How did you discover/fall in love with staffys?

So I know on here we absolutely love our staffy companions but I was wondering how everyone discovered/fell in love with the breed? Have you always had them or what was it that made you decide to get one?

We had lots of dogs at home growing up, different types of collies, terrier type mongrels and a jack russell (basically all the waifs and strays my mum brought home!) but I knew nothing about staffys really until my sister got a staffy x springer about 4 years ago. I fell in love with her, she is so beautiful and I'd never known such a loving dog. Since then most of the staffys I've met are the the same, so happy, friendly and loving so I knew that when the time was right for me to get a dog, it would be a staffy!! And because there are so many in the rescue centres I wanted to re home one (obviously I get that from my mum!). And now here I am!!

So what's your story?

I was working in boarding kennels and there was a little red and white staffy dog called Rebel in. He was just the happiest most friendly cute little button of a dog and i had to have one.

Staffords as a breed seemed like they would fit in well with my life and routine.

I ultimately chose the breed because they are quirky, beautiful and I wanted a challenge. I'd always heard they were very loving but I didn't really know this was so accurate until I owned one.

Rocky is also from a rescue centre. My hubby and me were on a shopping trip to Morrisons which happens to be a few miles away from Woodgreen rescue centre. "Lets just go and have a look on the way home" I said.

After walking around there for a few minutes we came across this little black dog with one white paw just quietly looking at us from the other side of the fencing, that was it really, love at first sight. About a week later he was happily snoozing in his bed under the Christmas tree, it just happened to be Christmas time, Rocky was NOT a Christmas present.

He, of course, now quite happily snoozes on our bed instead.

My now ex partner bought me a puppy for Christmas (I know I know), when I was 23, she was Scrumpy! Called princess initially. Never owned a dog before and she was a learning curve, but she soon became my life.

After a messy break up, he stopped me seeing her, out of spite. I tried court action but she was classed as a possession and as I was the one that left I no hope. When I could suitably afford my own place and a dog I just wanted a staff in my life again, would only rescue as it really opened my eyes to the huge problem of unwanted dogs, so along came Moo.

And here we are now! Nice topic

Last November our 3 children badgered their Dad about having a dog and he finally gave in (without asking me!! I knew nothing of it all!) We wanted to give a rescue dog a home and originally was looking for a dog around 1/2 years of age but decided a puppy would be better to grow with the children as it was our first dog. We were surprised to see how many staffies were looking for homes so read up on the breed and decided there was a lot of bad press out there. We got Charlie when he was only 10 weeks old from rescue, very underweight and bloated with worms....we couldn't imagine life without him now, he's so very loving, we all love those staffy kisses!

I think watching the film 'Jock of the Bushveld' had some impact on my falling I love with them. I just think there the best dog in every way really

My ex had a gorgeous staffy called Shady, who is the most softest, loving, big bundle of energy I had ever met in my life. I was so in love with him that when I left I wanted to take him with me which my ex wouldn't let me, considering he was his dog I guess he had a point lol, and from that day on I wanted one of my own I wanted to rescue but as I have a young child the rescues near me won't allow a staffy to be adopted with a child under 8 so we now have Lyra and we will add a rescue to our little family in a few more short years

18 years ago my friend and I both decided to get a dog, to,get out walking and get fit!! She chose a German shepherd, i said they were far too big, I wanted a lot,of,dog in a small package!! And staffies fitted the bill!! I had always liked the look of them, and once I met a few, I was smitten, and there is no other breed of dog in existence for me!!!!

for me, it was the bad press, as we all know there's no such thing as a bad dog, so I wanted my own beautiful staffy to prove what good intelligent dogs they are, and not just fighting tools for chavs! that and every time I see that tired staffy waddle in the park it melts my heart!!

Ive always liked bull breeds and have always wanted an EBT but what drew me to staffies happend three years ago now. I was going out with a lass and her ex had stupidly bred her male staff with his female staff just before they broke up. to cut a very long story short me and a friend went knocking on doors collecting puppies and ultimatley the mum. they stayed with me for two days and the mum was the sweetest thing ever, remember she had never met me before and would let me play with her babies. she was a big girl and the pups were thankfully fit and well, but it was the sweetness, trusting and accepting nature of the mum that taught me what special dogs these were after all she had been through. while the pups slept she would jump up onto the sofa with me for a snuggle and some fuss, something I will never forget. its just like they know who to trust.
the best bit is that fool didnt make a penny out of the dogs as carley kept one which is doing very well and the other two and mum went to a friend who had experiance with staffs for free. they are doing great too and are fit and well in kingston they get run each day around richmond park as he is a fitness instructer. when he does outside training sessions the dogs go too. last thing i heard was xmas where he was complaining he was being outnumberd by three female staffies to one human male and they kept winning lol
I will always remember that staffy girl and her pups, tugs on the heart string even now as i think back.

