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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that Staffies are not "nanny dogs"

716 replies

Flowersinyourhair · 14/10/2016 20:07

Ok. I await the cries of "it's not the dog, it's the owner" and "we had one and it was wonderful" etc etc. However, once again here we are looking at a news story about a dead baby and a seriously injured toddler as a result of a Staffie attack. AIBU or does something drastic need to change regarding perceptions of dogs like this who are apparently fine, until they're not. This dog was, it seems, the dog of a PC. Not a thug or a dog fighting yob. A PC.

I await the barrage of abuse here. I just feel so sad about these poor defenceless little boys who harmed no one and have suffered so tragically.

OP posts:
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MontePulciana · 14/10/2016 20:09

Following this. Our neighbours have a lovely Staffie female but even owner said she won't trust her with my 2 year old...

Soubriquet · 14/10/2016 20:10

Staffies can be fantastic with children

They have an easy going temperament and a high pain threshold which makes them good with kids

BUT, because they can be so powerful, when they do snap, it's usually life threatening.

It's not easy to say if you have kids you shouldn't have a staff or that staffs need to be banned.

There is no right or wrong answer really. All parents can do is learn about dog behaviour and keep the children and the dog seperate when alone. But even that's not a guarantee

Sparklingbrook · 14/10/2016 20:11

What's a 'nanny dog'?

Soubriquet · 14/10/2016 20:13

Nanny dogs are what the kennel club class to be excellent with children because they have a lot of caring qualities. Like a nanny

Pit bulls are another one said to be a nanny dog

Jinglebellsandv0dka · 14/10/2016 20:13

You can't trust any dog with kids.

It's just that these dogs do a lot of serious damage when they attack.

Original poster
Flowersinyourhair · 14/10/2016 20:14

It's not easy to say if you have kids you shouldn't have a staff or that staffs need to be banned.

Why isn't it? The news today should be enough to make it a pretty easy decision for most.

OP posts:
Soubriquet · 14/10/2016 20:15

Because it's a few dogs out of millions

You may as well ban everything if you look at that way

Ban cars. They kill children
Ban grapes. They kill children
Ban nuts. They kill children

You see where I'm coming from here?

Fluffy24 · 14/10/2016 20:17

No dog can be 'trusted' with children, they are animals, they should always be supervised around children. Incidentally no small child can be trusted with a dog, it's grossly unfair on the dog.

Tarla · 14/10/2016 20:18

Immediately after a tragedy is an emotive time but it really isn't the time for either backseat parenting or kneejerk calls for changes in the law.

Original poster
Flowersinyourhair · 14/10/2016 20:18

The trouble is you have no way of knowing do you. This dog, it seems, was owned by a respectable, decent person and hasn't harmed before. When it did, it did so to a horrific extent. How could you ever know whether this dog was to be the one in a million?

OP posts:
Candlefairy101 · 14/10/2016 20:18

You only here about it because the media only choose to print stories on the Staffies. I'm a veterinary nurse I have been bitten twice by a husky and I've lost count of how many times from jack russels, not once has a staffie bitten me while in our veterinary surgery or out and about.

neonrainbow · 14/10/2016 20:19

I would never have any dog permanently around a young child as they have to be supervised 100% of the time. Any dog can snap its not the breed. The tragedy is that these dogs do more damage because of the strength of their jaws and they do not let go because that's the way they have been bred.

Original poster
Flowersinyourhair · 14/10/2016 20:19

Tarla, I think days like this are exactly the time to be asking the question.

OP posts:
neonrainbow · 14/10/2016 20:20

I'm absolutely not blaming the parents by the way. It sounds like a very tragic accident.

TitaniasTits · 14/10/2016 20:20

Well. The reason they got that name is two-fold. Firstly, they were bred to be dog-aggressive and non-aggressive to people - they were bred as fighting dogs, so their owners needed to be able to reach into the ring where they were trying to rip each other apart and separate them without being mauled themselves.

Secondly, and again because of what they were bred for, they have an insanely pain tolerance and can stand a lot more poking and pestering from kids than other breeds before they "snap".

But any dog can do so, and staffs - again because of what they were bred for - have very powerful jaws and can do a lot of damage. Far more so than a lot of breeds.

I love them, personally. My mum has two rescue staffs and they're as soft as clarts. But all animals have limits to their patience, and communicate their distress differently to people, so I make sure that my kids are never left alone with them, and that they treat them gently and with respect. That's so important, we expect our animals to put up with so much, they need us to protect them too.

mycatstares · 14/10/2016 20:21

More humans kill children then dogs.
More humans kill dogs than dogs kill humans.

You get good and bad with every creature.

But staffs are usually very relaxed dogs and usually wonderful with children and babies. Something went wrong in this situation which is really sad but let's not tar them all with the same brush.

Original poster
Flowersinyourhair · 14/10/2016 20:21

Candle- do you think the media have " chosen" to print this story of a dead baby and seriously injured toddler to spite Staffie owners??!

OP posts:
MooPointCowsOpinion · 14/10/2016 20:21

They're lovely dogs with the right owner and a firm set of rules. The problem is too many people get a dog thinking its for fun and don't care about raising a dog properly, a dog needs to know where it is in your 'pack', and training it to roll over or sit isn't going to do that.

It's not just thugs raising dogs badly. Middle class families getting one as just another toy and leaving it alone half the time and then teasing it and teaching it silly tricks with no actual proper training can be just as dangerous.

Soubriquet · 14/10/2016 20:21

You could say that about any human being though can't you?

You can never fully predict their reaction?

Yes dogs and humans are different but most owners know their dogs. They have had them long enough to know their ins and out.

A lot of these attacks that are happening seem to have the same pattern

The dog was recently got or it has taken place where the children don't normally live such as grandmas house

OurMiracle1106 · 14/10/2016 20:22

No child should be left with ANY dog regardless of breed as this can happen.

It doesn't matter the size of the dog or the breed history, they are still an unpredictable animal and need to be watched.

Justtrying · 14/10/2016 20:23

As someone who grew up with dogs but due to work commitments doesn't have a dog. I would say any breed could be a danger, I was always taught not to approach any dog without the owners permission, something I have taught my own Dd. My mum breeds and whilst her house dogs are the softest you could imagine, Dd, now 5 has never been on her own with any of them. You always watch children and dogs. Dogs need routines and their own space. Children need to learn how to interact safely.

Tarla · 14/10/2016 20:23

I think days like this are exactly the time to be asking the question.

They're really aren't. There's a mother mourning her baby tonight and speculation on what did or didn't happen is completely unfair on her (not specifically this thread, there's a thread running in chat too).

The time for questioning the law is when the situation has calmed down and the people with extreme views like 'ban all dogs/put the owners to sleep not the dog' have moved on to the next outrage. That's when it becomes possible to have a reasoned discussion about it without it turning into an emotional bunfight.

OurMiracle1106 · 14/10/2016 20:26

I also wanted to point out that it is being assumed that the owner treated the dog well because they are a police officer. However how can we know this? Someone's job doesn't dictate their character.

Soubriquet · 14/10/2016 20:28

Absolutely OurMiracle

If a VET, of all people, can be convicted for keeping huskies in a basement in squalor, who's to say this police officer was a good owner?

mycatstares · 14/10/2016 20:28

our I agree 100%.

The mother was in the bath when this happened. Those kids never should have been alone with the dog and this is coming from someone who grew up with 8 bull terriers as family dogs.