To tell my sister if she buys a Staffie I won't bring DS around to hers?

[Annarose2014]

I suspect I am. I've heard so much about them being amazing, wonderful Nanny dogs.....

But I've also heard of a lot of attacks. I'm desperately afraid of them, truth be told. I don't trust them. Especially as the dog wouldn't live with DS, but only see him about once a week so its not like DS would be "his" charge.

Sister has wanted one for years and is bitterly disappointed as this is the year she's finally in a position to buy a dog.

But in fairness I just said that she could certainly get one, but would have to see DS elsewhere other than her place as I wouldn't be comfortable with DS in an enclosed area with one in case DS did something wrong and the dog felt threatened and we wouldn't be fast enough to stop something happening.

AIBU?

To add, I have no doubt there are some dangerous SBTs, just as there are labs, poodles, and every other breed. But if you're worried about a genetic basis for aggressive or neurotic behaviour, you'd be better off looking closely at the last few generations, and other dogs bred within the same breeding lines, than worrying about what was going on in the 17thC.

YANBU, OP.
It's fine to be PC or whatever. Until that means your child could get its face ripped off.

Nowt to do with being/not being PC Being PC or not doesn't keep kids safe around animals. Common sense and knowledge does.

Staffiies are family dogs. Your getting them mixed up with pit bull I think ?

Here's the problem.

Big dogs need a lot of attention and training. If they're not properly socialized from puppy hood on, they can be aggressive, even if it's fear aggression, it's still dangerous.

Not to mention temperament comes into play more than people would like to admit with animals. A dog may be naturally high strung, or laid back. You can't force a dog to have a mellow and gentle disposition anymore than you could a child. Breeds have a lot to do with how your dog will act. A collie may always nip at children's heals because of herding instincts, so it's probably not a great dog for small children.

It's all well and good to say any dog raised properly will be a great pet. That simply isn't true. Some people who think they're raising them well just don't know how to raise these dogs. Some dogs are just unsuitable for certain families from the day they're born.

All dogs have the potential to bit. But dogs with big jaws like that have the potential to do more damage when they do. A golden retriever may have the most bite records, but bull terriers have the most hospital records. That is an important distinction.

So, YANBU. But... Don't think all terriers are bad either. If she's raising it as a puppy, and taking it to training classes, there's a good chance he'll be fine if he socializes with your son from an early age and you watch them together and know what warning signs dogs give when they're stressed (frantic tail wagging, fast panting).

Dogs do not bite without warning. The safest thing you can do is educate yourself and your children on dog body language and how to interact safely and respectfully with any dog as your DCs are bound to come across dogs in all sorts of situations.

Focusing on silly beliefs and implausible warnings like locking jaws, dogs behaving like wild wolves, dogs biting for no discernible reason and breed specific worries that make no sense just distract from the real issue. All family dogs should be bred for temperament, they should be socialized and trained and they should always be supervised around children.

sparechange, you are assuming that a dog that attacks will be anxious and acting out of fear. Not all dogs attack for that reason. Some dogs may have been trained to attack and fight, especially if you do not know their history.

Some rescue dogs have been brought up to fight/hare course etc.

You don't know unless you have raised that dog from a pup, and even then you don't know what is going on in it's head when it comes across a toddler/baby it has never seen before.

I live in a large inner city, and am sick to death of having to watch out for off-lead SBT when I walk my dog every day (always on lead). There dozens in my area and all status dogs for the druggies. I have witnessed about six SBT attacks on other dogs (usually another SBT) and they are absolutely horrific. The owners cannot get their dogs to let go - even using sticks as a crowbar didn't work. The last attack left one dog dead - throat torn out. That was in a childrens park, and the children were totally traumatised by the horror of it. I have seen many dog fights in my life and believe me NOTHING comes close to SBT fights.

Yes it can be said that it is the owners fault for not training the dog - but it is the dog that has the potential to attack and kill mine or a child - not the owner. If an off lead SBT rushes at me and my dog it is absolutely NO consolation to me to think "well, it is the owners fault". My only thought would be "Oh fuck no" and try to protect my dog.

I was bitten last time I had to do that. The owner fucked off sharpish.

You always walk your dog on a lead BMW? Is it a teacup breed?

Why would you think it is a teacup breed because I walk him on a lead?