Loving reading your stories Thanks guys

Wow,amazing stories. Mine is simple. My OH and I ,both grew up with dogs. So we always wanted one but there was never a good time. Our place felt a bit lonely for a while,we were trying for a human baby and friend of ours told us that sometimes getting dog help. So we started looking for a breed that would be perfect. We were looking for a smallish dog that would be happy in the flat but active. Love kids and people. My OH that Staffy would be good idea, I wasn't sure at that time. But when we told friends etc what kind of dog we getting,their reaction made me think " Right,I'm gonna proof everyone,that this breed is great and my dog's going to be the friendliest dog ever" So far so good. When my OH brought Debo home I fall in love straigh away. Still no baby- but he's my furry baby and I would't cange that for nothing.

jayfrater wrote:every time I see that tired staffy waddle in the park it melts my heart!!

lol, they do waddle a bit, don't they?

I would LOVE a EBT too! Always liked the look of them since reading An Incredible Journey as a young girl

10 years ago when I started my first job in a vets, the first bitch spay I assisted with was a staffy, she gave me a big staffy hug & lick and I was hooked! Had to wait a long time (7 years!) to be in the position to take on a dog but it was worth the wait! I will never have another breed.

My parents agreed I could have another dog, but only if it was a small one. I hate small dogs so I was looking into small breeds to see what they were like, the various breeds. Got to the part about Staffs and a quote about how no other dog is as loving and craving for human affection than Staffs, and that sold it to me because...well, I don't have any friends, so I wanted a dog that would never get bored of me, never not want my company. I lied to my parents about the height they grow to and they agreed. Shame about Loki ending up much bigger than a Staff, but ah well he really is clingy and loving, more than I'd expect is normal. He NEVER wants his own space.

Oi Tara! You have friends well I'd like to think so....... Xx

janey wrote:
My now ex partner bought me a puppy for Christmas (I know I know), when I was 23, she was Scrumpy! Called princess initially. Never owned a dog before and she was a learning curve, but she soon became my life.

After a messy break up, he stopped me seeing her, out of spite. I tried court action but she was classed as a possession and as I was the one that left I no hope. When I could suitably afford my own place and a dog I just wanted a staff in my life again, would only rescue as it really opened my eyes to the huge problem of unwanted dogs, so along came Moo.

And here we are now! Nice topic

Never knew this before!

I've posted a couple of pics of my Scrumps, she was my everything Xx

I knew about her, but i never knew about that situation, i thought she passed away.

><

She would be about 6/7 now miss my puppy........

janey wrote:

She would be about 6/7 now miss my puppy........

Awww >< Relationships suck sometimes It must have been hard to lose that little cutie

Lost the bloke no problem, taking my girl away.......he will always be scum to me

Sorry, another of my first girly. God love her

Yeah I think losing a loser would be a lot easier than losing my dog But at least it all worked out in the end, if that sad situation never happened you probably would not have the wonderful Moo now

No I wouldn't, but I still miss my brindle bum Xx

She was and I bet she still is beautiful Janey, but then again so is Moo

My story is quite simple, never liked animals and was always scared but I was normally ok ish with my mums dogs but never really played with them, my step dad rang me one day and said he had bought a new dog and I asked what breed, he said it wa a staffy, I went to see the dog and I seen Dragon running up to me and scared me but then he jumped up and started licking me from there I started walking him daily and eventually my mum gave me the dog and I don't think I'll ever have any other breed!
He also made me lose the fear of dogs (unless it's a big dog ) but I'm more confident around other dogs now!

