Ho do you deal with society?

Hi,

just wondering how you all deal with society looking at you and your dog differently to others?

Since telling people were getting a staffie most people have already deemed her the most evil evil thing on the planet. My mum is scared but will be happy seeing the puppy stages, her partner just refuses "to be near one of them dogs, they`re always in the paper for killing", others are asking what am i going to do when its killed Jessie, out beagle.

Mike and Donna

I ignore people infact I prefer getting the full pavement to myself when I'm walking my 2! It helps know the narrow minded media sheep from the rational normal people

It took me about 5 years to persuade my mum a SBT was the dog for us, now we have 2 and my mums already thinking about a 3rd

I either ignore them or try my best to educate them (depending on what type of people they are) darcy luckily for me is like my mum & dads 7th grandchild

I don't give a toss, my boys come first and always will do, if they don't like it they can lump it, and aren't welcome in my house or around my boys

Wow.

The papers forget to publish all the articles regarding attacks by JRT and lab's and all the other dogs that lash out! Any dog can be nasty if brought up in the wrong hands! Have you seen that pik...'in the 80's it was the alsation', 'in the 90's it was the rottweiler', now its the staff/pitbull A staff is one of the most loyal affectionate wonderful dogs anyone could ever own! Unfortunately dealing with society can be a pain but you can either let all the comments go straight over your head or come up with some witty comebacks or try and change peoples views on the breed (recommended). Make sure you socialise your pooch as much as possible with your local dogs so they get to know your pooch and he will have a lovely reputation. You will find that other dog owners will give you a wide birth as well which is frustrating, but with you having another pooch as well then it shouldnt be too bad Im sure your mums partners views will change over time!

We get the same thing with Dempsey. I usually just don't tell people what he is until after they've seen that he's friendly. If they have a problem, I just tell them not to put too much faith in what they read in the news.

Some good points, my best bet is to try educate them. And your right about socialising her with everyone they'll soon see how it's not they're nature to attack.
Besides a SBT being walked with a beagle isn't the most threatening pack to be scared of.

Don't take any notice of what people tell you about Staffies if they have never owned one or been anywhere near one.

Until you have you don't know them, their character and love and affection for people. Once people do know what they are like their opinions do seem to strangly change.

Most people I meet ask , is he dangerous ? Like the others said , I just educate, they see he's friendly and most comment and say there name Is underserved, I think people who have dogs understand more and would have more experience meeting friendly staffs!, it's everybody else crossing the road r giving dirty looks, but you can't help peoples ignorance and u can't blame them either, they only know what they no and here, just stay positive and educate!!

Just smile and keep walking. We get a lot of comments saying how well behaved our dog is, and then when they ask what breed he is they change their tune. Unfortunately some people believe they are experts when it comes to dog breeds when in fact they are uneducated. I prefer spending my time with people who like our dog, rather than those that come out with comments like "good luck with that one" or "he will turn on you one day".

ella wrote:I don't give a toss, my boys come first and always will do, if they don't like it they can lump it, and aren't welcome in my house or around my boys

well said Ella , and as I know it can be a damn good way to keep the family away or atr least stop them bringing their stupid little dogs with them annoying me

I approach other dog walkers and people with a cheery wave and "he's friendly!!" I swear I must be known as the "He's Friendly" woman by now! This usually elicits an "oh good!" response and we let the dogs have a mutual sniff. The owners usually end up patting Charlie because he's a sweetie, and their dogs wag their tails furiously!

Funnily enough, I met a couple tonight whose Yorkie cross had just been set on by a Jack Russell (I'm a Russell fan too). They were feeling rather shell shocked and nervous about Charlie, so I asked if their dog would like to sniff a friendly dog to get it's confidence back. Their dog LOVED Charlie, proper propeller tail, and the owners felt a lot better afterwards too.

It feels good to educate people on lovely Staffies and crosses!

Well my in laws haven't visited since we have had Vinnie, and I keep getting why did you get a dog like that for. Stuff em I say as Ella said he comes first, and when people make a comment as one child did the other day "I don't like them dogs" I simply say "He hasn't had his dinner yet!"

sometimes people back away and say 'i'm scared of them' (because, to be honest, they are 'full on' are staffies aren't they, no matter how much to tell them to stay/wait/etc?) I usually say 'they'll only lick you to death' which is true. most people I've found then say 'what lovely dogs'. as said before, it's all down to bad owners/bad press.

