To have REALLY shouted at this woman

[BMW6]

Was walking home along busy main road with my dog (on lead).
See another dog approaching (staffie) 30 odd feet away, on a lead BUT lead is in the hand of a small child (5/6 yo). Mother of child walking behind about 15 feet.

I knew what was going to happen and I bet you do too.

Yep, the other dog clocked mine and belted towards us, pulled child over and lead out of childs hand, of course.

I had to stop her dog attacking mine whilst the stupid bitch ran over to grab her dog. Child crying (fell onto grass so hope more scared than hurt)

I cannot recall exactly what I said to her, but was along the lines of what kind of fool is she to let a small child "control" a dog - esp a staffie.



Sorry to staffie lovers, but I have seen too many staffie attacks and am terrified of them attacking my westie cross, he's been attacked 3 times.

[mistlethrush]

This wasn't the same park / area but similar damage.

[GruffBillyGoat]

mistlethrush, that is awful! People who want dogs to be tough should not be allowed dogs. But I love the fact that my dog looks tough, keeps people from approaching us on walks, or knocking on my door to share the good word or latest power offer.

Though I am really strict and hate even tug-of-war playing with dogs, if my dog has something and I want it there should be no discussion.

[mistlethrush]

For those who don't understand the difference between the life that most pets get and some of the dogs that a bought to be 'tough', I had a project where the development was funding some off-site playground improvement - one of the improvements was replacement swing seats as the heavy duty rubber ones had been destroyed by people getting their dogs to bite them and then swinging the dogs from the swing whilst still holding on with their jaws.

[Beastofburden]

=would scare, even

[Beastofburden]

My sister has a lurcher who isnt remotely aggressive, but is totally untrained and pulls like a train. He can easily pull my adult sister over, and he runs up to people barking like a loony. He wold share the shit out of any child. It makes me furious that she allows this. When I take him out, he is gutted that I am too strong for him to pull over. He whinges a bit and then he walks to heel. I think he thinks I am some kind of ambulant lamp-post that he can't influence .

[wannaBe]

Labs put more people in hospital because more people own labs than staffies, not because labs are more aggressive.

Any dog could attack a child, but the difference with certain breeds is that if they do they can inflict more damage due to their build/construction of their jaws etc, which is why, although statistically more people are bitten by Labradors, when staffies bite the impact is that much greater so as to warrant greater reporting.

[sazzlesb]

I unfortunately learnt my lesson on this the hard way. Let my DD (7) hold neighbour's docile (or so I thought) dog on way to school. Dog saw another doggy pal on other side of the road and bolted across road - daughter knocked to ground and dragged across road on her stomach - still attached to dog. It was horrible - try not to think too much about what might have happened. Thankfully road was covered in snow which a) slowed cars down and b) meant she had plenty of winter padding on for protection. Never let kids have the lead round their wrist!

[NotYoMomma]

because some owners fascinate me tbh. the other dog thread on here at the moment totally floored me.

my point is, how would people know at first glance if yours is aggressive or not? just because they arent 'naturally aggressive' doesnt mean they aren't still aggressive.

all I see is big strong dog not in a well controlled set of hands and naturally people will be wary

[GruffBillyGoat]

NotYoMomma this OP is a dog owner, and my post was explaining it to a non dog owner who specifically asked. Why read posts about dogs if you don't care?

[NotYoMomma]

I dont get when dog owners are all 'staffies are not naturally aggressive etc they have been taught' as if a non dog owner should know or care.

[GruffBillyGoat]

Struggling100, staffy's while a 'bully breed' are not naturally aggressive, in fact their nickname is the nanny dog. Unfortunately, they have a rather tough appearance and as a result are a favorite of people who wish to own an aggressive scary dog. A lovely dog by nature can be made evil through nurture, just like people, cats and everything else.

That being said every dog is an individual, and some are just dicks. It is a responsible owners duty to recognise that their beloved hound is in fact an asshole, and take all possible steps to keep the dog away from others.