I fell in love with the breed when i was really little
my parents have always had JRTs and I love them but I'd never own one as I'm not a massive fan of small dogs.
anyway...
one of my dads close friends had a black staffy bitch called "Stones" (yep... after the beer) and i remember her being around for as far back as i can remember. she was always so friendly, playful and loving. used to badger my dad to take me round there so i could visit stones haha

didn't have a lot of contact with staffs since she passed away but Ive always wanted one.

then my exes parents have a lovely brindle girl called Suki and shes the loveliest dog Ive ever met. not a bad bone in her body and so loyal and loving. she pretty much cemented it for me and realised that staffies are the breed for me.
I spent pretty much every day with her for a year as i was living with my ex and her family so i really got a proper feel for the breed.

then me and the ex split late last year which sucked really bad as you can imagine and i consequently lost Suki from my life which was a really harsh blow too.

So when we broke up i had a brief stay back at my parents house then i decided to get my own place last October and I'd been kinda rattling around there by myself being miserable so i decided as a sort of new years resolution that i was going to get off my *, man up and make some changes. getting myself a dog was one of the things on that list and it had to be a staffy.
the reasoning behind it was motivated a lot by just needing company but also because i realised that i hardly ever exercise and that I'm wasting my life spending all day in bed (i mostly work from the afternoon onwards) so if i have a dog relying on me to get up and feed/walk/play with them then i don't have any excuses.
(obviously not the only reasons for me getting a dog)

so yeah
the mighty buckaroo entered my life and i couldn't be happier

finally got my own staffy ^_^
just seeing his little face makes me smile a ridiculous amount

In 1970 I went to New Zealand to visit a friend.

Prior to my arrival he went out to buy a bull terrier, however, he came home with a Loggerheads Staffy.

I fell in love with the breed.

On return to Australia we moved to Queensland where I purchased a staffy pup from Dr. Davidson a renowned breeder and lover of staffs.

I joined the staffy club and attended many meetings etc. learning about the breed as I went.


Then the big floods came in 1971 and we were flooded with no where to go except to Sydney.

We had no choice, we had to leave our beloved staffy with friends.

By the time we got resettled the friends had vanished with our staff.

I bought another staff, however, it became very ill and we returned him to the breeder.

Since our first staff in 1970, we have had a staffy in our life most of the time.

Thanks again for all the posts

Ive always grown up with dogs (mainly boxers) so when I moved out I missed having one around. My housemate loves staffs but I wasnt really so keen - but had to compromise I guess! We went go and pick little Alfie up and it really was love at first sight. I know hes not full staff but hes the size of a JRT and luckily got all the traits of a staff so hes perfect. I wouldnt haave any other dog from now on. I do eventually want another dog in a few years and will definitely have a staff

Im loving reading all these stories

wow what amazing stories!

janey sorry you had to go threw that and tara you have lots of friends

well staffys never entered into my brain, my great auntie use to breed them and actually went to crufts a few times with them. As we had horses we had collies (bit stereo typing there!) Anyway when i fell on pregnant and me and my OH got our first house we both wanted a dog, he had never had one and i missed having one. We looked at all diff breeds and it was my OH who sold the staffy to me and i mean really sold them to me (he was in love) all the good qualitys, how they are with children how loyal they are etc as my collie (belle) growing up was litrally like a lap dog and would stick by mine and my sisters side i saw all the qualitys that i loved in this little breed. So after agreeing and browsing for puppies (yes we were young and did not know about BSB) i got a call at work one day saying he had a suprise for me now i was like is it a fridge, cooker etc etc so off i pops home and i get told to close my eyes hold my hands out and TYKE got put into my hands.........it was immediate love. Now we got alot of critism from we have a devil dog, to that we were plain stupid putting a new born baby in danger to irresponsible!

four years later........our 3 year old son LOVES his dog and tyke loves him, they play together and sleep together. like this morning i went to wake ryan up and he wasnt bothered about me he looked at the end of the bed and said weres tyke mummy? and went to go find him. Tyke and the staffy breed is part of our family and i will be a staffy lover till the day i die (sounds sad that haha) tyke put alot of peoples thoughts straight and is loved by all the family