I have a very small dog these days and if she wasn't ever let off the lead even she'd be hell to live with. I was just wondering what kind of dog never needed a run.

Dogs are unpredictable and always will be BUT most dogs will get used to young children. The key really is educating your child how to behave around dogs. I have a skittish, mad mongrel and he is so gentle with my 10month old DD because he knows she is important and he looks after her just as he does us. When we go out he sleeps by her bedroom door to protect her from the babysitter!
If your sister gets a dog just make sure you introduce your child slowly and in a controlled way and always supervise them. As your son gets older teach him that dogs are unpredictable just like all animals and he has to be careful. I bet they will grow up to be good pals.

For what it's worth I know a few Staffordshire bull terriers and they are soft as anything, very powerful but most dogs are. The scariest dogs I've ever known have been jack Russell's and Yorkshire terriers. And I've also met absolutely docile friendly ones of those breeds too!

A JRT killed a baby in 2012 is was barely reported in the media.

The media are to blame for the type view the OP has, often they report dog attacks as staffy when they have no idea what dog it was and then do not correct when they find out

Just like they did with the last attack when that 14 year old was killed. No staffy was involved even though media said it was.

Everyone has there preferred breeds. And you won't change people views

I can't stand poodles , or spaniels and never in a million years would I own one. Does it matter.? Nope

I don't know why people even try to convince people to change there views on dog breeds.

I'm a staffy and boxer lover always will be. You don't get two better family dogs than them breeds , in my opinion.

OP if u dislike your sister did g just ask her to put it in the other room

I own 2 staffs and also have a 1 year old son. When children visit the dogs go in their room or their garden

Why. Not because I'm worried about the kids but I don't want people's kids annoying / hurting my dogs.

I expect the same when I visit others houses with dogs with my son, dogs and kids don't mix. Especially strange kids

Just keep them separate, problem solved

My parents have a staffie and he's as soft as melted marshmallows bless him,they got him when he was 8 weeks old,someone we knew had rescued him from a couple that had been banned from ever keeping animals again!

Now this dog was riddled(and I mean hundreds)with fleas and with worms,he'd been starved,beaten,had a broken rib,but he's never once shown any agression towards anyone or anything!

Two of our oldest sons friends(they're also brothers)have a staffie,the oldest of the two brothers 17 took the dog of a drug addict in the street when he saw the arsehole beating the poor dog.She's been bloody amazing bless her and she's covered in bites,has had broken bones,nearly had both her ears ripped off.But she's not once gone for a child,adult or other animal and she's been in our home,she's so loving I'd be happy to see her every day and I'm one of the most over protective parents going,because of awful things that happened to me when I was a child so believe me I'd never put any child in harms way let alone one of my own.

yanbu

all dogs have the potential to harm children, yet why when we hear of some breeds of dogs attacking children it is not a bite it is an attack

the are very powerful dogs children will not always behave around an animal the way they should if you are not relaxed about it then don't stress about it you can see your sister without her dog

all children that are killed by a dog are reported in the press why because it is absolutely horrific and something that should never happen what a stupid thing to claim that as it was another breed the story was not sensational enough to be headline news

Staffiies are family dogs. Your getting them mixed up with pit bull I think ?

Let me guess, you own a Staffordshire Bull Terrier?

From Pit Bull Rescue Central:

'First, it is important to know that Staffordshire Terrier and “Pit Bull” are not official breeds, but rather common terms used to describe a certain type of dog. There are actually many dog breeds that can be easily confused and are often mistakenly referred to as Pit Bulls. The correct designations are:

American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) - recognized by the ADBA (American Dog Breeder’s Association) and UKC (United Kennel Club)
American Staffordshire Terrier (AST) - recognized by the AKC (American Kennel Club)
Staffordshire Bull Terrier (SBT) - recognized by the AKC and UKC

These breeds are essentially the same dogs but have been bred for different purposes and/or size standards since the mid 1930's. Some are even dual registered (i.e., registered as an American Pit Bull Terrier with the UKC and as an American Staffordshire Terrier with the AKC). Petey the Pup from The Little Rascals was among the first American Pit Bull Terriers to be registered with the AKC as an American Staffordshire Terrier.