I do recognise the hypocrisy of defending staffys after saying how I dislike German Shepards and Dalmatians, but both of these dogs are at the top 5 of most dangerous dog lists. Something many parents were alarmed to learn AFTER purchasing dalmatians in the 101 Dalmatians aftermath.

All dog owners should know their dogs breed, and personality. If it is a mongrel then you should ensure that you have a good idea of it's make up and an understanding of all of the breeds involved.

[KittensoftPuppydog]

Wanna- still, it's labs that put more people in hospital.
Staffies are people pleasers. Very easy to train. And breeding for dog fighting mostly died out a very long time ago. Dog evolution is very rapid.
To say that staffies are more agressive than other breeds is just plain wrong.
Other dogs just get away with more.

[GruffBillyGoat]

YANBU she should never have let any child hold the lead of the dog. Though you are an adult, and should use well selected words as opposed to increased volume to get your message across.

I love my staffy, but many dog owners (and dogs) have particular breeds that they are cautious of. I am terrified of German Shepards, and my last dog was terrified of them too (I got the fear from her not the other way around), and dalmatians.

You should probably not have mentioned the breed and this would have gone much smoother.

[struggling100]

thank you for explaining!

So when a staffie does hurt a child, is it because it's been trained to attack humans? Or can a dog-aggressive staffie flip out and become a person-aggressive staffie too? Or is that where the training kicks in and inhibits them from hurting people??

I am also not that reassured by the 'they are only aggressive towards other dogs' argument - what about the wellbeing of those other dogs?! I mean, surely it's not OK for a dog to be aggressive against another dog? I don't think I would like that argument if I had a gentle and less powerful breed of dog. And couldn't people get hurt trying to break up fights between powerful dogs?

Like I said - non-dog owner here, so forgive my ignorance. I have always wondered about this issue. I generally love animals but I am a bit scared of big dogs, perhaps irrationally!

[wannaBe]

There is a vast difference between dogs who are aggressive towards people and dogs who are aggressive towards other dogs.

Staffies are noted for their suitability as family pets because they are friendly dogs who like humans.

But staffies are also notoriously dog aggressive because they were originally bred for dog fighting, so the dog aggression is now an instinctive trait.

That doesn't mean a dog aggressive staffie is going to savage a child, or that all staffies are dog aggressive, but dog aggression is a very commonly known trait in staffies.

And the difference between a staffie and a Labrador is the jaws, so if a Labrador bites the mouth is much softer and does not inflict the same kind of damage, whereas if a staffie attacks the damage inflicted is far greater due to the construction of the jaws.

They are also powerful, muscular dogs which IMO does not make them suitable to be handled unsupervised by young children.

If a dog attacks another dog it is the owner's fault for not having that dog under control, but it is still the dog's nature to be aggressive (regardless of the breed), a dog either has aggressive tendencies or it doesn't, and while a dog can be made to be aggressive often through abuse and mistreatment, this is more easily achieved in breeds who were bred to be aggressive in the first place. And staffies are just such a breed.

[BMW6]

melmo26

I knew what was going to happen because a small child had "control" of a dog, and a powerful dog at that. The child had no chance of being able to stop it from bolting towards mine, pulling the child over in the process.

I have the absolute right to be wary of a particular breed. If you RTFT you will note that I have personal experience of attacks by this breed.
Yes, I blame the owners, BUT it is the dogs that are the potential threat to me and my dog.

[KittensoftPuppydog]

First, actually most people who are hospitalised through dog bites were bitten by Labradors.
Re getting a staffie rather than another breed. We got ours because that's what was in the rescue centre. I was nervous as I'd heard all the stories too. Now I will probably always have staffies.
The thing is with them is that they are generally really keen to please. This means that if you train them to be agressive, they will be.
A lot of dickheads got these dogs because of the way they look and trained them badly. That's what worries me when I see another staffie.
Having said that I've now met a lot of young lads who are very responsible and loving staffie owners.

