Introduction

Hello, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm a UK ex-pat living in France and earlier this year, I adopted a splendid little Staffy of 2 years.

Everyone thinks their dog is the best and I am as biased as the next person. Having said that, my little fellow surpassed all expectations we had from the day we collected him.

He is super-friendly to people. He never exhibits aggression towards other dogs and always tries to induce play. Even when he meets dogs that have a problem and which snap at him, he just takes it as part of the game or moves on. I never see any sign of over-reaction at all.

Though I adopted him after he was fully grown and his fabulous character was developed with care from his former owners, I am rather proud of him.

In the countryside, off leash, if he runs to meet other people and dogs I always try to manage their expectations before he reaches them by telling them that he is friendly. Nevertheless, I am becoming used to the possibility that people may react hysterically for purely preconceived reasons.

I can say this with certainty, because nothing about a very playful little dog with a vigorously wagging tail can suggest a threat to a reasonable person. Only by seeing something which is not present can they become alarmed.

It's literally canine racism. For this reason, I find myself thinking quite a lot about the problem. I decided to join this forum, because I'm sure this is not new to other Staffy owners. I've been lurking here for a while and have learned a lot from following discussions, but that's hardly fair and so I would like to contribute from time to time.

Best wishes to all.

Hi &

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Welcome brilliant introduction, and yeah, unfortunately some people are scared of dogs (generally or breed-specific) regardless of an individual dog that they see is friendly. We have a gallery section on here for pictures, don't be afraid to post some

Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

I must have got it wrong as I thought the Staffy was a banned breed in France, there you go you learn something every day.

kathytake2 wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum from Rocky and me.

I must have got it wrong as I thought the Staffy was a banned breed in France, there you go you learn something every day.

Staffy's aren't banned in France Kathy , its crosses and unpapered dogs ( so possible crosses) that supposedly have a problem as they could possibly be crossed with a dog from the DD list (pit bull types etc .........................)

But perhaps TS06 can educate us a little further on the subject as an expert

Hello and welcome from me and the kids

hia from me and sasha

Hi and a big welcome from Kia and me

Hi & welcome to the forum ><

Hi and welcome from us and Suki.

Hello all. Many thanks for the warm welcome.

Concerning French regulations, I will keep it as short as I can....

In France, Staffies are not classed as dangerous dogs, but the subject is rife with misunderstanding, so Staffy owners need to be well informed!

In the late 90's BSL was introduced. As I understand, the intention was to bring about the extinction of some breeds of dogs in France, in particular "pit bulls" (presumably means APBT) and the strict control of others: AmStaffs, Tosas, Mastiffs, Rotts. These dogs are only to be owned by licensed persons and the dog is to be registered at the local town hall. It is to be muzzled and leashed at all times in public.

Those dogs which are not destined to become extinct, but controlled, are called "Chiens Categorisé" and are broken into "attack dogs" and "defence dogs". As far as I can tell, the control measures are the same for both categories and from a Staffy owner's perspective, the distinction is not worth bothering about.

The decree, in the beginning declared that "Chiens Categorisé" contained the following breed(s): "Staffordshire Terrier and American Staffordshire Terrier".

Fortunately, this was challenged by Staffy lovers and the decree was clarified. Now, it states that "Staffordshire Terrier is the former denomination of the American Staffordshire Terrier" and separately: "Dogs called Staffordshire Bull Terrier are not included in the list of dogs susceptible to being dangerous".

The problem is in public understanding. There are not a lot of Staffies in France and many who hear "Staffordshire" think of Amstaffs. Very many people just don't know that the breeds are different.

By the way, if anyone wishes to test their French , the government site is: http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F1839.xhtml

Now, of course this is good news, but there is a second threat. There is a generic term "pit-bull" which can be applied to any stocky looking dog with a wide head and short coat. The burden of proof then falls on the owner to prove the dog is not a "pit-bull".

If you have a cross-Staffy in France, it may be possible to have an attestation created by a vet stating that the dog is not a pit-bull, but this is not easy to obtain.

If you have no pedigree papers to prove the dog is a real Staffy, then the dog could be classed as a "pit-bull" and sterilisation would be mandatory, then the "Chiens categorisé" restrictions would apply: licensed owner, registration of the dog and muzzle and leash in public.

For this reason, the associations of bully breeds in France recommend that no-one takes on a non-pedigree dog unless the vet exemption certificate has already been obtained.

Personally, I have a scan of the legal guidelines and a copy of my dog's pedigree papers on my phone, which I can show if I am ever challenged by officials. It hasn't happened yet, but I have had to explain to a few well meaning people that the Staffordshire Terrier is NOT the SBT and therefore, my dog's breed is not classed as dangerous.

So, if travelling to France with your pedigree Staffy, ensure you have a copy of his papers to hand. I'm not sure if the pet passport would be sufficient, though it would help if the breed is stated as SBT and not Cross-SBT.

For info, as I understand, the only neighbouring countries where restrictions apply to pedigree Staffies are Spain, Germany and Switzerland. Italy discarded their BSL in the last few years, in an enlightened step which places severe criminal responsibility on the dog's owners (perfectly fair IMHO). The Netherlands did the same.

I just hope that the wave of enlightenment continues!

Hope that helps

Hi and welcome to the forum Love your avatar pic..

Hello and welcome

welcome

Hi & welcome.

Thanks for the explanation re: French dog law - it's very informative & helpful!

Caryll wrote:Hi & welcome.

Thanks for the explanation re: French dog law - it's very informative & helpful!

You're most welcome:) For several months before I adopted my pooch, I was thinking about adopting a rescue dog from the UK and bringing him/her over. I was in touch with a lovely person at a Staffy Rescue centre who helped me a lot and was on the verge of choosing a puppy she had found.

Then I found out about the "pit-bull" aspect and, since most rescue Staffies in the UK are strays with no papers, I would have fallen foul of this rule. In fact, there is a separate offence of importing a banned dog, so I could have lost the pup and faced heavy penalties even though the dog was clearly a SBT. I had to give up on the idea and target French rescue dogs, even though there are far fewer Staffies in France and fewer still pedigree dogs in rescues.

I'm glad I hit this barrier though, because it led me to find the Staffy I did adopt and I wouldn't change him.

Kat75 wrote:Hi and welcome to the forum Love your avatar pic..

Thank you

That you so much for clearing up a cloudy subject. If you dont ask, you dont know.

Hello and welcome to you both, your Staff sounds a lovely sociable little chap.

hi from me and the boys

hi & welcome to the forum

hi and welcome from me and licks from troy

Hello and welcome aboard

Hi and a Big welcome from us and Duke

Hi and welcome from me & Tyson.