Talk to me about getting staffy cross rescue

[GatherlyGal]

So after many years of saying no I am close to saying yes to a dog. DCs are old enough now not to need bums wiping and also to potentially walk and care for a dog.

Could not contemplate dealing with animal poo as well as humans so there's that. Plus I'm nearing the end of my walking to school days as youngest nears secondary. I love walking and will miss the walking element of the school run and do love the idea of having a good reason to get off my arse

Another factor is oldest's mental health which this year has been tough. A dog might just really help.

Anyway here are some questions for people in the know:

We are veering towards a staffy cross mainly because there are so many available in rescues. So why are there so many? Should I worry?

Also what if I (we) don't like it? Or it doesn't like us Is that a risk?

Any advice very welcome.

I'm a committed lurcher/sighthound fan, but I always said if I couldn't have a lurcher, I would have a staff. Never met one that didn't like everyone, so don't worry about it not liking you. They're just the happy idiot clowns of the doggy community

There are some brilliant staffies in rescue. I know a lady in her 80s who fostered for many years and said she'd take anything except a staffy, due to their reputation. One day the rescue rang up and told her of a very sweet elderly dog that needed a home for a final few months, and left the fact he was a staffy to the end of the conversation. She agreed to take him, became a convert and has had nothing but a string of elderly staffies since.

The reason for the sheer number of staffies in rescue is something of a perfect storm of

• large scale over breeding by people thinking they can make a quick buck out of the family pet
• looking similar to a pit bull, with all the reputational damage that brings
• fewer people being willing to take them on because of their thoroughly undeserved reputation.

In short, supply greatly outstrips demand

As there are so many available in rescue, you'll find it relatively easy to find a child friendly dog friendly dog - much easier than with other breeds!

My big issue with staffies is that they are often quite needy whingey dogs and if you are free of the whining toddler stage might be a bit irksome. Also short legged fine haired so not great for getting out and about in all weathers.

Personally prefer labradors which are a similar weight, much hardier about rain, less likely to destroy human knees (A staff is a tank at perfect height to take out human knee ligaments) and in my experience less vocal/clingy. There should be a fair few in rescues (or failed gundogs) as they are a very popular breed.

Negatives - they shed and tend to scavenge if given half a chance.

I once had a staffy cross, she was the most intelligent dog I ever had, such s lovely nature and great with children. There are so many In Rescue because there are so many stupid people that don't neuter them or get them for the wrong reason, then give up. I wouldn't worry at all. Find yourself a good, local rescue and go and meet the dogs. If there's one you like see it a few times. Make sure the rescue knows you're first time dog owners. Give it a bit of time to settle, just as though it was a fostered child that didn't know anyone, and get out on those walks and start getting to know each other. It's highly unlikely a dog won't like you, they're such loving creatures and if they realise they're safe and have food, water and exercise they'll love you to bits.

We've rescued a Staffie and she's brilliant, but as with all rescues not without issues - she's unlikely to be a very sociable dog with other dogs, grudging acceptance of my sister's dog when visits to parents coincide has been our success. But shes absolutely great with people.

Keep in mind that Staffies can have traits that means your rescue may not be the run-free-in-the-park pet that you may wish for. You may get lucky, but I wouldn't bank on it. And to an extent that applies to all rescues not just Staffies.

Think carefully about what you want to do over the next 4-10 years (depending on the age of the rescue), in particular travel abroad. Even if the Pet Passport system survives the train wreck of Brexit there is still breed specific legislation in place in several EU countries - and crosses get a worse deal than a nominally pure Staffy. It won't entirely prevent you from travelling but you need to understand that the law is different in other countries if you do.

I would look very carefully at the breeds that the animal appears to be crossed with and consider their breed traits. There are a couple of Staffy X dogs in our local rescue that I would be very wary of - one appears to be a Staffy x Mastiff cross which is a young dog that's likely to grow up to be a very powerful handful to manage (will probably be a gorgeous dog but perhaps not for a beginner), and the other looks like a GSD x Staffy cross - I've always been a bit wary of both GSD and Collies because their intelligence/temperament needs a lot more stimulation and training than many other breeds. Add that into the power of a Staffy and it could be a handful.

