Hi all.....

Hi all, Rob here, I found this forum whilst conducting my research into Staffie's, I am looking at getting my first Staffie hopefully in the next few months, and being an avid Koi keeper I know just how valuble forums are to keepers of any type of pet, so after having a quick browse and seeing how freindly you all are I have decided to join.

As a youngster I have always had a pet dog, the last before leaving home was a StaffiexBoxerxLabrador, she was as mad as a box of frogs (RIP), and I have always loved the Staffies I have met in freinds households and on the streets.

So I will start with a question that I think will solve my biggest predicament

To rescue or not to rescue?

You see if I was a single guy then I would have no doubt rescued more than 1 Staff by now, but it has taken me 10yrs to finally convince my partner to let me have a dog, let alone a Staffie, she was a little nervous around dogs she never knew, I think she realises that she would not be intimidated by a pup and before long fully grown or not she will be the boss.....lol, by the time the pup has grown up she will both know and cherish the dog, as with the Staffie breed it has taken me a while to dispel the myths surrounding the poor things that you see all the time.

Now the time has come, but I have 2 children 9 and 7yrs, and a moody Ginger tom cat, we tried him with a puppy we borrowed from a freind and my worry that the cat will savage any new animal has now been dispeled and it's game on.

I was intent on choosing a pup from a litter as early as possible ensuring I got the best possible temperament out of the litter I eventualy choose from, but the more I read up on Staffies the less I am worried about choosing the wrong dog, yes it is still important, but I think it will be the training that is most important, please correct me if I am wrong here.

Like I said earlier, my predicament is now about a rescue dog, as inevitably, during my research I discovered the disgusting figures of staffies in shelters, and I would dearly love to do something, even if it is only getting 1 dog, but, I have to consider the rest of the household as well as the dog, the last thing I want to do is end up with a pet I have to return to a shelter because of my bad choice.

Would you guy's be so kind to give me your advice on whether a rescue dog may be a suitable choice or not, I do see alot of younger dogs, 6-12 months, I have even seen kennel born dogs.

Sorry to ramble on but I feel that plenty of info is important in you giving me relavant advice.


Cheers all.

ok I can only speak from experience and each person on here has their own opinions of rescue... I would , if i didnt have kids , rescue.. but seeings I do have kids.. Santa bought a puppy... even at 12 weeks my pup is trying to put it over the kids... I know for a fact that they would not have the confidence to be the "boss" around a bigger, stronger dog. Plus I think with kids half the "excitment" is the tiny puppy they can play with...

Having said that if your parnter is any way worried, a more mature dog will pick up on that and she is asking for trouble..
get her reading as much as possible on behaviours and how to be pack leader.. there is plenty of info on this forum as you have seen.

If you are wanting a forver home for a dog... my advice is to get her invloved in picking the pup and reading reading reading..
There are people on the forum who rescue and their dogs are beautiful, but most are experienced and know how to handle them...
The other members and experienced mod's will be able to help you see the rescue side a little more than i can
xx
Mel

ye as mel has said if your partner is a little wery of dogs a pup is deff the right choice to make and the kids will love the fact that they are able to training to the new edition to your family.
but in refrance to rescue as you say you will be able to find a puppy no probs as we all sadly know how overun shelters are with buetifull staffs
good luck in your search you will never regret your choice of gettin a staff
dont hesitate about asking anymore questions or asking advise we like to help

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I would have to agree what has been said so far.
It is always a great idea to save a staffy from a rescue centre but it would be better in your sitsuation that you get a puppy. That way your wife who is unsure will be able to grow with confidence as the puppy grows.
They do also have puppies at rescue centres so look into that also. They are often more popular than older dogs but have a look anyway.
Good luck in your search for a great family pet. Well done in deciding to go for a staffy you won't regret it. Anymore questions just ask away

Hi & welcome to the forum

Hi, welcome to the forum!

I, too, would go for a pup. BUT, you could possibly also get a pup from rescue if you were prepared to wait.

Having said that, most rescue centres temperament check their dogs before they even consider putting them up for adoption so if you wanted to rescue a youngster of around 6 months or so, the temperament wouldn't be a problem.

If you decide to go for a rescue (do keep your options open!) then your OH should definitely go with you, and the kids, to have a look at what's available. That way, you'll all have made the choice & she will see that the dog you've all chosen is happy & gentle.

