me and my staffie are being victimised

I have messaged before about the problems I was having due to being discrminated against in the village I live in for having a staffie. It has got much worse to the extent I am looking to move away, a Ridgeback dog has taken a dislike to my staffie, attacked her when on lead and biting me ending up in my having to have stitches, I did not report it as I dont want to cause a problem or have anything negative happen to this dog...a week ago we entered a field after letting Coco off her lead because we had met a Jack Russell who is her friend (I always keep her on the lead) unfortunately this Ridgeback was there off her lead, as usual, and they ended up having a fight, fortuneately we got them apart...yesterday I had a RSPCA officer at my door sent by the owners of the other dog; they shot themselves in the foot due to not finding out the facts; I have had a one to one trainer who said Coco is not aggresive at all quite the opposite and I have many credible friends to attest to lack of aggression, as a consequence RSPCA records show that Ridgeway can be aggresive and Coco is non-aggresive. I live in a very small middle class village in East Anglia and live in a council house on the edge...Coco is beautiful, affectionate girl and it hurts me to know we are surrounded by people who woule love to get rid of her....I am desperate for some kind of support.

I'm sorry I can't really advise anything but if you ever need support then your in the right place ><

It's a horrible situation you're in. I used to have issues with prejudice, but as time has gone on, the majority of people have come around to the idea that staffies are at least not devil dogs, even if they still don't like them.

You've already done pretty much all you can do. The trainer can testify to the fact that you are responsible and your dog is not a monster. The only other thing you could do is make yourself known around the village. Perhaps you could enroll in training classes if there is one locally. You could even do a charity event with her if you really want to push the boat out.

But the main thing is, continue being an exemplary dog owner, and try to have a thick skin. You've done nothing wrong, so just ignore these silly people and enjoy your lovely pooch.

thats one of the main reasons we use 50 foot training leads

hi maggie this is very upsetting my heart goes out to you,have you tried alternating your walks a different way so as not to come across this beast of a dog,i know its not an answer but less confrontation the better and also safer for you and coco,i know people will say why should you alter your ways but less bad talk the less people can accuse,hope things get better and work out for you both.i am a new member and already know there is a lot of love and guidance on here so your not alone good luck

Feel for you but I think its high time you stood up for yourself and you should have reported the incident

Well, we're here to give moral supprt & plenty of hugs if you need it!

It's hard nowadays to own a bull breed, they're so badly misunderstood & owned by the wrong people. All we can do is educate, but some people just don't want to listen.

You poor thing, you must feel like you are always looking over your shoulder But you have done all you can, you have proven you are a fantastic dog owner. Keep a diary of any other minor events, make sure you report in future. Speak to your local RSCPA shelter, ours has a Staffy club that we belong too, it has organised meetings, a little training and group walks once a month. It's a good connection to have, especially in an area where maybe people are a little narrow minded when it comes to the true staffy's we all love. Good luck and hang in there ><

You seem like a very responsible dog owner and a genuine nice person. However, you shouldn't have to put up with that sort of treatment. You should stand up for yourself and not be afraid to report irresponsible owners.

Like you I'm also a dog lover but I wouldn't think twice about reporting someone who was causing potential harm to me, my family or my dog. You will find the first time you stand up for yourself all these big brave people will suddenly become very quiet!

I think what you are doing with your dog is totally fantastic and admirable, having a trainer and keeping him on lead shows how responsible you are.

Maggie really sorry to hear about what you have been going thru it must be awfull and nobody should have to go threw this, if this was me id be sitting out side my local shop in the village with tyke I would have a small board explaining the discrimination you have been receiving and take coco with me and let people meet her or i would write to my local paper..............but thats me!

Only thing i could advice would be to carry on as normal who are these people to 'run' you out of your home and village. Your a lady with a family dog! this is not on but as everyone has explained you are in the right place for advice, support or to vent

I wouldn't move, Why should you? your friend's are there family and of course your dog is not aggressive. I have it all the time with marley because when other dog's and people get too close to me he barks like mad at them to warn them off!, I had RSPCA knocking at my door telling me my dog has been accused of being a pit-bull the **** My dog is not aggressive i did explain the only reason he is like that is because he was attacked when he was 5-6 months and they also called my vet's to ask for the details!! I now only take marley out of a night as loads of staffie owners do in my town. All you can do is ignore the stupid comments and funny looks as i do now and hope to god that the owners of the dog stay away.

stand your ground! dont be bullied.

Maggie , have you ever thought about doing something really positive with her like getting her on training / assessment to be a petting dog (for the elderly in care homes etc) , they get to wear a little vest that tells everyone they are friendly and trusted and you could parade round your little biased village rubbing their noses in it and maybe even changing a few opinions. I'd love to do something like that with our 2 but fear even Tilly is too excitable for the task

Hi Maggie

I'm sorry to hear what you and Coco have been going through. There is some great advice on here which I hope you find useful.
I think most of us have been through varying degrees of victiminisation from our gorgeous misunderstood doggies and part of this is learning when to stand up to it and when to walk away. Only this week another dog owner thought it was ok to beat my Betsy off their dog. It wasn't much of anything between the dogs and no harm done from one another and just needed a simple calm separation but they went hysterical because she's a staff.

