could i get a staffy?

First topic message reminder :

hi im adam, im 14 and for a long time now ive really really wanted a staffordshire bull terrier. to me they just seem like the perfect dogs!

the only problem is that both of my parents work from 8-4 and i am also at school from 8-4 (meaning i leave home and get home at these times). obviously my parents have some days off and my dad only works on certain days but it still means that if we got a staffy it would not be with us all the time.

what i was considering doing was getting a staffy at the beginning of the summer holidays (maybe around 3/4 months old or if that is too young maybe about 5/6 months old) so I could then spend two months with the staffy looking after it. by the time i will have to leave it at home it would be about about 5/6 months or 7/8 months, depending on the responses i get in this forum telling me which age would be appropriate.

ALSO, we would get a dog walker who would come half way through the day to walk the dog for some time before bringing him back (we are already aware of a dog walker who can do this, as he does the same for my neighbours dog 2 houses away).

of course, i do not want to be one of the horrible owners who has an unhappy dog, and so i am asking this forum where i am sure i can find help, just to make sure if this would be okay or if there is anything else i should do.

1 last thing is i think my mum has been influenced quite a lot by the bad press that staffies get. i, personally, am aware of how it is completely about the OWNER not the breed of dog, but I dont know if my mum is informed on the matter.. does anyone know of any ways i could show her or inform her that staffies arent as bad as they are sometimes made out to be?

Thanks a lot!

Gabbiadini wrote:No worries dave...

Only apologised cos I saw where you lived , thought you might want to drive over and kick my head in

I still think Gabbiadini's statement is ridiculous. If someone is still living at home, obviously the parents need to be on board and need to be willing to care for the dog (or any animal) if the child goes somewhere that he/she can't bring their pet. That doesn't mean that someone under the age of 18 (or 23, for that matter) is not responsible enough to have a pet. I am in Uni, but that doesn't keep me from being a responsible pet owner. I have a dog, two cats and two gerbils, they get everything they need, are up to date on their shots, and are spayed/neutered (except for the gerbils, who are both female). I really do take offense to the notion that my age or the fact that I am a student keeps me from being a responsible pet owner.

CatStina wrote:I still think Gabbiadini's statement is ridiculous. If someone is still living at home, obviously the parents need to be on board and need to be willing to care for the dog (or any animal) if the child goes somewhere that he/she can't bring their pet. That doesn't mean that someone under the age of 18 (or 23, for that matter) is not responsible enough to have a pet. I am in Uni, but that doesn't keep me from being a responsible pet owner. I have a dog, two cats and two gerbils, they get everything they need, are up to date on their shots, and are spayed/neutered (except for the gerbils, who are both female). I really do take offense to the notion that my age or the fact that I am a student keeps me from being a responsible pet owner.

So, to clarify, you disagree with YOUR interpretation of an "assertion" that I didn't actually make... hmm, righto Catstina!

I simply suggested to Adam that, if it were me, and knowing what it's like to be an 18 year old lad in the UK, I would wait until I'm older...too many things are going to go on in the next few years, that we don't yet know about, to know fully whether he can make a commitment to HIS staffy for the next 10-15 years.

As I stated earlier;

Caryll said "A 14 year old has so many other things to do - not just school, but friends to go out with. And then there's a boyfriends/girlfriends, exams, possibly university."

Gabbiadini said "I would be a bit different and suggest you leave it a few years! When you're 18 you'll probably want to be off out with your mates all the time, drinking and chasing after women. What about leaving home to go to Uni etc... What happens to the dog then?!"

Caryll's statement is fine... yet mine is ridiculous?!

Next time, Catstina, I suggest you read a post properly and in context, instead of jumping on your high horse and dismissing a relevant suggestion as "ridculous".

Perhaps when you're older, say 23, you'll have learned to do so...

I did read your statement clearly and it is quite different from Caryll's.

Caryll said that a 14 year old (someone who is still living with their parents, presumably) will have a hard time taking care of a dog with everything that is going on and not knowing what lies ahead. She also said, "I have nothing against someone of your age having the responsibility of having a dog" in her first post and said " I'm not saying it can't be done, but it needs to be thought out really carefully & parents must be 100% behind the younger owner so that if the worst happens they are there to take over with the care of the dog." In one of her later posts, she went on to say that she had her first dog at 14 so she knew it could be done.

You, on the other hand, discouraged this young man from getting a Staff, completely. You actually said that he shouldn't get a Stafford until he is 23. You specifically said 23. Which is, in fact, ridiculous. You later said, "and I suppose I should have said 18 not 23." Maybe because you saw how ridiculous your first statement was? You went on to assert that one should wait until after Uni to get a pet. My pets and I are proof that you can have healthy, happy pets in Uni.


In any case, I still think that it is ridiculous to put a number age on when someone should get their first dog (which Caryll did not do, if you read through her posts). Obviously, if someone is under 18 and still living with their parents, the parents should be 100% on board and be prepared to care for the dog if their child goes somewhere that they can't bring their dog along. That doesn't mean, however, that they shouldn't be allowed to have a dog at all. That's all I'm saying and I think it's ridiculous to discourage someone from getting a dog simply because of their age. We are supposed to be educating people about how to be responsible dog owners, not telling them they shouldn't get a dog because of their age.

This young man is already being more responsible than most dog owners by coming on here and asking for advice before getting his dog.

Hi Adam i got my oldest staff when i was 12 years old and he hasnt left my side since ive always took him everywhere with me and i mean every where lol he is my best mate and i would do anything for him if you can get your parents too agree too you getting a staff it will be the best thing that yous will decide as a family cos they are such a loving dog. the only reason that people think that they are an unfreindly and unsociable dog is bad owners and bad publicity. EVERY DOG CAN BITE ITS NOT JUST STAFFS and i hate the fact that people say that they a viscious dogs. i wouldnt have any different breed because staffs arre so loving and have soo much too give too a family but you must give them loving and plenty off time.