Just a Staffy Cross.

[NewYearNewKnickersOnMyHead]

This is not mine but wanted to share...hopefully will make people think. It has me sobbing my heart out.

Today is just another day - to me they're all the same
I have the worst of genes you see, I bear the "Staffy" shame.
The shame is in our numbers, there's thousands with no home.
Thousands just like me you'll find, in kennels all alone.
My mum was "just a Staffy", my father - well who knows?
Mum, too, became unwanted, as the last puppy goes.
And then begins the process, of money-making deals
A life of "moving on" unfolds, who cares how the Staffy feels?
If you have the cash to hand, the Staffy pup is yours

But that pup is getting bigger now, just look at those big paws.
You brought me for your image, thought I'd make you look more tough
But you'll find my boisterous nature has already got too much.
If you had thought to train me, with kindness and with praise
You would have had a faithful friend to share your darkest days.
I would lay down my life for you, but you simply cannot see
You make sure you get your money back on what you paid for me.

And on it goes, until one day, I'm no longer worth a dime
The retail on an adult staff - not worth the waste of time.
So what happens to a Staffy now? Do you really want to know?
Do you care what will become of us, when we leave our final home?
Have you ever thought to wonder, "Where is that Staffy now?"
The "Staffy" has another name; he's become a "stray" somehow.
Me, I was put into a car and driven far away

The door held open, I jumped out, I thought to run and play.
It was with joy and happy heart I turned to look for you
You drove away with all my trust and a piece of my heart too.
I wondered round for many days before I was brought here.
Now I wait with heavy heart, trepidation and with fear.
Seven days is all I have you see, seven days for you to claim
The little dog that you threw out, for which you have no shame.
This is my last goodbye now my seven days are up
If only more thought had gone into the future of that pup
As the needle empties to my veins I lay down with one last sigh
I'm sorry I was born a Staffy, because it means that I must die.

oh I know that a breed doesn't indicate a temperement on a particular level

And I know in my head that staffies would be the perfect dog

but I have a gut-reaction to them, I would actually give one a wide berth on the street because where I live it will most probably be owned by a nob-end who has never paid it any attention

if I'm honest in my head I know they're intelligent, loving dogs as a breed but in my heart I'm scared of them and I would want the dog I own not to give that image across to people we meet

I'm more a spaniel type I'm afraid

But on the good side - Valhalla has convinced us to get a Rescue dog rather than a designer puppy - we just haven't found the right one for us (because they were mainly staffies)

"I would want the dog I own not to give that image across to people we meet"

I rather like the fact that I am able to change people's misinformed perceptions of staffies by owning two exemplary (mostly!) ones.

It's a shame staffies are overlooked as candidates for rescue by middle class families because they look "chavvy". Seriously, it's so unfair. Friends of mine have openly said they would never have staffies because they "LOOK CHAVVY". How ridiculous is that? Just because nob-ends own them doesn't mean non-nob-ends don't!

It is great you are going for a rescue. But be prepared to come across A LOT of staffies in rescue before you find your perfect "soft, fluffy" family pooch. Funnily enough many of them are in rescue because they ARE "soft, fluffy" dogs as opposed to scary and hard, like the nob-ends who get them want them to be. :(

ridiculous (head) but true (heart)

Well I would rather look like a chav with the most wonderful dogs in the world than live in a house without staffies any day!

"But on the good side - Valhalla has convinced us to get a Rescue dog rather than a designer puppy - we just haven't found the right one for us (because they were mainly staffies)"

Is there a 'dancing for joy' emoticon here? :o

Lottery's right. To be honest, MN is bloody good hunting ground for potential Staffy owners because most members are intelligent and willing to listen to alternate points of view... and what could be better than to change the public's perception of the breed by making them popular amongst families and the middle classes?

I want to see the day when the sight of a Staffy with a middle class mum on the other end of the lead is like the Black policeman is to me ... when I can only vaguely remember the time when passing one in the street would cause me to note him bcause of his rarity.

you can change the world in small steps that most of the time you won't notice -

Vall you should move here. In one day I saw a mum and two toddlers walking a Staffy and the local dealer with a Yorkishire Terrier

GSDs and Mastiffs are the main choice for the nob-ends of our town.