Some lovely stories here

I'd been trying to convince my OH that we should get a dog, and I wanted to get another GSD (had them around in the family for most of my life). I went to my nearest rescue centre, as their website said they had one, but it turned out that they were rehoming him for someone directly from their house, not from the centre, so my intention of letting the OH meet a GSD had stumbled a bit (she'd never really been around dogs and was a bit scared of them).
While I was looking around the centre and chatting to a member of staff, I decided I wanted to start volunteering as I have a lot of free time due to working for myself and wanted to make a difference to the dogs' lives while they were in the centre.
So, on my first day, I took all kinds of dogs out for a walk and it was interesting to see the different behaviours and characters. Then on my second day, I took out a JRT, then the girl said she was going to get me a Staffy, if I was okay with that. She brought Louis out, a ten year old white and tan boy who was like a little barrel! He was ever so friendly and really well behaved and we had a good walk, so when I took him back, the girl said she'd get his mate, Milton, for me to walk next. Well, she handed me the lead, and he was a lot more excitable than Louis, so I took him and sat on a bench for a little while so we could get to know each other a bit, and give him chance to calm down. He kept giving me hugs and kisses and I could see he had a real character!
Every time I went after that, I made sure I always got to take him out at some point, and I think I must've bored the OH with stories about him (and pics!), until when she was on half term, she asked if she could come to the centre and meet him. She was a little nervous the first time as he's quite a big lad and very strong. After a couple more visits, she asked if they'd let us take him home overnight to see how he got on, which they did. I think the thing that really swayed her decision was how good he was in the house - he went to sleep while we had our dinner and didn't make a mess in the house or disturb us during the night - I was quite surprised after him being in kennels for a few months.
So, that's it really, we both fell in love with him and gave him a new home. He's only been here since last Friday, but already I can't imagine life without him! (A few less silent-but-deadlies might be nice though!)
And to make it even better, his mate Louis (they lived together before but had to be given up due to owner's ill health) was rehomed the week before

Great story Chris, two great Staffords found homes then

Thanks Mat Yep, just need to try to find good homes for the rest now - anyone want another one?

Chris SW wrote:Thanks Mat Yep, just need to try to find good homes for the rest now - anyone want another one?

we want to rescue soon, we just have the hurdle that rescues may not let us as we have a 3 year old son.

rebeccaleanne wrote:

Chris SW wrote:Thanks Mat Yep, just need to try to find good homes for the rest now - anyone want another one?

we want to rescue soon, we just have the hurdle that rescues may not let us as we have a 3 year old son.

I think a lot of rescues are quite flexible, especially if you've already got one. It's probably worth going to check with them - a lot of places put 'no children under xx years' as a standard thing but are often quite open to the idea with experienced owners

Chris SW wrote:

rebeccaleanne wrote:

Chris SW wrote:Thanks Mat Yep, just need to try to find good homes for the rest now - anyone want another one?

we want to rescue soon, we just have the hurdle that rescues may not let us as we have a 3 year old son.

I think a lot of rescues are quite flexible, especially if you've already got one. It's probably worth going to check with them - a lot of places put 'no children under xx years' as a standard thing but are often quite open to the idea with experienced owners

haha thats what my plan of action is to sweet talk them haha!!

rebeccaleanne wrote:

Chris SW wrote:

rebeccaleanne wrote:

Chris SW wrote:Thanks Mat Yep, just need to try to find good homes for the rest now - anyone want another one?

we want to rescue soon, we just have the hurdle that rescues may not let us as we have a 3 year old son.

I think a lot of rescues are quite flexible, especially if you've already got one. It's probably worth going to check with them - a lot of places put 'no children under xx years' as a standard thing but are often quite open to the idea with experienced owners

haha thats what my plan of action is to sweet talk them haha!!

Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine

I had a dog phobia all my life but my OH always wanted a dog (neither of us ever having had one in our lives). So when we bought our house he started convincing me that the garden was a perfect size for a staffy and he had his heart set on a staff. I was slowly coming around and we went off to the pet shop to get a bed and a few essentials for "when" we found our furbaby. I was still thinking the stuff would wind up in a cupboard never being used.... and then we met Roxy. It was just her and her sister left at 12 weeks old and her sister was super friendly but very mouthy. Roxy came over to me and licked my hand and looked up at me with the most beautiful expression, full of love.
We travelled home together on the back seat and she lay down on my lap, instantly stopped shaking and went to sleep. That was the first day I learnt unconditional, deep and lasting love between human and stafford

I have always been in love with the bully breeds. Every single kind, just love them. When my wife and I got our first dog is was a bulldog and we loved him to bits. However, after he passed we decided that we wanted a healthier breed than EB (even though we still love them to bits). There are tons of APBT around here and we liked them but they are rather large and we were hoping to be able to have a slightly smaller package. As we looked into it more, we discovered the SBTs and the rest is history... Can't beat them in my opinion. They are stable minded, loyal, loving and perfect companions and never cease to put a smile on our faces.