Thanks peeps, I would definately be looking at taking the whole family, that way I can see how the litter responds to the kids as well as me and my partner, I was looking on the RSPCA site and there are some pups on there, also they had some 6-12 month pups, but these poor little mites had never seen the light of day for 5 months till they were rescued, they had been locked in a pub basement, makes me sick, and unfortunately I think these particular dogs would be a bad move for me, having said that, RSPCA had some 3mth old kenel born pups, so would these be an option? I am certainly involving my partner as much as possible, and she is certainly taking notice of Staffies we see walking down the street, so it is good to know she is taking a serious interest, she saw a freinds 18mth male this morning, although a small staff I think she is gaining her confidence in a staffie not being a huge breed(another, although small, reason for my choice).

Reading through the posts, I notice that people have mentioned whites and blues have skin problems, I in the ideal circumstance would like a red, do these suffer any colour related problems? also if I got a dog that was a white and X colour would the white bits suffer problems or is this just confined to a mostly white dog?

Many thanks all.

Well done for decideing to rescue. I volunteer as a dog walker in a rescue centre and can assure u the dog will repay u 10 times over for giving it a loving forever home. I have a 2 year old and a 6 year old and rescued my first staff Ty at 6 months old who was abused from the recue i work at about a year ago, he is a little star and has been a complete asset to our family. We rescued Kaos out second staff privatley at 11 weeks old and he also (although hectic lol) is marvelous! I also would say that getting a dog under 6 months old would be the best way to go, as im sure u are aware there are so many litters of pups in rescue at the moment that u would have a longer wait waiting for a pup from a reputable breeder. Definatley these pups would be worth going to see, im sure they would make a lovely addition to your family as well as helping the desparate crisis our breed is in right now!
Congrats and keep us updated! x

Well done you !!!! im sure you wont be disapointed if you rescue a young staffy. When my 2 have passed im hoping to foster for my local staff rescue I hope to fit the criteria but thats not for a long time.
Im sure the rescue will find one that will suit your family requirments.
Its the skin pigmentation on a dog that effects skin conditions and the white on the chest area is not really the same as the dog is primarily red As others have said before most skin conditions are easily cleared up weather blue/white. When you get skin compaints like demodex ect this can effect any colour of dog

So apart from the ones I have found with the RSPCA can you guys recomened any other rescue centres in the East Anglia region? The RSPCA ones are around 100miles away, so local would be a little more conveinient if possible

Cheers all

Hiya and welcome to the forum. I'm way down in the south west so dont know any rescue centers where you are, sorry. But re you getting a pup/breeder/mature dog/rescue, I would agree with whats been said and get a pup from rescue. How confident are your children around dogs? My 3 year old twins are very confident because they have no fear, they dont take any hassle from my pup. My 7 year old on the other hand is a little less confident. She's working on it, and I'm constantly showing her how to be firm but calm around Charlie and how not to excite him (which just makes him jump and nip) I know she would have been quite fearful around an older, bigger dog, so thats something you need to take into account. Having said that, I want to get a staffy bitch when my pup is mature, and will be rescuing one rather than buying from a breeder. My daughter will be older by then and hopefully a little more confident and I know my twins will be fine around an older dog anyway. If this is your first family dog, I would def say get a pup and maybe consider an older rescue if and when you decide on another. Just as an aside, I love boxers, bulldogs and especially mastiffs, and so very nearly got a mastiff, but I am so, soooo happy I got a staff. He's my first staffy, but he sure as hell wont be my last. Despite what the papers say, you'll never regret getting a staff. All forums say their breed is the best, but ours IS!