I have a gorgeous Staffy and I am not a chav. He is my baby and so much better behaved that my walking dustbin Labradoodle.

People comment more on my baby because he has unique colourings.

His colouring is more pronounced now he's almost adult and he's on my profile.

I think we'll stick with Staffys in this house from now on.

Funnily enough we have a couple of lovely Staffies in our (posh, expensive, chocolate-box looking) village, a GSD X and a Rottie who are owned by a lovely middle aged lady who is well on the upper side of upper middle class and two beautifully obedient, FECK-OFF great Rotties owned by an equally posh and very petite lady!

Disclaimer - the village is affluent, posh and largely upper middle class... I ain't!

Personal clown- your pup is absolutely beautiful!
My Staff is blue (pic on profile!) We get comments about her all the time, usually asked if we are going to breed from her we aren't, she is going to be done in the next month or so.

Activate- please watch the you tube vid I linked to earlier, you have so much to gain by sharing your life with a Staff!

Something I read,
RSPCA chief vet Mark Evans said:
"Staffies have had a terrible press, but this is not of their own making -
in fact they're wonderful dogs.
If people think that Staffies have problems,
they're looking at the wrong end of the dog lead!"

Found another Staffie video, this ones lovely!

really interesting reading- thanks everyone.

We have just put a reserve on a beautiful black staffie cross at our local RSPCA. She seems really good natured although pulls loads on her lead at the moment- even managed to pull my 12 yr old DS over and drag him along in the mud!

Any hints/tips on staffie ownership?

(I guess we are the middle class family that was mentioned in the thread- but I have always had a soft spot for a SBT)

honeyapple,great news, any idea when you will be able to bring the dog home?

Staffies are the most wonderful dogs,I have two boys,both red,one is 18 months old and the other is 15 weeks old,both adorable and very affectionate.I am actually dreading tomorrow when the dc,s go back to work and school as they will both wander around the house looking for them.

We are getting a rescue Staffie!! He is called Porridge and he is coming from Many Tears in Wales. Our old dog, who was a hound, died in February and we decided not to have another dog for a while. I saw this dog on the rescue website and just cried and cried when I read about the hard time he had had ( and what a nice nature he has) so we went to see him today and decided he is the dog for us. He is qute old (9) and no beauty, though his funny ears are rather sweet. I have to go back to get him next Saturday - so excited!!

higgle,I just saw Porridge on the Many Tears website,he is adorable and well done to you for reserving him.I hope he brings you as much joy and happiness as my two have bought me.

Dd took me to our local rescue society the other day as she is basing her GSCE coursework on the work they do,at one point I was nearly in tears,I could have come home with 6 staffies,however I think dh might have had something to say.She has decided to spend part of her pocket money sponsering one of the staffies that has been there for over 6 months as we are unable to have any more pets.

bubbles- waiting for the home check at the moment, but hopefully if that is ok- then we should have her home in about a week. Can't wait to get her out of the kennels. Bit concerned about the end of our garden as there is a gate onto open fields.

"Well I would rather look like a chav with the most wonderful dogs in the world than live in a house without staffies any day!"

Me too. And thus I have looked like a chav for the last 12 years!!!

I was going to say that I could consider fostering the 7 month old, but there's just too much to chase around here!!

Vall, what's the 7month olds temp like? I could take her in.

We are having our home check tonight - not expecting problems there. When he arrives I'll start a new thread as I'm sure we will have some questions for experienced Staffie owners as we have only had hounds and a collie cross before. His ears are very wierd - used to dogs with long silky ears and his feel like triangular hits of cold leather!

Hope the home check went well Higgle.

Oh my - Porridge is absolutely beautiful!

I have a recently "fostered" (failed foster alert - I adopted her) 9 year old Staffoo after my 12 year old died last September. You'll never look back, Higgle

Than you MotherJack - Yes we passed the homecheck - which mainly comprised of homecheckers dog bouncing around and us being nice to him. So pleased we had super stong 6' fence put all around our back garden last year.