How can we tell the difference? We can't, really. We can only try to guess the breed based on subtle characteristics. Note that even experts can't always tell if a Pit Bull is an APBT, an AST or a SBT. Even with DNA testing, many known purebred dogs come up with results of mixed breed lineage. For the average Pit Bull owner, however, these distinctions are not really relevant. As a general rule, dogs of these breeds tend to have stable and loving temperaments.' (my emphasis)

I particularly like 'For the average Pit Bull owner, however, these distinctions are not really relevant.' Apparently the opposite is the case when you're a Staffie owner and desperate to distance your dog from all the damage that has been done by these dogs by disingenuously making such statements as 'You're getting them mixed up with pit bull I think?'.

YANBU

If you're desperately afraid of staffies then your fear will be apparent when you're round at your sister's and that will make your DC nervous. People don't HAVE to like or love dogs despite what dog owners may say so, please yourself. At least you'll have peace of mind.

Im not of the mind that any well trained family dog will attack a child at all. But I do feel when it happens its just waved off as "bad owners" which of course is true but not helpful when a child's been attacked is it.

Your sis can see your DC elsewhere so its not an outright ban in that way. That seems fine

Smila, your post has left me confused. Are you suggesting that pit bull types are merely victims of bad PR?

"First, it is important to know that Staffordshire Terrier and “Pit Bull” are not official breeds, but rather common terms used to describe a certain type of dog."

That's not true at all. Staffordshire bull terriers are an official breed by any measure of how a breed is official.

Can people stop confusing dog on dog aggression with dog on people aggression. They are unrelated and there is ZERO evidence that a dog that is aggressive to other dogs will be aggressive towards people.

So stupid comments like 'oh but it might have been trained to chase hares' to scaremonger around rescue dogs aren't going to wash with anyone who has a modicum of knowledge of dogs.

I also find it utterly utterly bizarre that some people have the approach to assume the absolute worst case scenario and work back from there.
To assume that every family dog will launch a deadly attack and therefore chose the breed of dog that will do the least damage in that attack because of its size.
What the hell other decision is made using that approach?!
We don't pick schools based on which is closest to a hospital based on the assumption that there will be a terrible accident at some point, or houses on proximity to a fire station because we assume they will burn down.

So I'm not going to get a lapdog because I want my DCs to run around in the park and do agility because it is a healthy and happy thing to do. I want them to have a healthy respect for animals and not see them as toys or disposable accessories. I've picked dogs that I think best do that.
The idea that I'm endangering anyone by doing this isn't just offensive, it is baffling.

Yanbu at all. Yes it does depend on the dog, and though Staffies and some other breeds are more powerful and stronger than say a Yorkshire terrier or a Pomeranian for example. Yes if raised correctly, can be fantastic, but if in the wrong hands, can be a killer. If you are unsure of your sisters abilities to raise a dog like a Staffie, than I would keep your child away.,

What always baffles me is the repeated mention of large powerful dogs on any thread about staffies...they're not large dogs at all and they're only powerful for their size so next to an actual large dog like a lab they're not that strong.

Because they're not mutants or superheroes, just a bit strong for a smallish dog...and they're smaller than most breeds of spaniel nevermind anything bigger.

You might not buy a house close to a fire station, but you don't leave lit candles in the same room as children, or boxes of matches in reach. To me, dangerous dogs are just accidents waiting to happen, and playing the numbers game and being all happy clappy about healthy happy kids cavorting through open fields is all well and good......until the worst does happen. And it will be your fault, your fault for letting the numbers convince you that you were ok.

Toy breeds are just as capable of being respected, FYI. You don't have to get the one that needs respect not to turn on you, you can get one that likes to loved for its own sake.

Again I say that Staffies are generally safe dogs. All dogs are capable of turning but yes I take the point that the bigger and more powerful the dog the more difficult it will be to stop.
Judging by some posts here I am amazed any of your children grow up with an ability to cross the road safely though. A little more common sense and less hysteria wouldn't go amiss.
Fact is thousands of people have Staffies as family pets. I personally wouldn't but not because I have any fears about the breed. My reasons are far more shallow, I think they are ugly dogs personally (I apologise here to my lovely sister and all other good owners of Staffies).
Personally if I were to have a dog it would be a cocker spaniel or something like that.

In the meantime I stick to cats and visiting my sisters Staffie who is as soppy as a sack, scared of the dark and who likes nothing more than sitting on your lap for a cuddle.
Then again she is a lucky Staffie, been in the family for 11 years from a pup of 10 weeks. She's never known abuse only love and proper care.