Animal shelters, so many SBT
Discussion
My parents have been thinking about getting another dog after there last dog passed away a few years ago. They decided instead of getting a puppy that re homing would be better idea.
I've gone along with them to a few dog shelters and couldn't believe the amount of SBT at every shelter!! why are there so many? I don't want to stereotype but is this simple just the back lash from "chavs" buying dogs for image and getting bored?
I've gone along with them to a few dog shelters and couldn't believe the amount of SBT at every shelter!! why are there so many? I don't want to stereotype but is this simple just the back lash from "chavs" buying dogs for image and getting bored?
dave0010 said:
My parents have been thinking about getting another dog after there last dog passed away a few years ago. They decided instead of getting a puppy that re homing would be better idea.
I've gone along with them to a few dog shelters and couldn't believe the amount of SBT at every shelter!! why are there so many? I don't want to stereotype but is this simple just the back lash from "chavs" buying dogs for image and getting bored?
Correct. I've gone along with them to a few dog shelters and couldn't believe the amount of SBT at every shelter!! why are there so many? I don't want to stereotype but is this simple just the back lash from "chavs" buying dogs for image and getting bored?
On facebook I am a member of a secondhand site in my area - featured in channel four's 'Skint' SBTs are listed on there all the time and trade from £5 upwards,
Saying that, someone sold a horse on there the other day for £60.
Don't write off SBT's as a pet, they can be fantastic dogs. Where we live the closest Dogs Trust is in Huyton just outside of Liverpool. As a result they're overrun with Staffs and Staff crosses, as the trend around these parts is to cross breed bigger, muscular and mean looking dogs. What usually happens are that despite their upbringing these dogs are just normal dogs with no desire to be aggressive or to attack, so they end up being dumped for another meaner dog. The SBT attacks that frequent the papers are often owned by people who have no idea on what the dog needs and these owners will often have kids who grow up to be aggressive and anti-social too. Kids and dogs in my opinion share a lot of the same needs, good diet, lots and lots of excercise, a stable home and well defined behavioural boundaries. If you feed a dog on Tesco value food, keep it cooped up in a one bedroom flat and is shouted at everytime it does something just because the owner is in a bad mood, then it isn't surprising that some dogs become aggressive. The fact that more people aren't bitten is a testament to the SBT's temperament and nature. These idiot owners are moving onto Malamutes and Huskies, so my guess is that in another ten years they will be the breed receiving the negative news reports.
Both my family and my partners have had dogs for many years, in fact all my family's dogs were found as strays while my girlfriends where from shelters. So when we went to get another dog a year after our last chap passed away we ended up with a staff cross. Cindy was two when we rehomed her and was found at a few months old caked in mud on the streets. She has spent her entire life at Dogs Trust and although she has never experienced a proper home life she slipped right in and is a fantastic girl, doesn't chew on anything she isn't supposed too bar the occasional toilet roll tube and was house trained right from the start, which coming from a dog who could drop anywhere/anytime in kennels was a surprise. We can only suspect that people were put off by the fact she was a big dog and also completely deaf, but you'd be amazed how well she copes despite the deafness and most people don't even realise she is deaf.
This is the first time I've owned a bulldog breed and the way some people react can range from the insane to the comical, from people crossing the street to flat out running away. I've had other owners with small toy breeds going absolutely mental at Cindy and the owner shouting at me to control her, while she is sat by my feet looking completely confused at the situation. As she is deaf she can never come off the lead in public, because recall is nigh on impossible once she is interested in something and if she can't see me frantically waving like the Team America secret signal, she just carries on. So we'd rather not have an incident and just keep her on a lead in public. But despite her looks, she isn't a killing machine, unless you're a rope toy, all she wants to do is have a cuddle. These types of dogs are just normal dogs, with normal dog personalities and all they need is a person who will look after them and you'll have a wonderful companion. It's about time these dogs got a break, it annoys me when I see a chav with a Staffy on a massive leather harness.
Here she is just after we brought her home, enjoying her favourite pastime of sitting in a box.