[Beastofburden]

I have also remembered that when we got our staffie, I was 10 and my younger brother and sister weren't allowed to take her out for walks without an adult, as they weren't strong enough to hold her, but I was. But in those 1970s days, we had a choke chain.

[Beastofburden]

Well I grew up with a staffie who was adorable and put p with a lot from me . But if you deliberwtely choose to bring a staffie up to be badly trained and vicious, then they do have the build to do it very well. There are a lot of people who have done this recently, hence the bad reputation. I'm sure that a staffie who was a childs pet would be one of the nice ones.

But mine at any rate was not all that bright. I don't think we could have trained her not to get interested if another dog came up. So not suitable to let a little kid hold the dog except when it doesn't matter if the dogs pulls a bit.


If I was letting a child lead her much loved dog and I saw another dog coming up, I'd have taken the lead for the time being and made the dog heel or sit.

[struggling100]

Genuine question (from a non-dog person).

I work with two lovely women who have staffies, and who say that they are the most affectionate, loveable dogs. I see pictures of them with their young children, and they do look adorable.

But then I read about staffie attacks, and the appalling things they can do.

The women I work with say 'It's the owners, not the dogs', and I can see the logic - how you 'bring up' a dog must have a massive impact. On the other hand, though, I don't hear very often about golden labradors savaging people, or greyhounds tearing a child's face apart. It does seem like the breed has a tendency to be aggressive... in which case, why take the risk in owning one when there are other breeds who don't seem to have that tendency? (Even the women I work with, who are excellent, responsible dog owners both of them, will admit that their dog 'pinched someone's ankles' and things like that, which doesn't sound like acceptable behaviour to me... but like I said, not an expert here). Can you really take the hunter completely out of the dog with training?

(I know nothing about dogs, and am looking to be educated here!)

[nicename]

I love dogs. I live in the city. Dogs are mainly pets here, not working animals. They are babied and spoiled (we have a few doggy hotels and clothes shops for dogs). Few seem to be trained properly, that's the problem.

DS has been almost bitten (bloody things nipped me as I stuck my hand out) by a scottie and a rottweiler (sp).

Owners who don't train their dogs (or leave poo) should be banned from having dogs. As trained dog (of any breed) is a delight, ane who isn't trained is a nuisance.

[KittensoftPuppydog]

My staffie is a little angel. She hides behind my legs when there are rough dogs around.
Other owners have blamed her when their dogs have had a go at her. It's easy to do this because of their reputation. It really worries me.

[JenaiMorris]

I judge unapologetically, because anyone letting a small child hold a strong dog's lead is a fuckwit. And lots of staffie owners are fuckwits. That's not staffies' fault, but it's the truth.

[melmo26]

i knew what was about to happen and I bet you do too
Why? Because all staffies attack?

' what kind of a fool let's a child control a dog esp a staffie

Who's not judging then?

I don't think a child should be in control of any dog. If a westie or any dog wants to charge it will. Not just staffies

[elfycat]

I personally love Staffies, I think they are beautiful and friendly dogs and I'll ask the owners if my young daughters can talk to them (teaching DDs to always ask before approaching any dog)

BUT... I have lived in parts of certain towns and cities where any bull type dog are not to be trusted. Not because of the breed but because of the idiocy of the owners. They are almost without fail uncontrolled vicious dogs, because of the expectations and training from the idiots. If the OP has experienced these dogs and owners then that will be the impression of the dogs she'll have gained. She will not be wrong in her impression (because it is her's) and it will always remain no matter how many lovely Staffies she would meet. This incident will only reinforce her belief.

Like I'll never trust a Golden Retriever since the vicious child hating one we owned. Looks soft and cuddly... And I once knew the most even tempered beautiful, child-protecting Pitbull cross so I'm inclined to think the problems are down to owners and not the breed.

And her being criticised for shouting? Oh what a lovely fluffy world some of you must belong to. I'd have done my best fishwife impression explaining possibly with the use of profanities the error of her dog owning/parenting methods.