They're fantastic dogs. I don't want to put you off, but you do need to go into this with eyes open. The reason they're so plentiful in rescues is that they've consistently been one of the most popular dogs in the UK.

It's only recently that the Frenchie has taken their place as the family dog of choice -and the French Bulldog is basically a bonsai Staffy for people that don't see themselves as the sort of people that are Staffy owners! :D

My friend adopted a rescue staff last November. If you have a dog, you have to pick up the poo these days, so don’t get one unless you are prepared to do that. Although she has a partner, and two teens, she is the only one who regularly walks the dog. It’s very much her dog. It’s very prey driven. Also seems susceptible to injury, chasing squirrels, and ending up with injured legs and limping. But she adores her.

We had a staffy rescue by accident, I found him in the road, no tag or ID. The dog warden said he would go to the kennels with all the other unwanted staffys. It looked as though he had been through a tough time, the vet believed he'd been used as a bate dog and then discarded. We decided to keep him as he got on with our other dogs and children. He was the loveliest, most intelligent dog we ever had and still miss him and completely changed what was clearly my very ignorant view of this wonderful breed.

There a popular breed for good reasons (very people oriented, trainable, tolerant, fun, good size) but also more likely to end up with idiot owners that just aren't prepared or suitable for puppy behaviour/dogs needs & generally see dogs as disposable.

Too many are bred to make money & offloaded to whoever wants one as soon as possible. Add on common reasons dogs end up in rescues like circumstances changing I.e illness, relationship breakdown, working hours, accommodation not allowing dogs.

Sadly they tend to languish in rescues mainly because of the public stigma of bull breeds spurred on by media, so even though they could be perfect match they'd not be be considered. I have a greyhound x staffy and she was up for adoption 2yrs, in the end I foster failed, she's an amazing dog and has the staffy cuddly nature & loyal, they give out love by spadeful. The ones I meet in work are same very cuddly, sweet & easy to handle, they can be quite full on as pups though.

Thanks all. It's just odd that I NEVER see them out and about.

Sounds like mostly positive stories which is great. We'll just have to wait for a family friendly one that fits.

Thanks all. It's just odd that I NEVER see them out and about.

We can walk through the park, around town, and back and not see another Staffy. Or we'll see six within a mile, it's mostly down to the time of day. Locally the family dog of choice is the Frenchie so there are loads of them if we're walking at school drop-off/pick-up. Most of the Staffies seem to be owned by childfree couples and are walking at different times of day.

We have a rescue staff, is now elderly and not intelligent, she is the sweetest most loving dog ever, she was just for breeding and bait so have battle scars, she isnt a fan of other dogs but we got some training to be able to manage her.

Try a Staffie rescue as they usually have the dogs in foster homes before adoption so you are more likely to know what the dog would be like in a home setting.

Our staffy cross got pts a month ago.
We think he had some collie or pointer in him too.
He was the best dog you could ever ask for. He grew up around 15 ish kids, our kids, cousins, 2nd cousins (massive family) and he was nothing but a gent with every single one of them.
He was whingy and needy. If we took him on holiday he wouldn’t settle and if we left him in the holiday cottage he would bark it down and we’d get complaints!
He also had a couple of scraps (never hurt another dog, but a lot of snapping and noise). 90% of dogs he was fine with, but he didn’t tolerate rude dogs that got in his face.
For this reason we couldn’t 100% relax out in public with him so would stick to pavements with him on the lead or hire a field for him to run about it just for peace of mind.
Even if the other dogs started the fight, mine would get the blame because of his breed.
In the house he was absolutely perfect, never an ounce of aggression, great with kids, soppy and friendly with every single visitor.
We miss him more than anything.
Tearing up now 😪

Loads of happy tales

Let's hope a suitable specimen comes along to join the family.