BBC Points West News tonight

On BBC Points West News Bulletin tonight they reported that some trees in Bath have been damaged by dogs. Then they showed a film clip of what appeared to be a Staffie jumping up and hanging from a branch of a tree using its jaw (much like using a flirt pole). I know that damaging the bark of a tree a can cause it to die, and its sad to lose a tree several hundred years old, and it should be stopped: but why oh why did they have to say that owners were allowing this 'dangerous breed to sharpen their jaws' in this way. Makes me so angry, no wonder people think staffies are a dangerous breed when they are continually told so by the media.

Have you got a link? Xx

jeesh the news will show anything! .. its a tree!, theres bigger storys out there surely! .. just another oppertunity for them to take a pick at the breed as per

Sorry Janey I don't know how to do a link, but by searching on google just now I found an article in the Daily Mail referring to 'Devil Dogs' doing damage in this way, and they refer to Pit Bull type and Staffordshire Bull Terriers and they say owners are training dogs for fighting in this way as it strengthens jaws and shoulders. Its happening in Bath, Bristol, Liverpool and Manchester so they are smearing trees with grease as a deterrent. But what they showed on TV looked like a staffie playing. I could just be prejudiced though.

If it is a case of owners training their dogs for fighting i could think of somwhere better to put the grease than on the trees.

here is link you were talking about

Edit by steve: other forum link are not allow on our forum

Is it a Staff thing to love trees? Saxon always goes for low lying branches. I always thought that it was funny and kinda cute! I guess the media can make anything sound vicious.

People seeing me late in the evening in old baggy clothes letting my dog play with a car tyre probably think i'm some sort of yob. Hes just having fun though! Sometimes we play games when he leaps up to grab a stick then play tug of war. He growls when we play this so to the onlooker probably seems 'vicious'.
People will see what they want to see, sadly.

Dont its so pathetic, I saw this in the paper a few weeks ago and vented my frustrations then. I live in Bath and tbh have only ever seen two different people doing this with their dogs, both homeless men. Here are the links

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Dogs-attack-tree-causing-pound-20k-damage/story-12941754-detail/story.html

Cant find the original link its n the site somewhere....

Just noticed this too - Bloody crappy media! Note how it says, 'because of dog attacks' then later its 'attacks caused by dogs' which could mean anything from being bitten to tripping over your dog...

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/Bite-worse-bark-dog-attacks-rise-sharply/story-13142283-detail/story.html

i realise the news does dramatise things but it is a serious issue that is brought up. to say it is only a tree is ridiculous. how would our world look if no one cared about anything. it looks crap as it is with litter every where and owners that dont give a * and dont clean up afte their dogs to parents not teaching their kids how to behave and how to put litter in a bin and not throw it on the floor need i go on reminding everyone at how crap it is. then you get the irresponsible idiot dog owners who give all dogs not just specific breeds in general a bad name by letting their dogs do things ike hang off trees and training them to fight. the human race is horrible and needs to grow up and take responsibility not just for the animals we own but for the whole planet and its inhabitants whether they be four legged two legged or a bloody carrot growing in the ground

I think you will find that our main objection to this, is the fact that the media is calling our dogs, ie Staffies - 'this dangerous breed' and 'devil dogs' and in so doing is making the issue about the dogs and not so much about the damage to the trees. Its also adding to the general publics already misguided perception and fear of our much loved breed.

I must admit my dog is a little devil but he most certainly isn't a devil dog!