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?

I just shat myself BeerTricks. I'm reporting your pic. Why would you want to scare people so?

YABU in thinking they are all like that and NBU for being scared as you have had a bad experience with one.

I have a SBT who is 5 and an absolute softie. I also have 3 dd's who she adores. She got mauled a few weeks ago by 2 dogs and didnt even fight back.

There are all sorts of breeds which maul kids but they are never on the news or in the paper. Google dog attacks and what breeds have mauled children and dont just put in staffie attacks, put in dog attacks.

I haven't read all the threads, but I also pick my toddler up when I see one. I am intelligent enough to know that the vast majority of these dogs are not a risk to her, but I am not prepared to take any chances. I also do the same when I see many other hard mouthed dogs. I don't think you are being unreasonable.

I lift my children up everytime I see a squirrel. I was attacked by a ferret when I was a child, you see, and well, they look a bit similar don't they ferrets and squirrels? So clearly they are dangerous. It makes going to the woods a bit awkward but at least my little darlings are safe.

Yanbu imo op, your reasoning is perfectly logical and sensible and not at all hysterical. Pit bull attacks dog = all staffies eat toddlers. Makes sense to me

Im also abit scared of Dalmation's, one attacked me and my staffy(who was a puppy at the time). It left a big puncture in his back, luckily it didnt effect his temperament.

If your scared of dogs fair enough, but just because its small and cute doesnt make it safe.

*you're

I bet 101 Dalmations is pure unadulterated horror flick for you then?

Sorry

Think I might namechange now.... [grin

Shit the 101 dalmations comment was aimed at Beer who would know straight away I was joking!! Sorry!

How could you!

Phew!

MN don't appear to have deleted my analogy yet.

DarlingDuck, the reason why Pits were banned is largely due to the government of the day reacting in a knee-jerk manner to "popular opinion" - or as we rescuers put it, press-created hysteria. The Act under which they fall was an ill thought-out piece of legislation which was rushed in and which is widely condemned by the experts, the Dogs Trust being just one, as it is not fit for purpose. It has been proven to serve neither dog nor mankind well.

You'll thank me one day. They are dangerous d'em ferrets. Dangerous I tells ye!

A hamster bit my finger once. I wrote a stiff letter to my local paper about that

DarlingDuck, you may like to have a look at Deed Not Breed too.

I'll give you an example of how bloody silly the idea of a "bad" or "dangerous" breed is....

Take a look at our friends across the water, the Irish. Not a population which is too far removed from the English, either by distance or by culture. One which has a fair amount of communication going on with our own country, at central and local government level and between organisations like the Dogs Trust, which has Irish branches, and the SPCA and our RSPCA.

I own German Shepherds (and a Lab, but that's beside the point atm!). Here in England I may walk my Sheps offlead and unmuzzled in public, as may my 14 yo DD2. If I lived in Ireland I'd have to have them on a lead of no more than 3 foot, keep them muzzled in public and my 14 yo would be 2 years too young to legally take them out in public at all.

Yet if I lived in Ireland I could own a Pit Bull, albeit under the same conditions as owning a GSD.

Plenty of those I associate with in Irish rescue do. With their children. Happily and uneventfully.

So you tell me, what's the difference between our countries which is so great as to necessitate such huge differences in law? Are the Irish so different to us? Are their dogs?

Of course not! Why, if the DDA on banned breeds is such a good, workable, reasonable and effective law, have the Irish not adopted it? Why, if their laws on GSDs are so excellent, have we not taken their lead (excuse the pun)?

If these dogs were really so dangerous purely by virtue of their breed and not the actions which some commit, wouldn't all Europe, if not all the Western world, be acting in unison?

YANBU i do the same! They are horrible dogs. Bull terriers, staffs, pit bulls ,Rottweilers etc.

They are bread for fighting/killing. My friend also thought they were family dogs and 4 years later he bit her 3 year old daughters face so she scarred for life and lucky to be alive. I know lots of close cases with these types of dogs. Let alone what you see in the news - how often do you see spaniel savages child!??

Pulling on my judgey pants. They generally copy their owners and most people who have dog like that have them so they look look 'hard'. - or is that just people i see

Saying that i am very aware of all dogs. I don't scare my children but make them aware.

They are all animals at the end of the day. There are also reasons why some breeds are illegal in this country.

We met a pit bull on holiday last year. I let my children stroke it, had it been a squirrel I'd have scooped them up and ran

It was being walked with no lead or muzzle by a lovely elderly Turkish couple. Lovely dog it was. Amazingly my children are still in one piece.

I don't think you're being unreasonable at all.

We have always done the same.

I also hate the way people with dogs let their dogs come up to pushchairs and let the dog get really near to the child in it.

I actually think (as does DH) a healthy fear of dogs is a good thing because no matter any dog owner says.....their dog or ANY dog cannot ever be 100% trustworthy.

What worries me about these breads of dogs- staffies, rottweillers, doberman etc, is their pure physical strength. While I get that the majority are totally safe, if one did get into a rage there is little you can do to stop them as they are so muscular and their jaws lock into place. It is quite different from a little dog that can be restrained, or has a much smaller jaw. I really do not get why people would choose a bull terrior when there will always be the potential risk. Yes there is a risk with all dogs, but some breeds can obviously do a lot more damage than others. Small yappy dogs can give a nasty nip, but a big, extremely strong bull terrier can, and have, killed.

We can all do anecdotes, ToDoodles. :o

Quite possibly I handle in an average year more dogs than some on this thread have handled in their lives to date. I've been bitten by a rat (which caused me to need ABs for an infected arm), a sodding hamster and twice by dogs. Once by an injured, scared pooch owned by a stranger, whilst helping to clean/see the wound and carry the dog to her car and thus to a vet and once by an ill dog I approached and should have known better than to do so. Not more than a graze on either occasion, neither time was the dog to blame, the second was absolutely my own fault.

I've owned dogs for nearly 25 years, have for almost all that time owned more than one, all but a couple have been large and/or so called "dangerous" breeds, Staffies included. GSDs are my "thing". All of these dogs bar my first were/are pound or rescue dogs. I've fostered dogs for years. For the past approx 6 years I've worked hands on as a rescue volunteer within an independent organisation where I'm not bound by daft rules and regulations and mix/interact with all manner of dogs including those who've been handed in on the grounds of their aggression. Of those 60 dogs there is only one I won't and don't handle.

And neither of the dogs which bit me was a Staffie.