We've been through all sides of this I think by now... My parents hated the idea of me getting a Staff (I've always had Collies) They were not coming round/he would not be welcome at their house etc Now my mother (who really dislikes dogs) tells people "Rolo is not bad" and my dad thinks Rolo is his new best Buddy!

We've met the whole scale of public opinion.. those who hate Staffs and kick out at him to those who are besotted with them. To those who move out of our way muttering, I kindly thank them for the extra space and say "he really is just a HAPPY brown dog, if you care to say hello?" Then they either walk on embarrassed or they come and say "Hello"

out on the walks in the country i get a very differnt reaction to what i do in town. in the woods etc with people who generally know dogs i get expressions like "amazing" "beutifull" and have even had people want to take pictures on more than one occasion. yet in town i get people pulling kids or small dogs away, even crossing the street. at first it peed me off a bit but know i couldnt give a monkys about it as its there loss. I know my dogs inside out and i know how loving they are to "anyone" for every one ignorant fool i meet in town i meet 5 knowledable people outside that appreciate the breeds. I dont really want to socialise with muppets that beleive everything they read in the media anyway as i find them somewhat beneath me and liable to trigger an adverse reaction to there ignorance.

Funny, I was just thinking about this today. When we told my mum we were getting a staffy, she said 'oh why are you getting one of those dogs, I don't like them, I won't want to see him', or something to that effect, this coming from a woman who is a huge dog lover and had never met any staffys up to this. I just said, (only half joking!) well you wont be seeing me anymore so once we get the pup. I was fully prepared for getting some negative reactions from the general public, and couldn't care less about them, but not my own family and what she said really upset me.
Anyway when we got Reggie I deliberately didn't talk to her about him, but a couple of days after we got him she asked could we Skype (she lives 3 hours away from me) so she could see him, and was starting to show some interest in him. Then she met him in person last weekend and I think she realised he's a little dote and so sweet and not going to eat her! She said when she was leaving, 'he's lovely I like him now'.

I do feel there is a lot more pressure on us staffy owners because a lot of people have such negative perceptions of the breed. I do want myself and Reggie to be able to educate people, and show them how sweet and loving staffys are. I know there will be people who are blinkered in their views and don't want to be educated but those are people I'll have nothing to do with.

Sod other people, its taken 3 years for certain members of the family to even touch her, thankfully they live a long way away.

I love my dog and my dog is what makes me.

The funny thing is, my Mum takes Zeus for his morning walks and she gets nothing but praise and hello's etc. They all seem to love Zeus when he's with my mum.

BUT.. when I take him for his evening walks, I'm the devil reincarnated! People cross the road, give me evil looks, look at Zeus like he's the devil dog etc.

Just shows how narrow minded people are, but the way I deal with it..? Simply ignore them! You'll be forever arguing/fighting with people trying to justify yourself but whats the point? Aslong as you're happy, and so is the little one, that's all that matters! It used to irritate me before but amuses me now.

As tough as it is I have found 99% of the time it is best to just ignore it! But sometimes this is easier said than done! If the person seems willing to listen I will do my best to educate them and let them see how loving Gwen is! Most people just have their minds set that they are vicious terrible dogs, those people aren't worth my time!

My brother was against my getting a 'dog like that' initially, at one point even telling me that I was asking for a child to be killed/being a child abuser by getting one ... that, I will give, really upset me. After lots of arguments and information he came around though, and he absolutely adores Chiquito .. even sticks up for the breed when people say negative things.

I think most people are fearful because of the media, and are worried about their fur babies safety for that reason. However I am always surprised by the number of actual dog people (trainers, obedience school, kennels etc) that seem quite apprehensive toward them.

Educate those who will listen and ignore those who won't is my motto

When we told my MIL (who has only ever owned a goldfish!) we were getting a rescue Staff she actually said - there's obviously somehting wrong with those dogs for there to be so many in rescues. I hope it'll be caged!" Well you can imagin my reply...especially as I've only ever had Staffords, my first one was Bella when I was 4

It took my partner actually sitting down with her and showing her webpages that I had given him about them being nanny dogs etc for her to come around. Now she calls Doug her "wee pal" and asks him to come for dinner before we get an invite! She always has a beg full of toys/treats for him + his own bowl and blanket! Just goes to show what education does

ella wrote:I don't give a toss, my boys come first and always will do, if they don't like it they can lump it, and aren't welcome in my house or around my boys

Well said Ella!

