To pick my children up whenever I see a stafforshire bull terrier?

[DarlingDuck]

I am really frightened of bull terrier type dogs, my brother and I were chased by a pit bull when we were young and our dog was attacked and almost died. Whenever I see a stafforshire bull terrier I cross the road, aibu?

Staffies, aaahh! Isn't that a cute name? Staffordshire bull terriers were originally bred for bull baiting so they are really good with children. They are also known as nanny dogs. We all know nannies that rip childrens faces off don't we. Anyone?

Too late :)

janelikesjam

They may have been instilled with the instinct to fight, but only other DOGS, not people. Dog aggression and people aggression are not the same thing. Even the toughtest dog used regulatly for fighting should NEVER turn on a human. A fighting dog that cannot safely be handled in any situation (such as when it is injured and needs to be taken from the 'pit') is no use to anyone and would be culled.

The horrendous attacks that make the papers are actually very rare, when you consider how many dogs there are in the UK; and that SBT's represent a very large percentage of those dogs. In most cases, the dog in question is owned by the family or is known to the victim of the attack. Random dog attacks by unknown dogs are very rare indeed.

'do you really want your children to be so scared of them? '
Yes!!! So many of the attacks on children have been by staffies

Dog bites in general are not majoritively staffies, or rotties. They are from your friendly little cocker spaniel, or yorkshire terrier, or any other sort of fluffy wuffy cute ickle doggy that parents foolishly think are "safe".

Those stories dont make the DM headlines..

Yes, there have been bad dog attacks with staffies or rotties involved, but they are few and far between in comparison to the rest of the dog bites that get treated every day in A & E.

Every dog is capable of biting, no matter what its' breed.

Please watch this

The problem is that opinions like yours OP inadvertantly exacerbate the problem. Folk fear Staffies and think that only yobs own them and/or SBT are vicious. Yobs like this and play on it whilst nice families avoid befriending and owning SBT based on that inaccurate, unfair reputation. Hence - and this is the sad truth - more SBT than any other breed end up in pounds and rescue and heartbreakingly more end up dying for want of homes.

If more nice, ordinary, decent individuals and families were to discover the truth about this breed instead of basing their opinions on sensationalist headlines and the fear-rumour-mill there would be many more good examples for folk to go by.

I can show you plenty - as I said I can use my own experiences with the breed as an example too. I've heaps of photos and follow up write-ups from happy owners and decent families who have adopted Staffies, my last foster Staff being one of the many.

I would have to admit to an element of distrust over staffies.

We decided recently to get a new dog. We ended up buying what we originally wanted, a pedigree miniature schnauzer. But before we got him, we went to 3 different rescue places to see if we could re-home a dog first.

Why is it that almost every dog we saw was a Staffie.

YANBU. If you want a dog, why choose an intimidating one?

I have a pet lion and am sick and tired of mothers who pick up their children and run away screaming in fear every time I take simba for a walk. Don't these mothers realise they are instilling a fear of lions in their children. My lion is well socialised and adores children, even letting them ride on his back. Is there not a zoo nearby where you can expose your children to lions in a graduated way? You could start with putting just a finger through the bars, then a hand, followed by a whole arm. When they've built up their confidence a bit more they could climb into the lion enclosure and even pit their head in the lions mouth. Soppy things will just lick you and roll over so you can tickle their tummy.

Yanbu. I'd rather my kid was scared of dogs than got attacked. And I hate it when I hold my son's hand cos a big dog is cantering towards him and the owner invariably gets defensive telling us how safe and friendly the dog is. They're worse than parents for thinking everyone should adore their charge

Another thing - attacks upon people by dogs are very rare, that's why they make headlines when they do happen. Consider the number of dogs owned in the UK... how often do you read of the rest of them, the non-biters, in the Sun or Mail?

You don't.

That's because "DogsBestFriend's 2 German Shepherds and Labrador sleep beside 14 yo daughter on sofas" and "DogsBestFriend spends day in rescue handling 40 dogs and drinking tea with rescue owners then goes home for a shower" doesn't sell newspapers.

Smartiepants, see my post just above yours for the answer to your question. :)

Some breeds of dogs, including Dobermans, Pit Bulls, Huskies and Rotweilers really do send cold shivers up my back. As I said, I have a big, alpha-type mixed-breed dog who is well trained etc, but I do sometimes turn in a different direction when walking him to avoid these dogs, as the fear they generate inside me feels completely instinctive and stems from my gut.

I feel if one of those dogs went for me, they could kill me, whereas I'd have a fighting chance of fending off a labrador attack, or whatever.

However, I had made friends with the owner of a SBT and a Doberman, and our dogs get on very well. Their dogs are immaculately trained and good natured, although I'd never pet them in the same way I would other breeds.

Follow your instincts OP, but it is a good idea to teach your children not to act nervous around dogs or any animals: this won't serve them well, and as I said earlier, the animal can sense it, become anxious and more likely to be aggressive.

