Bit concerned

Hello and sorry I have not been on for a while.
Over the last couple of months I have learnt some information about my now 2 year old staffy X Nellie.

When I first had her we were informed by the breeder that her mum was an "Irish" staffy which I researched and found out this is a term used to say staffy x breed.

First visit to the vet and she was classed by the vet as a staffy mastiff cross which is a common x breed so sis my research into mastiff breeds and there temperament so I could develop her training the right way.

Nellie turned 2 in June and we were contacted by a young female on face book who had a boy from the litter Nellie came from to warn me that Nellie is not a mastiff cross breed she is actually part pitbull (there is a pitbull cross on the mothers side). She hah had her boy taken off her and tested by the police and only just had him back.

I am unsure now what I am supposed to do. Do I say nothing and just carry on regardless as nel is as daft as a brush and in the last 2 years apart from barking at the post man has never shown aggression to man no beast or do I have to report it?

Some advice would be much appreciated as I don't wanna loose by little girl she truly is my world.

i can imagine why that news would worry you Jay but you don't need to do anything. You know Nellie having lived with her for 2 years and know that she's as soppy as anything so there is nothing to report.

The DDA law has recently changed so that the law can now act if a person believes they were in danger, they don't actually need to be attacked but Nellie shows no aggression so no worries there.

Did the young lady say what the outcome was from her dogs encounter with the law ?, I suspect very little other than perhaps being muzzled in public and on lead.

All you need do is love Nel exactly as you always have, neither you or she have done anything wrong

More abt the owner than the dog itself u have nothing to worry about

Thanks for the advice we are back in training (started back today) as she has started showing aggressive and possessive tendencies towards other dogs. So gone back to basics with her and back to the training group we used at the start to nip it in the bud before it starts to develop more.

It may well be that your dog is in fact a mastiff cross, but that with that particular dog the measurements fit that of a pitbull terrier. There are very few pure bred pitbull terriers here, but a lot of crossbreeds that look similar to pitbulls. It doesn't change your dog, and doesn't mean that you need to train or handle them any differently. Buying from a backyard breeder claiming a breed of dog (Irish staffie) is always going to leave you liable to the DDA, as you have no proof of ancestry. I would suggest to continue being a responsible owner, keeping your dog and others safe and happy, and carrying on with your lives.

If you are contacted by a DLO and your dog is seized, don't sign anything until you can get help from a lawyer, and contact DDA watch to gain further advice.

Highly unlikely to be a pit cross but even if she was so what? pits can be fantastic social dogs, with the crossing it would be so dilute no one would know anyway. my guys best friend is a mastiff cross Stafford and he is a big dopey loverboy who is only a danger to picnics and carrier bags. as for the person that tipped you off , in my experience DLO's wont budge for crap and even dog wardens cast a blind eye (yes they are dog lovers and understand them better than the government) the wheels only ever start to roll when something happens that forces there hand.

Thanks for all the advice and reassuring messages. I do not view Nellie any different she is and will always be my big lanky clumsy daft loving baby. I was just a little concerned after receiving the message on Facebook as I know the stigma surrounding pitbull crosses. She is not a full pit cross there is pitbull somewhere down the line on her mothers side but not in her fathers. As for buying from a back yard breeder I tried several times to adopt from rescues but was turned down every time as I live in a flat with no open space for nel to go out if she needs the toilet even thou I live no more than 30 seconds from a park opposite my flat and also 5 mins from Walsall arboretum which has acres for her to run and play in.

That's good, it's always going to be a concern. My dog was assessed by the police, but luckily passed. I wouldn't even be sure that there was pitbull anywhere down the line tbh, it's probably just a way of making extra money. The amount of "street experts" that told me I had a pitbull and offered me money for her in Bristol was unreal - yet she's clearly a staffie cross. I don't think many people in the UK are aware of what a real pitbull is. A lot of the "type" assessments in kennel are just population control, an easy way to clear out the masses of overbreed bull breeds.

Wasn't being rude regarding the BYB (though I don't approve of them) just stating that if you do buy from somewhere that doesn't have papers, you will never be able to prove that your dog is not type, so it makes you more liable. Same as rescuing really, I'll never be able to prove that my girl isn't type either as she was a stray. It's a shame that you couldn't rescue, the centre that I work at rehomes on a dog by dog basis, which includes places without gardens and homes with other pets/children providing the dog would be happy with that!