk and shouting at them, smacking them for coming back to them etc etc.

Bella has been on the receiving end of 4 attacks by staffie-types, all owned by people who really couldn't give a damn, one of whom actually laughed while her dog mauled Bella while she was on the lead. 

For a long time it really, really put me off staffies full stop, and I have to admit I had an "all staffies are evil" attitude for a while, mainly while I sorted out all the problems Bella developed (onlead aggression having been attacked whilst onlead, and a big fear of anything that looked vaguely like a staffie (incl boxers, bulldogs, shar peis etc) which unfortunately came out in her crossing parks to do her "COME ON THEN I'll 'AVE YA!!!!" thing (she makes up in fiestyness what she loses in being a pint-size  ).

Anyway several months on, I have come round to the belief that (a) responsible staffie owners generally have very nicely behaved dogs who will not come and attack Bella or Zorro unprovoked, and (b) although Bella is alot better than she was and has been known to actually say hello in a friendly way to a staffie, she is still a bit unpredictable and we do not want our own dog to go and attack another one, so if we see a staffie we quickly steer Bella the other way to avoid uneccessary confrontations. This is not about all staffies being evil but it's about actually preventing our pretty little cocker spaniel turning into a snappy little scrapper.

I think it's a shame that these dogs have such a bad name - sadly my experience of them hasn't been great so far but then again if someone had only met one cocker and it was Bella in a snappy mood, I'm sure they'd think cockers are snappy dogs.

I think it's the owners we need to concentrate on rather than the dogs...

[LurcherGirl]

I am sorry to hear what happened to Thomas. I know what it feels like as one of my lurchers has been on the receiving end of attacks more often than I care to remember (he has had stitches about 8 times).

We live in an area with an above average proportion of staffies (every second dog is a staffie or staffie cross here)... yet the dogs that attacked and injured my lurcher with intention over the last 5 years were a German Shepherd, a Boxer, a Collie cross and a Saluki! Never had any problems with staffs!

Vera

[emilyjw]

Our dog has been bitten by a jack russel and a staffie. The jack russell was with children who had no real control over it and the staffie was nice and friendly but didn't like the fact that our dog wasn't interested and snapped.

I'm not sure if you have seen the underdog show, but I think Cookie shows how lovely a well socialised staffie can be.  The general problem is the people not the dogs....

I didn't know cockers had bad press in the 80's, was a bit young then... all I can say is that mine is lovely 

[hamfam]

I'm not a staffie owner, and never have been - I just find breedism from people who call themselves dog lovers difficult to understand 

So to be a dog lover one can never express a preference for the looks of one breed over another?  How did you decide on your pets?

I have never said all staffs are bad, i just said i happened to dislike the look of full grown staffs and said i think they look intimidating ('Staffie's make adorable puppies but i always think they look almost mutant and aggressive once fully grown'). I don't think i am alone in my view that they look aggressive, i can accept that i might be alone on the mutant front though . I also expressed a dislike for hairless breeds - that doesn't mean i think they should be banned either it just means they are not my cup of tea and i wouldn't want one as a pet. Does that mean i'm not a dog lover?

my point is clear, if you own an a breed of dog that looks intimidating to others or has a reputation for aggression whether warranted or not, you are simply on another planet if you expect other people not to form an instant opinion based upon it's looks or breed reputation.
I happen to like the look of cockers and many other breeds, but i am not naive enough to think that just because i love my dog, that everyone else will love it by default.

i find it insulting that anyone - especially a so-called dog lover - can call a dog a mutant just because they don't like the look of

I wasn't aware i said it was a mutant - i said i think they look almost mutant. why you should be insulted because i expressed my personal view about how a breed of dog appears is staggering - i should be the aggrieved party becomming 'a so-called dog lover ' simply because i don't agree with you and Rachel about a staffies looks.

Harley to some looks aggressive, he is a rottie/collie x - why should i accept people's blinkered views based on how he looks without knowing him - again same as many people who look 'tough' but aren't...

Many people are intimidated by dogs period, expecting them to somehow not be intimidated because you love your particular breed is just plain silly.

[dianna]

Monday, whilst not being attacked, has been approached in a very intimidating manner on a number of occasions whilst out for her walks  - be it at the local park or at the local heath.

I always make a point of being extra vigilant and scan for nearby dogs off the lead wherever I go. If a dog approaches I always ask (or shout) to the owner whether it is friendly, although sometimes they say 'yes' and then proceed to let their huge Boxer/collie/lurcher-cross jump all over her or try to hump her!!! I am almost never totally trusting of dogs who seem to be in the sole care of groups of youths or single teenagers and will always put Monday on the lead and head in the opporsite direction!

Although I'm not proud of it i have actually kicked a dog off of her before...I now carry a can of Pet Corrector with me on all walks, which was recommended by one of the dog magazines, and I'm not afraid to use it! It emits a loud hissing noise which stops dogs in their tracks as it is so unexpected.

[Cob-Web]

my point is clear, if you own an a breed of dog that looks intimidating to others or has a reputation for aggression whether warranted or not, you are simply on another planet if you expect other people not to form an instant opinion based upon it's looks or breed reputation.

Ah, so you are saying that you do judge a book by it's cover   

I'm a 5'7", brunette, short haired and an overweight size 18; what is your opinion of me?
Alteratively, if you prefer to base your opinion on reputation, then one of my colleagues dislikes me intensely, so if you listen to her, then you won't like me either 

Alternatively, I'd be far happier for you to form your own opinions of me based on your own experiences.........isn't it only sheep that follow the crowd??   

How did you decide on your pets?

Certainly not base on looks, any more than I chose my friends that way 

[Colin]

Rachel, I know I've crossed swords with you in the past on this topic but speaking as a Mod rather than a forum member - could you please not drag this thread down to such a personal level, it's so unlike you and is completely un-necessary. Thanks.

[Cob-Web]

Rachel, I know I've crossed swords with you in the past on this topic but speaking as a Mod rather than a forum member - could you please not drag this thread down to such a personal level, it's so unlike you and is completely un-necessary. Thanks.

Apologies if I have offended........although I know we do not always agree on this issue, Colin - you have always made it clear that it the behaviour of the irresponsible owners of this breed that you object to, which I respect and accept 

If this thread was about people, not dogs, then some of the views expressed would be considered discriminatory at the very least........and my passion about this may have clouded my judgement of my posts  The sacrifices that have been made by thousands of people across the globe in the name of equality are often forgotten......and to me, dogs are no different to people in that regard 

Once again, apologies if I have upset anyone 

[Michele]

As this is becoming a slanging match I think it's time to put it to bed.