Oh Iwantadog, that video made me cry and laugh at the same time

The reason you saw so many staffies was because over the last few years, idiot chavs have used them as "status dogs".. little hoody leaves home to move in with his girlfriend, and first thing on his list is get a puppy.... and before you know it, he has split with the gf, and she dumps the dog... usually citing the reason as "it has been aggresive to the kids", because that is the only way to get the dogs home to take the dog. Usually that is a total lie.. but because it cant be proved, that poor dog is now destined to live in a metal cell for the rest of its life, or be put down. The same arseholes usually think it is cute to have a load of puppies, or that they will make money from it.. then they find out their equally dumb mates dont have the money.. so they give the dogs away to anyone... and most of the people who took one soon realise that a dog is a commitment, and a committment that interferes with their other expenditure, so they dump the dog, again giving similar bullshit reasons.

My dog was a rescue when he was 8 months old. Luckily the parents of the numpty who "owned" him were good enough to properly rehome him after their son did a runner and left the dog in a garden for 18 hours a day.. digging up worms for food.

I have got an 8 year old staffie who is very much loved by everyone who knows him, and who has shown nothing but love and trust to every human he has ever met.

I want my children to be wary of all dogs. They are animals and unpredictable, and the consequences of approaching the wrong dog, or the right dog in the wrong way can be so utterly devastating that a little healthy distance is the best policy.
However, more people are bitten my labradors than any other breed in this country. Not a lot of people know that.

YANBU

there have been quite a few dogs being attacked by staffs in the parks around here. i will not stop going to the parks but i do avoid certain areas where groups gather together with their weapons/dogs

i rather my ds be cautious of these dogs than not be

"YANBU. If you want a dog, why choose an intimidating one?"

They aren't intimidating.

All dogs have the potential to be viscious if they aren't trained well, even a tiny little handbag type dog.

Unfortunately Staffies, since the DDA, have been chosen by too many bad owners looking for a status dog. Hence why so many end up in rescues, they are badly treated (you think the kind of person who wants their dog to act scary, achieves it by treating the dog well?), they've also been given this awful stigma.

All the Staffies I've met have been sweet as anything - even the one walked by the local chavs! (Even ignores our dog when he's snarling and barking at the staffy) Our next dog will be a staffie, it breaks my heart seeing them left in rescues year after year.

I can understand your fear OP, but you'd be best off not picking your children up unless the dog is actually coming at them.

Also, what a dog is traditionally bred for doesn't necessarily translate under a good owner. My dog is traditionally trained to chase birds and small animals - bar squirrels he couldn't care less.

"left the dog in a garden for 18 hours a day.. digging up worms for food."

:( :( :(

Tears in my eyes at that. The poor, poor mite. And what I wouldn't do to the bastards who treated him like that...

Thank god for people like you, squeaky.

Wariness is definitely the best way, but make sure you visit friends with friendly dogs that your children can be accustomed to.

Seeker, I was being sarcastic when I wrote about the chance of being mauled by a labrador. Not smiling so much to myself now - I really didn't know that!!

OP, I can understand your fear, but there are other ways to ensure your children are suitably wary of strange dogs - all dogs, not just the 'scary' ones. Saying that, I always walk between my DD and another dog and ask an owner before I allow her to approach a dog. We have a dog at home, but she is not that fussed about dogs but loves cats!
We were at a park a few days ago and a lady was walking an elderly and incredibly friendly staffie, she apologised and said she wasn't terribly well trained and might jump up so kept her on a lead, but the dog was so keen to be petted it prostrated itself on the ground and snuffled and whistled until we went over and stroked it. It really was a friendly soul.

pinkdelight and OP - I think I understand where you're coming from, as I have several friends who have been terrified of dogs - for a number of reasons: some of them brought up to see dogs as dirty, vicious, unpredictable, etc., some of them had bad experiences and (understandably) have been scared ever since.
I'm at the other end of the spectrum: I was brought up with (large) dogs, have been bitten only once (by a small dog whose owner was clearly doing the poor creature a great deal of damage), and I've always had dogs.
I completely appreciate that some people don't like dogs - and even though i couldn't live without them, I think it's out of order when dog owners insist that their dogs are 'only playing' (or whatever) to people who clearly don't want to be near them.
However if you don't want a dog to bother you or children, the best approach, by far, is simply to ignore it, rather than encouraging fearful behaviour.
As has been pointed out, SBTs are no more aggressive than any other breed of dog. (If you want to pick a breed to fear, I'd suggest tiny ones - JRTs are a good bet - or, perhaps, collies - yes, Enid Blyton, One Man and His Dog, Lassie types.) As with Staffs, there's really nothing to fear, but as dogs go, these are the most likely to be child-intolerant.
Do you mind me asking what is the reason for your fear of dogs?

Ohh it's been a good while since we had a "Oh no not those orrible Staffordshire bull terriers!" type thread.

I do enjoy them... I get to pimp my lovely pic of DS and my wonderful, wonderful (sheep shagging) Staffie BaiseyBoo that is currently on my profile!

To all the Staffordshire bull terrier owners who keep saying how lovely their pets are and how they've never hurt a fly. Duh! Of course they haven't - yet. I mean you would hardly still be keeping them if they'd killed or maimed a family member.

Yes all dogs can bite and many dog bites are carried out by other breeds. The fact remains that the majority of fatal maulings are carried out by two breeds - bull terriers and Rottweilers. Tells you all you need to know.