On reading your unfortunate events I have learnt that I can report them (never knew that) and it does remind me that we're all going through it for the love of our doggies.

I hope things do ease for you rather than having to move away. I think getting involved in the community is a great idea and you sound as if you have some supporters. Have you opened up to any about of this?

Of course there's always us on here ><

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As others have said stand up for yourself, your already being victimised so what do you have to lose? people may stop speaking to/or avoid you, do you not already suffer that? What was it we all used to say to our kids? tell a teacher or headmaster, don't suffer in silence.But you should of reported the biting incident, in this day and age we can't ignore it, if that would of been my teenage son walking Cassie then the bite and fallout would of been a lot worse. plus if Coco had bitten i am sorry to say there would be no silence on the biting, we all would of read it in the news

Dave wrote:Maggie , have you ever thought about doing something really positive with her like getting her on training / assessment to be a petting dog (for the elderly in care homes etc) , they get to wear a little vest that tells everyone they are friendly and trusted and you could parade round your little biased village rubbing their noses in it and maybe even changing a few opinions. I'd love to do something like that with our 2 but fear even Tilly is too excitable for the task

That's a brilliant idea of Dave's, solves 2 problems at once 1st Coco gets recognition as a softie (and gets to wear a very credible vest) and the old people get a very welcome pair of visitors and fantastic regular distraction.

Sorry to hear you are having these issues. I second Daves comment on training Coco to be a therapy dog. I would also suggest you take the KC canine good citizen award. These two things would really show the people in your village that Coco is a fun, loving and soft dog.

It's a pity that you have to do these things due to the ignorance of certain people but on a positive note you could also end up improving the reputaion of all Staffies by converting some of your village. As the saying goes "to know one is to love one".

Its all very well telling her to stand up for herself but it can be diffcult when you feel victimised and singled out by everyone who lives there. The first thing you need to learn is have a thick skin, you know the facts of the matter and the more you worry the more those people know they have got to you. So you have spoken to an RSPCA inspector and they now know the facts. Did you show them the scar from the other dog? It is one thing for two dogs to have a fight but if the dog bites a person then you are in the strongest position. In the eyes of the law if a dog is off its lead and 'out of control in a public place' then the courts can get involved but it is rare that they can order the dog to be destroyed. However if a dog bites a person it is a completely different story, the dog can be destroyed. Therefore I think after the RSPCA explain this to the ridgebacks owners they will think twice about pushing the matter. So thats the legalities of it, they can't really do anything to your dog, at worst they can write a court order asking for her to be harnessed and muzzled in a public place.

But that doesn't solve your issue which is that all the people in your sleepy little village think your dog is the devil incarnate! The hardest thing in the world is to change people's perceptions and you could tell them until your blue in the face but they won't listen. Once people have made up their ill-informed minds then they tend to be difficult to change. One idea I had was maybe use the staffy's enemy - the media - to your advantage. I'm sure that there isn't that much breaking news if you live in a small village. Do they have a local or parish newspaper or newsletter? Perhaps you could speak to one of the reporters and get them to write a little piece on you. Saying how when you moved here you thought it was a friendly tolerant village, but people have believed media perception and have outed you before they got to know you and your dog. Maybe saying she is the sweetest kindest animal (do you have children you could get a photo of her with them) and that you would love it if people could avoid judging your dog without giving them a chance. Make it soppy and try to tug at people's heart strings but at the same time try to make them feel guilty! Also mention that your dog has been attacked and so have you (dont mention any names) etc. Just an idea xx

Hi Maggie, its sad to read what you have to put up with, but I think you MUST take the bull by the horns (bad pun) and report the owner of the Ridgeback to the Police the hospital will have all the info on your stitches etc etc.. It is a criminal matter if you get bitten, its totally irresponsible for an owner to allow their dog to run loose like that, owners have to be shown that the law is for ALL DOGS not just Staffies. I know you feel out on a limb but it will make people think twice about your little Staffie if you go to law, and the gossip may well turn in your favour when the truth is known.

I can't believe the stupid owner of the Ridgeback would send RSPCA to see you when clearly their dog is the problem !! Surely they've actually witnessed their dog running up to you ? You ought to have informed them about being bitten when it happened !! You could have said you weren't going to take it further but any further incidents would be reported - are the RSPCA taking any further action with you ? Hopefully not as you are clearly the victim !! I hope you told the RSPCA about the bite x

I get this sometimes cos I have a doberman who have also got a bad reputation, then I get Mia, my staff, so I walk now with a doberman and a staff. You can imagine some people's faces lol. Hold your head up high and look them straight in the eyes if you speak to them. You are a good person and a responsible dog owner. Stand your ground.

Find out who this person is and break their legs Only joking , you must live in an awful village

Eris wrote:But the main thing is, continue being an exemplary dog owner, and try to have a thick skin. You've done nothing wrong, so just ignore these silly people and enjoy your lovely pooch.

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