Just why are there so many staffies in rescues?

[Callisto]

Just that. They have had a really bad press recently, they are not exactly attractive dogs (certainly not to my eyes) and yet there are milions of them.

[OwlLady]

because 'some' of the people who own them are stupid enough not to spay or neuter them so they end up breeding and having unwanted or leftover litters that they cannot sell on or shift?

just a guess:( My Grandparents always had staffordshire bull terriers (and were from staffordshire, natch) and they were always well trained, nice natured dogs.

[issey6cats]

sadly they are there because recently they have become a poular breed, too many bred and homed to people who see the cute little puppy and dont see the naughty teenager that a staffy will become, and people who dont realise how high energy staffies are so a lot of them end up in rescue around the six to twelve months age group, untrained unsocialised and frankly not good prospects for rehoming, my two sons have staffies and all three dogs are everything a staffy should be

[MrsApplepants]

I heard that they are status dogs for some people and kept for aggression and as a result loads have been bred

[higgle]

Mainly i think because they have been indescriminately bred by people who didn't know better,taken on and then discarded by people who didn't appreciate they are very bouncy and need thorough training. To some people's eyes they look a bit "hard" and accordingly not the sort of dog for "people like us"

As a former criminal defence solicitor I'm well aware they were kept by drug dealers - not for protection, they are not good at that - but to enable large amounts of cash to be explained away as having come from having bred a litter.

Just over 2 years ago I thought it ws the one breed of dog I could never take to or want to own, but that was before one worked his way into m heart and I became besotted. Sadly he developed leukaemia and was only with us a few months, but now we have another "baby bear" of a dog, a huge black and white staffie who is so loving and kind and gentle ( unless you are another dog with your nose up his bum).

Today there are 9 pages of staffie puppies on Pets4homes, with prices up to £1500, with all this breeding still going on ever likely the dos homes and rescues are full of them.

[CharlW1]

They are definitely seen as status dogs unfortunately. I rescued a Staffie from Dogs Trust - she was a stray and thought to be about 10 years old - she belonged to a large family who just kept letting her roam the streets and kept being picked up by Dog Wardens until they said they didn't want her back. Betty (name of my Staffie) is now 13 and is the loveliest dog ever - she is brilliant with Children (although with any breed of dog you wouldnt leave them alone with them) and has a lovely temprament. It is such a shame these dogs have such a bad reputation as being dangerous or status dogs when they make great pets.

[unsureofthefuture]

As above, overbred by the wrong people and then pups get into the wrong hands and are abused, goaded to become agressive.
Dp(dont live together) has a staffie in the family, they "rescued" him at 2 and has always been the way he is now- agressive, horrid dog that cannot be walked in daylight for fear of being confronted with another dog walker in which he will then go utterly beserk, no one can go to the door without the dog flipping his lid and I certainely cannot take my kids to his house, he would tear them to pieces.

Ive said my piece to dp about getting a specialist behaviour help and also my views on them taking him out unmuzzled but it seems to fall on deaf ears. Im sure one day something bad will happen, someone will be hurt or worse and the dog destryed anyway.

Not a breed im keen on at all, they call it "staffie row" in alot of shelters because there are such a huge amount eg 25 homeless staffies out of 40 dogs. its a huge problem.

[unsureofthefuture]

On a programe on tv a while back a rescue shelter(think it was in central london) was thinking of withholding medical treatment for a staffie on the condition they would treat only if the owner gave consent for the dog to be spayed(is that the right word?). something needs to be done about the problem for sure. how many incidents have there been involving staffies killing babys/small infants in the last 3/4yrs, quite a few, at least 3 i can remember.

[ClaimedByMe]

As above, we rescued a staffy a few months ago, she had been used for breeding, was found straying covered in cuts and cigerette burns and starved. She is the most loving lump of love ever. She is also, due to her history, dog aggressive, we are working very hard with a trainer and my mums dog and walking her where and when we know there will be other dogs and she is coming on great.

[D0oinMeCleanin]

Staffies are the victim of a viscous circle. There are too many of them. None are bred by reputable breeders.

Because there are more of them than other breeds, it stands to reason that there will be more of them in rescue centers, that's just straight froward maths.

Because they are not bred by reputable breeders, they are sold to anyone who is willing to pay. Unfortunately the very undeserved bad press that they get and their muscular stature attract the wrong kind of owner. These owners want a 'hard' a dog and soon realise that what they have is in fact a soft as mud, four stone lap dog and more likely to slobber all over the rival drug dealer, than he is to savage him. They get bored and dump them or sell them on, untrained, to yet another unsuitable home. This culture means that the number of staffies in rescues grows out of proportion.

Finally because there are so many of them in rescues and because of the press coverage, they are often overlooked by people who would be ideal staffy owners, meaning again, their numbers in rescue grow.

Then people assume - Too many staffies in rescues = there must be something wrong with them

Staffies are lovely dogs and do not deserve the image now have.

[dandycandyjellybean]

staffies are the only breed that the kennel club recommend with children of any age.....think on.....