Both my family and my partners have had dogs for many years, in fact all my family's dogs were found as strays while my girlfriends where from shelters. So when we went to get another dog a year after our last chap passed away we ended up with a staff cross. Cindy was two when we rehomed her and was found at a few months old caked in mud on the streets. She has spent her entire life at Dogs Trust and although she has never experienced a proper home life she slipped right in and is a fantastic girl, doesn't chew on anything she isn't supposed too bar the occasional toilet roll tube and was house trained right from the start, which coming from a dog who could drop anywhere/anytime in kennels was a surprise. We can only suspect that people were put off by the fact she was a big dog and also completely deaf, but you'd be amazed how well she copes despite the deafness and most people don't even realise she is deaf.
This is the first time I've owned a bulldog breed and the way some people react can range from the insane to the comical, from people crossing the street to flat out running away. I've had other owners with small toy breeds going absolutely mental at Cindy and the owner shouting at me to control her, while she is sat by my feet looking completely confused at the situation. As she is deaf she can never come off the lead in public, because recall is nigh on impossible once she is interested in something and if she can't see me frantically waving like the Team America secret signal, she just carries on. So we'd rather not have an incident and just keep her on a lead in public. But despite her looks, she isn't a killing machine, unless you're a rope toy, all she wants to do is have a cuddle. These types of dogs are just normal dogs, with normal dog personalities and all they need is a person who will look after them and you'll have a wonderful companion. It's about time these dogs got a break, it annoys me when I see a chav with a Staffy on a massive leather harness.
Here she is just after we brought her home, enjoying her favourite pastime of sitting in a box.
Edited by Fugazi on Sunday 13th April 17:28
Congrats on rehoming the dog 
You can hardly blame people with little dogs from deliberately trying to avoid you though - I'd do the same.
If someone doesn't know you or your dog, they don't want to be on the end of this do they - http://metro.co.uk/2014/04/12/staffordshire-bull-t...
You can hardly blame people with little dogs from deliberately trying to avoid you though - I'd do the same.
If someone doesn't know you or your dog, they don't want to be on the end of this do they - http://metro.co.uk/2014/04/12/staffordshire-bull-t...
otolith said:
Unfortunately they are the breed unlucky enough to be in fashion with the demographic least likely to be responsible dog owners.
Yup, and one of the reasons I'd never rehome one. I don't want to have people running away from me in the park, or crossing the streets when they see me. I had my dog out at the park today and it was great, loads of dog owners with them all off the leads and running around crazy. I wouldn't want to be the dog / dog owner that was excluded from stuff like that really.
KFC said:
Yup, and one of the reasons I'd never rehome one. I don't want to have people running away from me in the park, or crossing the streets when they see me.
I had my dog out at the park today and it was great, loads of dog owners with them all off the leads and running around crazy. I wouldn't want to be the dog / dog owner that was excluded from stuff like that really.
How shallow are you?I had my dog out at the park today and it was great, loads of dog owners with them all off the leads and running around crazy. I wouldn't want to be the dog / dog owner that was excluded from stuff like that really.
I often walk a friend's rescue Staffie cross in perhaps the poshest part of Surrey.
I find it somewhat amusing that while owners of designer dogs may initially flinch, they're quickly brought around to the fact that there are no bad dogs, merely bad owners, when I address them in perfect RP.
Mobile Chicane said:
How shallow are you?
I often walk a friend's rescue Staffie cross in perhaps the poshest part of Surrey.
I find it somewhat amusing that while owners of designer dogs may initially flinch, they're quickly brought around to the fact that there are no bad dogs, merely bad owners, when I address them in perfect RP.
Why would you want to deliberately scare your neighbours, or be the person on the beach that causes everyone else to panic and try and get their dogs out of your way? Sure you could say its their problem and not yours.... but I'd just rather have a dog that nobody else had a problem being around. Moreso when the places I like to take mines, dogs are technically banned from. Friendly dogs = ignored and tolerated... if I'm rampaging around there with a SBT or an Akita they might not be so lenient I often walk a friend's rescue Staffie cross in perhaps the poshest part of Surrey.
