cross staffs in england.........

Hi Guys new user ere !!!

Im from the midlands and am sure iv seen number of staffs that seem like they cross with that banned breed or even seen them dogs, the banned breeds about ? a guy i seen many times has a dog that looks very interesting hes brought of off a website and it was under mastiff? what should he do ?I know abit about pits and have told him , his dont look like a staff or even a mastiff, as in a large dog so to speak.. hes worried and dont want to get in trouble?

Hi there,

There are lots and lots of bull breed crosses that are not pit bulls or pit bull types. As owners of staffy crosses on here will know only too well, it's really, really annoying for people to assume your dog is a pit bull type just because it's a big bull breed cross. I've been told many times that my dog must be a banned breed and that he should be muzzled or shot by people who think they know. Also, Mastiff crosses are not uncommon and are not banned.

I volunteer for a rescue centre that is RSPCA affiliated and we are obliged by law to have dogs that the management feels may be classed as a pit bull type assessed. The assessment is done by a trained police officer who comes with his tape measure to determine if the measurements fit the definition. It's not simply a 'looks like' thing at all.

If a dog is well behaved and posing no risk to anyone, I don't see why you need to do anything. I'd certainly be careful about worrying someone over possibly nothing. Unless you have been trained to identify pit bull types and have your tape measure to hand, your guess is simply that, a guess, and it would be tragic to put an owner through all sorts of worry based on a guess, wouldn't it?

hia from me and sasha as said if the dog is well behaved and if he gets asks he just says the dogs a staffy cross i cant see there being a problem

Sorry was trying to reply to LizP , not sure what im doing here lol, thing is in past i know people who kept pits , etc and i have researched them for many years. so iv been up close to many and for years looked into them, the guy even said a few people have said that to him the dog looks like pit. he seems like nice guy and the dog is friendly. so just wondering what would happen to his dog. i got a dog, blue staff.

Hi ya Vazz, welcome to the Forum from Flo & me

If the dog is friendly and poses no risk then there is probably little chance of anything happening. defining a Pit in the UK has always been a bit, shall we say, tenuous anyway.

The breeding of them has been banned for a good number of years so the likely hood of being one or crossed with one is slight.

I have friends in the USA that claim they have a Pit, it is no such thing, it's an AmStaff, same as ours only bigger. It can be quiet easy to think it's something that it isn't to the unfamiliar

Thanks guys ! n gals.

theres defo been pits around west midlands, its even been in the news, so i dont think its a question of are their pits around. i just hope this guy is going be ok and i can see his lovely dog around for longer !

n e idea how to reply to specific posts?

Hi Vazz,

Yes, there are pit bull types around. We (RSPCA Danaher) probably have one or two dogs a month assessed and sadly those few that are deemed to be pit bull types by the police have to be pts as we are not allowed to rehome them . There probably are some around in the Midlands as well, although I wouldn't necessarily take the press's word for it. They're not overly reliable when it comes to reporting about staffies, pit bulls, etc, and stunningly silent about the number of bites by little dogs. Bias? Surely not!

However, there are many fewer than people believe and it's rare to find well behaved dogs with sensible owners having problems unless the local police are having a doolally moment. Sadly, there are more people who are determined that your dog is a pit and become offensive/abusive and, quite frankly, blinking worrying! I have an ad running at the moment for a bull breed x on Pets4Homes and had a chap determined that she's a pit type, even though she has been passed as not one. But this guy knew better on the basis of a couple of photos .

I've met several of the dogs deemed to be pit bull types at the Centre, lovely, lovely dogs, whose only crime was to fit certain measurements, but who paid the ultimate price.  They had done nothing at all other than to be picked up as strays then fit the measurements. That's why I'm so keen that no one should do anything hasty unless the dog is actually a problem.

To answer you question about replying, the only way you can do it really is to use the quote function. Otherwise, just say 'oi, Liz!' for example, and we'll get the drift!

Hiya from me and Vinnie

vazz wrote:Thanks guys ! n gals.

theres defo been pits around west midlands, its even been in the news, so i dont think its a question of are their pits around. i just hope this guy is going be ok and i can see his lovely dog around for longer !

n e idea how to reply to specific posts?

there are certainly pitbulls in the uk & pibull crosses, but mostly what you see are staffords crossed wifh boxers of mastiff types etc. most of the pure pitbulls in the uk are jealously protected by tbeir 'families' and rarely crossed.

if you want to reply to a thread lust scroll to the bottom & type in the white box. if you want to reply to a specific post in a thread click 'quote' and type i the box that comez up,underneath the text you're quoting.

It's not a pitbull unless it's got a pedigree certificate. FACT.
The vast majority of APBT 'type' dogs in the UK as has been mentioned are cross breeds. Made to look 'like' pits, but NOT.
So the whole police assessment thing using tape measures can be very unfair. My dog would fits a fair few of the type dog criteria... but he is a staffy x american bulldog.
Looks very similar to LizP's white dog on the left of her pic. Except my dog is chestnut coloured.

If it is you that owns the dog... just make sure it is socialised well, raised well, exercised VERY well and fed well, and you should be good to go.

Hi and welcome to the forum from me and the zoo xx

Ah thanks alot guys and gals ! really friendly and helpful. some very good advice from everyone. his dog seems friendly so im sure its all good. i got a blue staff hes a chiller

and i hate seeing n e dog breeds banned !!!! its a shame

Hi and welcome from us and Suki

Hi and welcome from me and beau