'3) The shelters here are victims of local circumstances... that is to say, they are overrun with Staffordshire Bull Terriers who have been thrown out and abandoned by owners who have bred them but found them unsuitable for dog fighting, or they can fight no longer. They are scarred and deeply traumatised. The shelters, quite rightly, ask for "understanding owners with experience of this nature", which honestly, we're not, and unless you're all experts in ex-fighting dog behaviour, nor are you. So... yeah.'
Niskayuna, this >> 'abandoned by owners who have bred them but found them unsuitable for dog fighting, or they can fight no longer' is as far from the truth as you could possibly get!!!!
I work with nearly thirty council pounds throughout the whole of the UK addressing and finding rescue places for every single one of their dogs so they're not put to sleep after seven days. In the many years I've been doing this I've dealt with literally tens of thousands of stray, abandoned or otherwise relinquished dogs so I know what the heck I'm talking about. This is absolute tosh! You are right that there are a huge number of Staffies in rescue, but that's because of complete, total and utter morons who can't be arsed to neuter their pet dogs, or who breed from them to make a bit of extra cash... They sell the puppies to ridiculously unsuitable homes and they inevitably get chucked out when the new owners get bored. There's nothing wrong with the dogs themselves, and the vast majority are wonderful, soppy lumps who live other songs and would walk on two legs or do back flips if they thought it'd please you!!
R.e. Dogs used for dog fighting, this is definitely an issue, but the horrible truth is the bastards who do this either kill the dogs, or if they're caught and the dogs are seized then they're normally pts because it's not safe to rehome them. It's horrific. The people who run these fighting rings train the dogs using animals found advertised 'free to good home' as bait. Cats, dogs, rabbits, whatever they can get their hands on. It's sick! Sometimes we manage to rescue the animals used as bait and despite their ordeals if they can be physically fixed with veterinary attention then they can normally be rehabilitated and go on to have a good quality of life. A lot of them are either killed or their injuries are too extensive to be able to save them though. It's beyond heartbreaking and I don't know how these arseholes who torture animals like that can live with themselves, I really don't. Honestly though, the vast majority of Staffies you see in rescues have never been anything other than family pets and have simply been abandoned or relinquished due to a change in the owner's circumstances. They are sweethearts and I'd take them all home in a heartbeat if I could!!!
Different rescues have different policies regarding rehoming criteria. There is usually a genuine reason behind it and chances are the policies have come about because of past experiences by the rescue, and the fact they want to do the best for the animals in their care.
R.e. Rehoming to people who rent, you would not believe how many animals were are asked to help with because landlords have suddenly decided the pets have to be evicted, or an owner is moving from one rental property where animals were allowed to another where they're not and they can't take their animals with them. Seriously, rescues are inundated with requests like these every single day, so if they won't rehome to someone in a rented property that's generally why. On saying that plenty will. I myself was in rented until recently and I had a house full of rescue animals!
Please don't give up though. There are hundreds of rescues in the UK, and a lot of the smaller ones especially look at every application individually and will work hard to find an animal who would suit the family, living situation, etc perfectly. They tend to be a lot more flexible than some of the larger, more well-known rescues. There are dogs out there to suit every family, including ones with tiny babies and children!
P.s. To whoever it was who questioned me a bit further up, yes, I am talking about the street dogs. Some might be a little bit nervous at first but they're not stupid, and shown a little bit of love and tlc, a warm bed and a good meal and they'll be your best and most appreciative friend ever!!!