I find it somewhat amusing that while owners of designer dogs may initially flinch, they're quickly brought around to the fact that there are no bad dogs, merely bad owners, when I address them in perfect RP.
I meet a lot of staffies and their owners on my travels and I always make a point of getting down and giving them a good old fuss. They are just as loving and Friendly as any other dog and I do feel for the owners who have to live with nasty remarks or being avoided. It's such a shame as dog ownership is usually a very social thing when out for a walk.
KFC said:
Mobile Chicane said:
How shallow are you?
I often walk a friend's rescue Staffie cross in perhaps the poshest part of Surrey.
I find it somewhat amusing that while owners of designer dogs may initially flinch, they're quickly brought around to the fact that there are no bad dogs, merely bad owners, when I address them in perfect RP.
Why would you want to deliberately scare your neighbours, or be the person on the beach that causes everyone else to panic and try and get their dogs out of your way? Sure you could say its their problem and not yours.... but I'd just rather have a dog that nobody else had a problem being around. Moreso when the places I like to take mines, dogs are technically banned from. Friendly dogs = ignored and tolerated... if I'm rampaging around there with a SBT or an Akita they might not be so lenient I often walk a friend's rescue Staffie cross in perhaps the poshest part of Surrey.
I find it somewhat amusing that while owners of designer dogs may initially flinch, they're quickly brought around to the fact that there are no bad dogs, merely bad owners, when I address them in perfect RP.
For every person I can convince that there is no such thing as a bad dog, merely a bad owner, there's another staffie rescue potentially rehomed.
2thumbs said:
I meet a lot of staffies and their owners on my travels and I always make a point of getting down and giving them a good old fuss. They are just as loving and Friendly as any other dog and I do feel for the owners who have to live with nasty remarks or being avoided. It's such a shame as dog ownership is usually a very social thing when out for a walk.
Well hopefully you won't need to come back and change your name to 1thumb (or worse) at some point 
Its unavoidable that these type of dogs end up with a bad reputation, due to one sub section of their owners. I wouldn't go near any type of big dog with a bad reputation unless I already knew it was okay...
2thumbs said:
I believe it is ignorance and lack of understanding to blame for their so called reputation. It is not deserved.
It seldom is - but the same knobheads ruined the reputations of Rottweilers and Dobermans and GSDs, and it takes a long time to recover. As a friend and fellow GSD owner says, if there is any trouble, even if your dog is not the aggressor, it will get the blame.KFC said:
I had my dog out at the park today and it was great, loads of dog owners with them all off the leads and running around crazy. I wouldn't want to be the dog / dog owner that was excluded from stuff like that really.
I used to meet up in the park most days with my three Staffords and join a group of people with anything up to 12 dogs all off lead and running around with no problems at all. The people never judged or excluded me and the dogs, being dogs where just accepted into the "pack".That's what tends to happen with well informed people and properly trained and socialised dogs.
Yes I can see the trend following with huski's and alike. When ever I see these dogs its normally being followed a younger person. Those breeds of dog to my untrained or uniformed mind need more exercise then any other dog.
I was always under the impression there were originally breed as sled dogs so could run and run and run all day. when you see them getting walked around the block its no wonder there bursting with energy.
I was always under the impression there were originally breed as sled dogs so could run and run and run all day. when you see them getting walked around the block its no wonder there bursting with energy.
You are right about huskies. It's depressing ti see husky pup after husky pup walking through our doors. I did know of one lady who lived in a flat in very crowded area housing wise, no garden who wanted one and was really put out when the breeder refused, saying she'd go somewhere that would, completely ignoring the reason why the breeder declined her. Problem is plenty of more unscrupulous breeders would sell to her.
Personally I feel they are a much more unsuitable family pet than staffie are and rarely good with other dogs.
Personally I feel they are a much more unsuitable family pet than staffie are and rarely good with other dogs.
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