Rep

As we all know, the image of the Staffie is often ruined by a combination of the mass media, a hysterical public, and, most of all, utter bell ends picking the staff as their dog of choice, as they think it a 'tough dog'...*sigh*

My question is, can more be done to reverse that damage, and let people see more of the truth behind the lie?

I realise that many won't want to have their mind changed, but I also think many do and would, if the right information were offered to them.

I suppose that there are groups out there who already do their bit this way, but what if all responsible Staffie owners came together, to do something more 'viral', across the net, and beyond?

Can we ever get the message out too often?

its an up hill struggle

Thats what sites like this try to promote

bigwazza wrote:its an up hill struggle

Of course.

I actually found it worse when I had a Bull Terrier - maybe due to them looking unusual, and being less common?

Anyway, yes, a struggle, but the data is there, isn't it, to counter the misinformation?

It is a matter of getting more of it to the general public, and in a way that they can digest quickly.

All social networking sites should be considered as tools, although I am sure they already are(?).

I think if enough responsible owners got on board something, you might find that hill gets a bit less steep

janey wrote:Thats what sites like this try to promote

Do you organise events or even press coverage, with the specific aim of addressing the misinformation?

That is superb, if you do/have, and more of that, from more quarters, is what I mean.

too many getting into the wrong hands of scum untill that can be stopped I.E over breeding then i feel its a loosing battle

2 weeks ago a friend went to the south (dorset) and watched as a staffy tanked off and ripped the throut out of a donkey on the beach and just 2 days ago a friend of a friend had there puppy attacked by a staffy puncher s to the neck

my friend above had to kick the staffy trying tosave the donkey which the chavvy owner tipped up havin a right go at my mate for kickin there dog but at the end of the day there was a child on that donkey !!!

my 3 staffs have all been soft as poo and in the wrong hands they are a weapon which i feel breeding licences should be bought into law or something to stop * oles breeding them and giving them a BAD name

my buster nearly went to someone that left there dogs outside 27/7 and his last 2 got pinched im so glad that i saved this little boy from been his 3rd

All we can do, as responsible owners, is to try to educate the people in our area. Hopefully then, the people we educate will pass on that knowledge to one or two others who will in turn be made to think about the 'reputation'.

It doesn't help matters when you get absolute tools in charge of these dogs. Example; two staff attacked a small fluffy dog at a park near me last week & the poor dog had to be put down - owners? They were about 200 yards away strolling along without a care in the world. Their excuse? "We thought the dogs were playing".

I agree that I have more problems with having a BT than I ever did with Bandit, but then in the part of London and then the part of Wales where I lived there were no other staffs at the time, and people were more fascinated with this muscular, fierce but gentle dog.

rosie2011 wrote:too many getting into the wrong hands of scum untill that can be stopped I.E over breeding then i feel its a loosing battle

2 weeks ago a friend went to the south (dorset) and watched as a staffy tanked off and ripped the throut out of a donkey on the beach and just 2 days ago a friend of a friend had there puppy attacked by a staffy puncher s to the neck

my friend above had to kick the staffy trying tosave the donkey which the chavvy owner tipped up havin a right go at my mate for kickin there dog but at the end of the day there was a child on that donkey !!!

my 3 staffs have all been soft as poo and in the wrong hands they are a weapon which i feel breeding licences should be bought into law or something to stop * oles breeding them and giving them a BAD name

my buster nearly went to someone that left there dogs outside 27/7 and his last 2 got pinched im so glad that i saved this little boy from been his 3rd

Not good.

It is high time there were a rational and workable programme to licence dogs, in this country.

Not something that chaves could thumb their nose at and just ignore, if you wanted to own a dog, or were in possession of one, you had to have this licence, and it could be revoked, at any time.

Just like being in possession of a car licence - you work to get it.

Caryll wrote:All we can do, as responsible owners, is to try to educate the people in our area. Hopefully then, the people we educate will pass on that knowledge to one or two others who will in turn be made to think about the 'reputation'.