My cousin rehomed a beautiful girl Jess , so lovely natured and won our hearts , left big hole in their life when she eventually had to be PTS in old age at about 14 years. Anyway we had lost a BC cross , wife wouldn't ebntertain another similar dog for the memories so we wanted to go smaller and went for a staff, got Tilly and she just rekindled all them old feelings I had for Jess

Jason wrote:I think watching the film 'Jock of the Bushveld' had some impact on my falling I love with them. I just think there the best dog in every way really

I watched this film last night, What a beautiful and heart rending film, there is a full version on you tube.
I was 6 when we got our first Staffy, my dad brought her home (Sandy) and put her on the kitchen Lino, her poor little legs just slid apart and she lay on her belly whimpering, that was the start of 45 years of Staffy loving

i always wanted a dog growing up, but as my mum has (had...) a fear, we never got one. i've known a couple of staffies over the years, but i'd never really spent time with one until my ex took me to meet his mum, as she had one. i instantly fell in love with Cleo, who made all the staffy noises, the sitting on your feet, the not being able to leave you alone. i just couldnt understand the reputation i knew they had (but always kinda ignored). on my second visit down there, we were having drinks at the neighbours, who had taken in a stray staff for the weekend, hoping to fin the owner before it had to go to kennels. during the course of the evening, the staff went from being a placid, happy, calm loving old boy, to attacking my ex's mum. it took most of her top lip and a good chunk of her tongue, and i will never foget the noise, or the immediate silence that followed. wierdly, i was still fine with Cleo, and nobody was any the wiser with the stray. my ex was understandibly shook to the core, and didnt much trust staff's he didnt know after that, until we visited a friend who has a rescue male. he's a big, brute of a dog, absolutely huge and very defined, and on first glance does look imposing. but he's got a heart of gold, and if you grab one of his toys, he'll let you have it. after that, unknown to me, he was contacted by a friend who's two had had an accidental litter.they are usually kept separate, but they were staying with friends who didnt know there was a season at the time. (i can vouch for this as we were all on holiday together!). we went to visit the friend, and i was met by a full litter of a dozen pups, and spent the best part of the morning interacting and playing with them, until my ex said "right, you'd better pick one so we can get back!" Lola was the only one who kept coming back for cuddles, and was the least gobby of the lot (and when i compared her to the mum, they have very similar markings, including the small fleck of white on the back of the neck) and lo and behold, Lola was bought for me as a birthday/xmas gift. she's my first real pet, but i have helped look after dogs previously (including the ex's weimeraner), and i honestly cant see myself with another breed, she matches my lifestyle perfectly

Met my first staffy when I was in the forestry, tree felling, I had always loved APBT's and was always reading about them and boring my mates to death about them (this is before everyone and his dog had heard the term "pit bull" on the news ) got talking to this guy who said he had a staff in his Land Rover, so I went to see him .. a gorgeous red and white boy called "bowsun" .. and well, the rest is history as they say

Aw more great stories, love it

Wow fab stories keep them coming!!!

The breed just seem to land on my doorstep, first my late jessa who was literally shoved in my arms one Christmas morning with just a can of chum and a bag of maltesers, yes they fed her them, she had appalling skin conditions too, then Mr Bruno who turned up at new years with a bag of wagg.

I never really looked at the breed and thought yeah I want one of them but they were sent to me and I like the breed very much.

I walked into a very horrible house, Looked in the corner there was the two saddest and beautiful eyes i have ever seen, she was underweight, full of scratches bites ect, litteraly she had been 'bullied' and abused the small life she had at the time, the person who orignally owned her had 4 others staffys, betty was the 'runt', the bottom of the pack if you like, her dinner was eat, she was never allowed out the cage, mind my language but stunk of * and *, but because she had blue in her she was kept for breeding, the women who owned her was a poor excuse for a human let alone a owner, she left her in someone elses house,and refused to collect her due to her owing money,she was another statistic, how i found out about her ill never know, the only time iv beleved there was a god, I literally walked into a house and left with her, she was sat in a corner with her head down, i went to stroke her and she flinched really bad, i nearly cried so i took her, as we were walking down the road its was the was she looked at me as if you say 'its all over thank you'. she could tell i would love and look after her, i find it hard to explain, 5years on and shes fell alseep giving me afterwork hugs whilst i write this.