Hello everyone, long time no speak! Update and pics

Well, it’s been a while so thought I should drop by and say hello!

Many things have happened since I was last here, some very sad and some very happy. I won’t bore you all with a day by day account but I’ll give you a brief summary of all things canine!

First for the very sad news; Buster is no longer with us and we miss the cheeky chappy like mad. My illness also took a nosedive around Christmas so now the only time I get to go out with the dogs is in my wheels when the OH is pushing! As a result, we made the heart-breaking decision to rehome Luna. With the OH working full time and caring for me, he can only walk the dogs for 20 mins in the morning then about 40 mins in the evening which as I’m sure you know is nowhere near enough for a Beagle cross! She was becoming stressed with the lack of exercise so we felt we had no other option and she now has a fab new home with another dog and get hours upon hours of walkies a day

Thankfully Rolo (and the new addition - details to follow!) are quite happy with the reduced walkies; he turned 4 in November and seemed to go from juvenile delinquent to OAP overnight!

Some of you may remember I was beginning a search for a good SBT breeder after the OH and I decided we’d like our first puppy. Well after a lot of searching, I found one. She had a grand total of 6 amazing Staffords all in one house and two litters planned. The waiting list for the first litter was full but we managed to get on the list for the second so were initially expecting the new arrival this year.

We kept in touch and a few days after the first litter arrived last August, we had a phone call to say that someone had pulled out at the last minute so did we want one of the boys! Obviously we couldn’t refuse and that’s how we got Elmo, (current most popular nickname, Dobby!) our now 7 month old black brindle Stafford. He’s the most laid back and lazy puppy out and such a good boy. Him and Rolo have become the best of friends, if they’re not playing together or chewing their stagbars next to each other then they’re (and this is their main pass time!) curled up, hogging the sofa together!

Enough waffling from me, if you’ve read this far then well done I’ll post a few pics as a reward!

Would love to hear what’s been going on in my absence so do tell all your news

Elmo, 8 weeks and 2 days - his first day at his new home!


About 9 weeks here


I think he was 11 weeks here


The boys on Christmas day in their Sunday best


And some more recent ones...



Elmo's no prude!


Labradors make good pillows!


7 months old, posing


A little something I treated myself too recently


Thanks for looking!

Hey, what a cute puppy! So sorry to hear about buster

Love the pictures of them in their bows they look gorgeous.

Sorry to hear about Buster, can't imagine what you're going through. Elmo looks gorgeous!

Sweet pics, nice to hear from you

love the pics the way he has grown is great

Thank you

Sorry to hear about Buster. What a beautiful puppy

Such a shame about Buster, RIP little lad.

How's your health now, is it improving?

Elmo's a real cutie, lovely coat he's got!

lovely guy Elmo is, quiet handsome in is bow tie LOL. sorry to hear about buster and i hope you have better days with your health.

So the beagle was too high maintenance in regards to walking, but the labrador and the staffy aren't? Those breeds both need a lot of exercise, as well as mental and physical stimulation!

I am sorry to hear about your ill health, but really, I don't think you've thought this through properly.

Caryll wrote:Such a shame about Buster, RIP little lad.

How's your health now, is it improving?

Elmo's a real cutie, lovely coat he's got!

Thank you it's not great and no real improvement but it's relapsing and remitting and recovery from a relapse can be slow! I'm good in spirits though!

Eleanor wrote:So the beagle was too high maintenance in regards to walking, but the labrador and the staffy aren't? Those breeds both need a lot of exercise, as well as mental and physical stimulation!

I am sorry to hear about your ill health, but really, I don't think you've thought this through properly.

I appreciate your concern but I know my dogs

Staffords, as I'm sure you know are generally classed as a medium energy breed although as with every breed, that varies from line to line and dog to dog. Lucky for me, Elmo is low energy for his breed and takes after his very chilled out dad.

Labs are classed as high energy and Rolo, who we adopted when he was 12 months and in a bad way was just that. Not sure how much you know about labs but they're well known for drastically calming down once they hit around 4, which Rolo has.

Beagles, are generally very high energy (they've been selectively bred over the years to be able to run flat out for up to 5 hours a day, several times a week) and Luna was particularly high energy so as you can see, a completely different kettle of fish.

The guys are quite happy and get plenty of stimulation, Luna was the only one who the reduced walking hours were really affecting so we did one of the hardest things we've ever had to do because it was best for her.

I am so sorry to hear your bad news with Buster, Luna and your health. RIP Buster.

But good to hear that Luna has a happy new home where they are better able to cope with her, and that you are keeping in good spirits, despite your health setbacks.

And Elmo is absolutely gorgeous, he must be a great tonic for you!

Eleanor wrote:So the beagle was too high maintenance in regards to walking, but the labrador and the staffy aren't? Those breeds both need a lot of exercise, as well as mental and physical stimulation!

I am sorry to hear about your ill health, but really, I don't think you've thought this through properly.

I'm sorry to hear whats happened but i very much agree with what Eleanor said.

ella wrote:

Eleanor wrote:So the beagle was too high maintenance in regards to walking, but the labrador and the staffy aren't? Those breeds both need a lot of exercise, as well as mental and physical stimulation!

I am sorry to hear about your ill health, but really, I don't think you've thought this through properly.

I'm sorry to hear whats happened but i very much agree with what Eleanor said.

I hate to say it, but so do I. I think you should maybe have waited a while to see how your health goes before committing yourself to a pup. Just my opinion, though.

Caryll wrote:

ella wrote:

Eleanor wrote:So the beagle was too high maintenance in regards to walking, but the labrador and the staffy aren't? Those breeds both need a lot of exercise, as well as mental and physical stimulation!

I am sorry to hear about your ill health, but really, I don't think you've thought this through properly.