It doesn't help matters when you get absolute tools in charge of these dogs. Example; two staff attacked a small fluffy dog at a park near me last week & the poor dog had to be put down - owners? They were about 200 yards away strolling along without a care in the world. Their excuse? "We thought the dogs were playing".

I agree that I have more problems with having a BT than I ever did with Bandit, but then in the part of London and then the part of Wales where I lived there were no other staffs at the time, and people were more fascinated with this muscular, fierce but gentle dog.

What happens legally, in a thing like that?

Can dogs be PTS for attacking and killing another dog?

Can the owners be prosecuted, criminally or a a civil action?

rosie2011 wrote:too many getting into the wrong hands of scum untill that can be stopped I.E over breeding then i feel its a loosing battle

2 weeks ago a friend went to the south (dorset) and watched as a staffy tanked off and ripped the throut out of a donkey on the beach and just 2 days ago a friend of a friend had there puppy attacked by a staffy puncher s to the neck

my friend above had to kick the staffy trying tosave the donkey which the chavvy owner tipped up havin a right go at my mate for kickin there dog but at the end of the day there was a child on that donkey !!!

my 3 staffs have all been soft as poo and in the wrong hands they are a weapon which i feel breeding licences should be bought into law or something to stop * oles breeding them and giving them a BAD name

my buster nearly went to someone that left there dogs outside 27/7 and his last 2 got pinched im so glad that i saved this little boy from been his 3rd

what an absolutely horrific thing to have witnessed. yes unfortunately even over here, staffys are owned by ' people' who should never be allowed to keep even a pet rock.
and as for Buster.... I bet he is even more glad than you, that he came to live with you! Lucky boy!

We can do more its up to all of us but the rescues and show judges are doing there best and hold seminars quite often to get the message across

In all probability, the 'fashion' among those who gave the breed a bad name, it will change.

In the past, it seems that GSD's were the dog of choice, running around free, on the housing estates of Britain.

Today, it has been the turn of the Staffie, and, in the natural order of things, they will eventually move on to another breed, imo.

Caryll is so right. if we each do our bit to educate those that we come across then more and more people will stop buying into this "staffys are bad" culture. when they read it/see it on the news they will think actually that staffy i met was far from that picture being portrayed.

i was so impressed with the guy i got Woody from, his bitch had 6 pups and even whilst i was there choosing Woody i heard him turn a chav away at the door advising him they were all gone, knowing full well there was still some available. he told me no way were any of his going to be status dogs brought up in the wrong way.

nicolalouises wrote:Caryll is so right. if we each do our bit to educate those that we come across then more and more people will stop buying into this "staffys are bad" culture. when they read it/see it on the news they will think actually that staffy i met was far from that picture being portrayed.

i was so impressed with the guy i got Woody from, his bitch had 6 pups and even whilst i was there choosing Woody i heard him turn a chav away at the door advising him they were all gone, knowing full well there was still some available. he told me no way were any of his going to be status dogs brought up in the wrong way.

Which is great.

But many are breeding staffs and staff crosses, then selling them on for as little as £30.

They don't care who they sell them to, and for every example like your one, we still face the fact that there are probably ten examples like my one.

How we solve that, well, that is the real challenge.

i dont think we can because there will always be people that want to make a fast buck. its one of the reasons i had Woody neutered, there are far too many in re-homing situations for me to bring more in to the equation.

as much as we would like to we cant save them all - until i win the lottery and then i'll be going and rounding them all up to live in my big mansion

nicolalouises wrote:i dont think we can because there will always be people that want to make a fast buck. its one of the reasons i had Woody neutered, there are far too many in re-homing situations for me to bring more in to the equation.

as much as we would like to we cant save them all - until i win the lottery and then i'll be going and rounding them all up to live in my big mansion

True, but giving harsh penalties to unlicensed breeders would maybe be a start?

It would at least put some off, and criminalise the act of just anyone using a female dog as a breeding machine, the selling dodgy pups, to just anyone?