Assumptions like that don't get to me. It's is annoying that people judge so harshly, as it's not the dog who is a 'killer or viscous' but the owner who teaches them to be. I actually laugh at the people who think he would hurt them as he ends up licking them to death and they just come out with 'oh, wow, he is friendly' my mums maltese x Pomeranian is more likely to bite me than Rocky is!

Most people I've met who are unsure of Daisy have been surprised at how friendly she is, when they give her a chance! It really annoys me when they don't! But I try to ignore it, their loss!

I've found that approx. 95% of dog walkers who encounter Kuchar for the first time are wary. The figure is a little less, about 80%, for people without dogs, although if they have young children with them they are more likely to wary.

I greet all the same, with a friendly smile (and a cheery word if they don't stalk past as if I and pooch were invisible).

My mum was also very wary when I said I was getting a Staffy but then when all you know about a breed is the general media opinion I guess I can see why people are cautious. But we took my parents dog to meet him at the rescue centre and mum was won over instantly with his personality this was reinforced when she had sciatica and was stuck in bed for weeks, when he was then while I was working he wouldn't leave my mums side

I guess I have been lucky with the area I live, the training club I go to etc in that there hasn't been any obvious staffy prejudice but I guess walking him on a relaxed lead helps with the perception of us and I'm always talking to Ledger as we approach people things like "there's nothing in the shopping for you" or "not everyone wants a cuddle" pre empting if he has made eye contact with them

jshrew wrote:walking him on a relaxed lead helps with the perception of us and I'm always talking to Ledger as we approach people things like "there's nothing in the shopping for you" or "not everyone wants a cuddle" pre empting if he has made eye contact with them

I think this goes a long way to altering people's perceptions of Staffies. Much better than answering a scowl, avoidance or similar with aggression.

It was certainly a learn from experience when I twigged that the people Ledger approached were the ones that make eye contact with him and one even went 'aw' and leant towards him then snapped at me when he left a muddy paw print on her jeans

I honestly think it's about you being confident in your dog and not giving a monkeys about what another person has to say. I would be ready for questions and find out what the common misconceptions are about the breed.
Where we live we do get the odd look, but the majority of the time we get a good reception.
Also I would say always be willing to break the ice first - asking is it okay if they say hello, are they friendly etc...It may put that person at ease to show that you are also showing courtesy Good luck and as long as you know what your dog is like, I wouldn't worry and enjoy your SBT

I can see some people are cautious but Stella wears pink or purple fleece harness and pink or purple leash and she constantly wags her tail when somebody looks at her and often lies down and wants her belly rubbed so I must be lucky we mostly get loads of compliments how gorgeous and sweet she is... There are people who give us weird looks but it's their problem not mine:-)

Dave wrote:

ella wrote:I don't give a toss, my boys come first and always will do, if they don't like it they can lump it, and aren't welcome in my house or around my boys

well said Ella , and as I know it can be a damn good way to keep the family away or atr least stop them bringing their stupid little dogs with them annoying me

You know me

janey wrote:Sod other people, its taken 3 years for certain members of the family to even touch her, thankfully they live a long way away.

I love my dog and my dog is what makes me.

I have a family member who won't allow their child to be in the same space as my dog. They've made a massive stink about it, ruined Christmas and some birthdays. They tried to reason their opinions with * and bull stories heard from newspapers and from googling staffy attacks, for gods sake! They've been emotionally manipulative over me and parents, also going with arguement that if there's a one percent chance their kid could get bit then they aren't taking it. So they don't ever visit and try emotionally blackmailing my parents so we don't get invited for Christmas dinner when they're over. There's much more to this but it's a nice day and I'll only get in a rage again...

As far as I'm concerned they can stay away, and sit at home googling 'staffy attacks' and reading copious copies of the Sun. Set of t*rds. And helicopter parents. Pah!

Oops, too late, I have rage!