Heres a link to the east anglian stafford rescue x

http://www.eastangliansbtclub.co.uk/rescue.html

hi and welcome
good choice on picking a staffie.......theres loads of eperienced people on here who freely give good advice its a brill forum

in my opinion everyone here would love too (and plenty here do) rescue...but... most (and by no means am i saying all) rescue dogs have been through a very bad time and have problems relating to that time.
our last staffie chloe was a rescue and she was a brilliant dog and lived till she was 19 and a half.so i know how rewarding a rescue dog can be if all goes well and the dog settles well.

but if you are wanting a blank canvass that can be raised around your family and come with no bagage id be looking for reputable breeder and choosing a pup.especialy if this is your first family dog.

honestly i am not trying to put you off the rescue idea its just my opinion and if you go down that route all credit to you

as for colours im going to be very biased and say red lol

Hi and welcome to the forum good luck in your search for the perfect staffy

Thanks for all of the advice peeps, I am looking for a family pet, I dont fancy going down the breeding route, though some people I have spoken to say that letting the dog have 1 litter before getting spayed helps with regard to cancer risks, plus the funds raised from the pups cover the cost of geting them spayed, I am unsure as to how much of that decision is financialy based though as my vets recomend they are spayed after the first season and having a litter really makes no difference.

I have found the club yo have posted the link for blaze but thank you anyway, I shall click the link just to be sure, I am really struggling to find young enough dogs in rescue, and finding it impossible not to have my heart strings tugged on by some of the older dogs stories, I found a 5mth red bitch about 5 miles from me that needs rehoming as the owner is moving home and cant take the dog, but have not had any contact back, do you think a private rehome is a bad idea? or is it still an option?

Cheers all :-D

Totally an option, and 5 months is a perfect age too. x

Mine was from a family moving back to South Africa and didn't want to take her.

I had been to Battersea quite a few times and found it heartbreaking but I too couldn't find a younger one that I wanted. (I love training so the younger the better for me). Although if you look on rehoming sites a lot of the time the pups aren't on there, you'll need to register with the home.

So this ad for a 8 month Staffy jumped out. Had a long drive to get to this womans house but as soon as she opened the door and this bouncy staffy jumped out that was it. Obviously your oh will have to meet the staffy as I can see from b4 its a little issue, but you'll find your perfect one.

Hi and welcome by the way!

carpingeeza wrote:though some people I have spoken to say that letting the dog have 1 litter before getting spayed helps with regard to cancer risks, plus the funds raised from the pups cover the cost of geting them spayed, I am unsure as to how much of that decision is financialy based though as my vets recomend they are spayed after the first season and having a litter really makes no difference.

Cheers all :-D

OMG! Listen to your vet!

1. Having a litter makes no difference at all re: cancer.
2. The cost of having a litter of pups can be more than the amount you'll get in puppy sales! Also, you could possibly be left with unwanted pups if the right people don't come along for them.
3. Spaying after a first season (normally 3 months after so all the internal girly bits go back to normal) will ensure that she matures fully, and will prevent unwanted pregnancy thereafter.

I think the vets advice will pretty much come over most others, I dont really want the hassle of pups (plus the worry that they might end up in rescue kennels if the wrong people take them) and the missus certainly doesnt.......lol, I think it is quite probably an old wives tale.

I was thinking it may be an idea to ring some of these rescue centres and see if registering my details might be an option.
Cheers

Definatly register your details, I know with Battersea they also match the dog to you and your critera

Yea seriously register your details you will be suprised how quick a litter of pups will be available. Also agreeing with janey a pup of under 6 months ish will still be so easily trainable still.....x

Hi ya, back again, well after carefull thought we decided that a fresh young Pup was the way to go.

So our new family member is Lola, and she is pukka, doing all the usual puppy things and keeping us very much on our toes........lol, the kids love her, and once she gets out of her Nipping phase then we will be laughing, stangely enough Alfie the cat loves her too, which I never expected, I thought he would tolerate her, but it is so much more than that, they have done nothing but sleep and play, though this last week the Alfie has been very ill after a bad infection from a damaged pad, Lola missed her like crazy as we had to keep them seperate as Alfie neither wanted to play or had the energy so it would only get nasty if they were together, they are now playing like mad things again.

piccies of Lola and her mate Alfie

awww she looks gorgeous!! And the cat lol. x

All I can say is Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

She was 7 weeks old in the pics, she is now 10 weeks, cant wait for those second jabs, another 3 weeks and she can go walkies, I take her everywhere I can where I can carry her, she is getting used to going out in the car too.

She has just enjoyed a pig's ear and now we will get ready to pick up the kids from school, so she will sit in my coat for the trip round there :-D

Bless, just make the most of it, I can't pick mine up anymore

Love the pic with the cat. They are mint pics
Thank you so much for sharing

Hi their really nice pics thanks for sharing