I'm sorry to hear whats happened but i very much agree with what Eleanor said.

I hate to say it, but so do I. I think you should maybe have waited a while to see how your health goes before committing yourself to a pup. Just my opinion, though.

You're both entitled to your opinion

I do think you're being a little unfair though, like I said, I know my dogs and the lads are just fine with what the OH and I can give them and Beagles really are quite a different proposition.

My health was pretty stable actually and had been for over a year plus the OH had a different and more flexible job when we decided to get the pup.

It's not like I relapsed, we rehomed Luna then got Elmo!

Galadriel wrote:

Caryll wrote:

ella wrote:

Eleanor wrote:So the beagle was too high maintenance in regards to walking, but the labrador and the staffy aren't? Those breeds both need a lot of exercise, as well as mental and physical stimulation!

I am sorry to hear about your ill health, but really, I don't think you've thought this through properly.

I'm sorry to hear whats happened but i very much agree with what Eleanor said.

I hate to say it, but so do I. I think you should maybe have waited a while to see how your health goes before committing yourself to a pup. Just my opinion, though.

You're both entitled to your opinion

I do think you're being a little unfair though, like I said, I know my dogs and the lads are just fine with what the OH and I can give them and Beagles really are quite a different proposition.

My health was pretty stable actually and had been for over a year plus the OH had a different and more flexible job when we decided to get the pup.

It's not like I relapsed, we rehomed Luna then got Elmo!

unfair no realistic YES

You rehomed a dog who was settled in your home to then get another one? Staffs in my experience are a high energy breed but there are obviously dogs that do not fit into that.

No, we had Rolo and Luna, then got Elmo. All was fine until I relapsed and we couldn't give Luna all the stimulation she needed.

There are all kinds of other little things that make a big difference like the fact Luna couldn't go off lead unless in a secure area whereas the guys can so they can have a mad run around the park off lead etc. but anyway, like I said, you're entitled to your opinion, I'm not going to spend all night justifying my decisions to you. I know Luna is better off and the guys are happy

Galadriel, I personally think you made the right choice, heartbreaking though it was for you, in rehoming Luna to some people who are able to give her the excercise that she needs and that you, sadly, can no longer give her.

You got Elmo before your relapse (which presumably you could not have forseen) and fortunately it appears that he is of the more docile and unexcitable end of the spectrum of Staffy temperaments. I feel confident that you will take care that, as he matures, he will not get overweight due to his "lazy" nature!

I very much hope that your health improves and that your canine companions continue to give you the comfort, friendship and joy of life that only dogs can give.

><

So you get rid of one then get another....

I'm just going to ignore anymore posts by you tbh cause...yeah..

If Elmo is an exception to the rule and doesn't need a huge amount of exercise then great, I'm glad it works for you and all dogs and people are happy. But Staffs are a high-energy breed and so you had no way of knowing before you got Elmo that he wouldn't require much more exercise than you can give him. Especially since he's still young so he may need more exercise when he's older. I mean, what would you have done if you got Elmo, not knowing what his exercise requirements would be, and it turns out he needed more exercise than you can give him? Rehome him too or send him back to the breeder? If it's worked out then good, no harm done, but it still doesn't seem like the responsible/logical thing to do at all, more a case of fortune and luck that it worked in everyone's favour.

Lynda wrote:Galadriel, I personally think you made the right choice, heartbreaking though it was for you, in rehoming Luna to some people who are able to give her the excercise that she needs and that you, sadly, can no longer give her.

You got Elmo before your relapse (which presumably you could not have forseen) and fortunately it appears that he is of the more docile and unexcitable end of the spectrum of Staffy temperaments. I feel confident that you will take care that, as he matures, he will not get overweight due to his "lazy" nature!

I very much hope that your health improves and that your canine companions continue to give you the comfort, friendship and joy of life that only dogs can give.

><

Thanks Lynda,

Looks like a few people have misread as they think I got Elmo after rehoming Luna...Oh well everyone is free to believe what they will!

Tara wrote:If Elmo is an exception to the rule and doesn't need a huge amount of exercise then great, I'm glad it works for you and all dogs and people are happy. But Staffs are a high-energy breed and so you had no way of knowing before you got Elmo that he wouldn't require much more exercise than you can give him. Especially since he's still young so he may need more exercise when he's older. I mean, what would you have done if you got Elmo, not knowing what his exercise requirements would be, and it turns out he needed more exercise than you can give him? Rehome him too or send him back to the breeder? If it's worked out then good, no harm done, but it still doesn't seem like the responsible/logical thing to do at all, more a case of fortune and luck that it worked in everyone's favour.

Just curious as the whether you have much experience of other breeds as all the Staffords I know (with the exception of one perhaps) cannot be classed as high energy, especially when you compare them to breeds that are actually classed as high energy by breed experts...

My Staffy needed around 1hr 30 a day exercise wise...I am also learning that tiring out your dog mentally is also a way to keep them happy , with short training sessions or games

I asked the breeder who bred Holly and she said she gives hers an 4 mile walk and 20 mins off the lead daily , plus little training sessions

Wow Elmo is absolutely gorgeous! My boy is quite lazy in doors he will sleep quite happily all day if I let him, when he's out he zooms all over the place but get him back inside and he's on his back on the sofa snoring his little head off, its like he's got an "indoors" and "outdoors" switch

Enjoy Elmo i'm sure he's a great addition :d

Lol Debs01, Elmo is much the same! And Rolo now he is a little older.

You're right about the mental stimulation too racamoe, the guys get two stuffed kongs a day which keep them occupied and I can usually manage a little clicker training session a day. Plus they have their stagbars to chew and each other to play with but they choose to spend most of the day sleeping!