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?

Scarlettsmummy, the same can be said of Labradors and Retrievers, no? Yet how popular a choice are they amongst families?

I'd happily leave your child with my younger, huge, 45 kilo GSD. Not the elder one, your child would scare him.

I wouldn't leave your child with my Lab though!

As has been said above, any dog can be a problem in the wrong hands/circumstances. It's wise to be wary, of course it is, my DC were taught from a very early age to stand well back and wave hello at dogs in the street and to wait to ask/be invited to stroke. But to take the view that a SBT is a risk and a Lab or Spaniel isn't is not just grossly unfair and potentially damaging - it's what causes so many SBT to be killed each week in pounds across the country - it's adopting and encouraging a false sense of security and I personally think that far more dangerous.

I agree about any dog. I'm wary of all dogs, although I do love dogs.

This thread has made me laught , being an owner of a staff, i would be more worried about my child going near a yorkshire terrier . I have never met a bad Staff (i know a few as a lot of people have them), please take a look on my profile and you will see how soft they are. Some people call them 'nanny dogs' as they are great with children.

Its sad that they get such bad press as its very rare that a staff will atack someone and when they do it down to poor owners and the fact they get badly treated by young yobs that have no idea how to look after a dog.

I dont let my children stroke any dogs unless we ask the owner first, no dog can be trusted what ever breed it is. I often find people cross the road when i'm walking my dog, this makes her worse on the lead as she doesn't get the expereance of people walking close to her or stroking her (she loves it when someone stops to talk to her and gets very excited because she's not used to it).

I can see why you wouldn't want your children near a dog that you don't know but i dont understand why its just Staff's (i was bit by a springer when i was a child), but if you feel that way and have to cross the road then thats your choice.

What I want to know is what will you do, OP, when your DC are too big to be picked up.

ANyone else think if you were properly "hard" you wouldn't need a staffy to back you up? You'd have a chiuahua or poodle.

I understand that labs and retrievers can also bite, as can all dogs. However certain breeds seem to do a lot more physical damage to children when they do. My parents had a cocker spaniel when I was growing up and while she was generally good, she was very possessive of food/ toys etc and would nip if she was annoyed. For that reason I wouldn't be in a rush to get one. However, like I said, some breeds are so muscular and strong that if they are annoyed, it is much harder for a human to restrain them. I therefore do not get why anyone would knowingly choose to have a dog that was traditionally a hard mouthed working dog and which has a bad reputation (rightly or wrongly) as a pet. Why would you take the EXTRA risk?

because in the right hands they are one of the best breeds to have with children .

Would much rather have a Staff than a yappy chiuahua or poodle, staffs have great character and charm, my staff never barks, sleeps most of the day and is easy going.

I agree buggerlugs, you shouldn't let your child touch any dog (any dog can bite) and picking them up every time you see a staff will make them scared of dogs.

Love it!

Now, dog owners are blaming people who prefer to avoid walking next to their dog, as the cause of their dog being nervous and anxious .

Yes they may well have been bread for sheep herding 'back in the day' but now they are used for security/ police dogs - There's a reason they use them.
Is it because they ate the sheep?

And what about Pitt bulls, staffs, bull terriers? Are they not fighting dogs??

My point was that all dogs are dangerous it's just some can, and will do more damage than others.

< steers clear of hamsters >

Picking a child up infront of my dog would encourage her, she'd think it was a game and be all excited thinking "why you picking them up? what's going on"
Same goes for people that go on walks holding sticks to beat dogs with, incase they might get attacked. My dog loves sticks she'd get all excited thinking they were going to throw it for her!

Any dog can bite, any dog can be well trained.....I would never leave a child unsupervised with a dog, not any dog EVER,.

Has anyone mentioned that its not a good idea to pick up a child when you see a dog because it might actually increase the chance of an attack?

I am not keen on Staffies as breed just because they dont appeal to me personally. Lots of people dont like my sort of dog because they dont like little yappy dogs

Some dogs are selected for fighting because they have a good muscle/weight ratio and strong jaws. Golden retrievers possibly have too much fluff to see the god awful injuries.

scarlettsmummy, me personally? I'd take that "risk" because I don't consider there to be any greater one than there is of me owning a Labrador. Remember here that I and my daughters have not only owned but work with virtually all and have fostered some of the breeds you're speaking of.

At the risk of pissing creighton off again, look at it this way. I can rather my kids were involved with a person of the same sex or different race/colour/culture than an opposite sex/white English person who may not be very nice or I can put my pre-conceived ideas and the headlines aside and want only for them to be safe and happy regardless of the "type" of individual they are.

I chose to find out for myself and actually meet and work with these "undesirable" creatures, getting my hands dirty and my heart broken on a regular basis. Of the 20% or more - and there are more, I just can't recall and count off the top of my head - of the Staffs in that rescue there are NONE which either I or my children fear or have any need or reason to fear. Those Staffs are adorable! I can't say that for the miniature Poodle in the rescue, who is a snappy little git (bless him, he's old and blind, I forgive him!) or the madly fun, topping little JRT who we play with regularly and who is no problem to us but who has bitten in two homes!

In short, I discovered through personal experience that there is no "extra risk" with a Staffie, merely arsey dogs and nice ones, just like human beings.

Terriers were bread for killing rats? (not for fighting), Pit balls and Staffs are 2 different breads (they are not the same).

I didn't blame people for crossing the roads for my dog being nervous, she's not an anxious dog, she gets excited when she see's people (likes to say hello ffrom a distance) so will pull a little if someone crosses the road to avoid her (not a problem as she's not a huge staff and is easy to control). She just loves people (not to eat).

If my dog showed any signs of being agressive then i wouldn't have her in our home let alone take her for a walk where there are people.

I have had other dogs (spingers ect..) and my Staff is far more easy going than any other dog i have had.

If you google dog attacks on children, Staffies and Rottweilers come out on top. However, labs and spaniels probably bite more but are not so aggressive so don't do as much damage so you don't hear about it. I guess it's how they are trained by the owners that makes the difference. A lot of stories of dog attacks on children seem to be unprovoked though. I am wary of staffies due to how they look (bullish and stocky) but that's probably just my problem!

I think that's because a lot of idiots keep those breeds.

Thats so true staff's are often owned by complete tossers who have no idea how to look after them, its sad that they have such a bad name but i can see why. They are over bread (far too many in rescue centers). I chose a staff after spending time with a friends staff, for us it was the right dog for our family, as soon as i could i got her spayed (no way i wanted to bread more unwanted pups ito the world). She's a great dog, is great with the dd's, dd2 has ASD and has a great bond with the dog, the dog sleeps with the cat (but is scared of anyone elses cat), she runs away from birds and wont go outside if its raining, she's a real softy. Last year we replaced the sofa with a leather one, she refussed to sit on it because it was cold on her bum (she now has her own cushion to sit on).

YANBU to care for your children and yourself in any way you feel comfortable with.
I'm slightly wary of dogs after some less than friendly encounters as a child.
I would pick up a young child when walking past a dog I felt unsure of, or possibly cross the road/ give a wide berth to others.
But I wouldn't make a fuss about it or say anything to the children ie. would probably pretend had crossed road to see something etc !
My kids are more comfortable with dogs than I am, and I've encouraged them to be friendly to and pat friends' dogs.
I think all you can ask or expect of someone who has a slight fear or phobia ( whether it's of dogs, spiders or snakes) is that they try not to pass it on or make it worse for their kids.
My DC's have a good attitude to all animals, including to dogs.
My opinion remains that some can be great companions and very friendly.
Others less so.
( Dogs that is, not DC's )