Another dog attack hits the news

[Az]

If there is anyone to blame it is the owners of the dogs that killed the Poodle.

Additionaly, the owners of the Poodle should perhaps think about taking some responsibility for making sure their dog was not safe/secure at all times.

It would be interesting to see the garden, how secure it was, how big the fence was etc.

Do we actually know the dogs were Staffs? Or were they Staff crosses? Were they owned by 'wannabee ard' idiots?

ANY dog can be vicious! The two most nastiest dog aggressive dogs I have ever come across are a male chocolate lab and a male black border collie (who is also human aggressive!).

Yes, there is only so much you can do, but we'd need to know a _lot_ more about the incident before making any type of judgement.

Also, it's worth noting the highest number of reported dog bites on humans in this country are not by staffs, not by pitts - but Border Collies!

Going back to staffs - they are victims at this time because they are in fashion to the wannabe hard idiots. Take away the staffs and they'll go for 'the next best thing'. Keep doing that and one day you might find your own breed or a cross of your breed is the target. Did you know that lab crosses can fit the pit bull type too?

Punish the deed not the breed! We need better control of back yard breeders breeding to make a buck! And more control on who can and can't own a dog - send the owners to dog school, god knows so many need educating!

[Annestaff]

Responsible Bull Breed owners are fully awear of the potential of their dogs, whats scarey is the fact that many pet dog owners are not and are blind to the fact that their precious pooch whatever the breed can cause just as much damage.

Did you know a lab was responsible for the first face transplant after mauling its owners face off? In Ireland this year a collie attacked a child the dog warden reported it was the worst dog attack he had ever seen. Maybe these sort of cases need bringing to light more so people realise its not just Bull Breeds that can cause damage.

Now who's the responsible owners? the ones that are awear of their dog potential or those dog owners who have their head in the sand who havn't a clue what their dog is capable of.

[borderdawn]

Originally Posted by Fran

It's not labs and spaniels etc.. that we hear of killing children and pet animals though is it Luke?

The fact of the matter is that these are Staffie's or crosses thereof and it's certainly not the first story of it's kind. I'm sorry you will never convert me especially when stories of this nature hit the headlines coupled with my very bad experiences of the breed

The sustained attack of a Staffie will do more harm in seconds than a lot of breeds in minutes, doesnt mean the offending animal is more nasty, just that the Staff is better equipped.

Ill be perfectly honest Fran, we board some awful tempered Labs, I have myself been attacked and my boss had a piece out of her stomach taken out by a lab. They, on the whole, tend to be more unpredictable as a breed when boarding. You will also find that many dogs that attack and harrass others are Labs, usually black ones (for some reason) we have 2 here, one is lethal the other just a damn nuisance and tied to an equally useless owner!

All dogs can bite, dependant on the breed of dog will depend on the severity of the attack and what damage is done is that time. Whilst I agree that the Pit Bull should be strictly controlled and I personally do not think they should be kept as pets, the Staff is a far cry from them.
Dawn.

[Elaine]

20 Years ago it was the german shepherd, then it was the rottie and the boxer, today its the staffie. Its a damned shame, how many more breeds are to be damned before people realise that its the irresponsible owners that are the real danger.
I personally love the staffie, I fear being head butted by them than being bitten. I am much more scared of the Neds who breed and cross breed these dogs, when a ned enters our shop with a dog, I am always wary and not of the dog regardless of the breed.
We have several staffie owners on the forum, all live with cats and other dogs. Kazz's vet has on atleast one occasion I know of asked her to bring her dogs along to help socialise other dogs. I would not have any hesitations about meeting any of the staffies that own Catsey members

[Fran]

Well I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Certain traits are bred into certain breeds, obviously, as that is why different breeds have different abilities/jobs etc.. There are extremes/exceptions in every breed and the owners play a big part too but certain breeds like staffies are appearing far too frequently in the news for my liking, coupled with my own personal bad experiences of them, I just don't like nor trust them I'm afraid

[Luke]

Thing is, labs and goldies DO have a pretty high attack rate, but that's also bearing in mind they are a numerically high breed anyway, as do Border Collies..heck as do most breeds of dogs, but the difference..most breeds are not painted with the image of the minion of the antichrists by the media. Most dog breeds aren't eagerly anticipated by the media prior to an attack, just to boost their sales.
Like Dawn, I have met some foul tempered labs..especially on shoots, but I've also met many nice ones. We had a foster type lab at one point, she infact did some damage bite wise to someone..and totally unwarranted. But, I do not tarr this breed vile and naturally aggressive. My bad experiences tend to be focused around Border Collies and Boxers; yet I do not treat them any different and infact the latter is on my wish list for years to come.
As the old addage says, the bad apple within the barrel. And there are many barrels which make up this life, all of whom have at least one bad apple.
Give me a well bred stafford pup to bring up, and I'd snap your hands off. Though I think a lot of the problem is the "pikey" bred dogs that are of unsound temperament and a far cry from a true stafford in looks and personality.

[Moli]

I personally feel it very unfair to condem a breed by newspaper reports, I can understand that you have had bad experiences of the breed PK, but have you ever met a normal well socialised, well mannered Staffie, because there any many of them about...My son was brought up from a baby with 2 staffies, mytwo girls I have now mother any kitten that come into the house, they are good with any other animal, be it dog, cat etc, infact I can walk them past sheep and they do not bother totally ignore them....If we maybe had a good report now and then in the papers, maybe peiople would realise not all staffies are aggressive. It just takes one mindless owner who cannot control their dog, to cause trouble for the responsible owners.....

[Kim]

Originally Posted by Fran

Well I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one. Certain traits are bred into certain breeds, obviously, as that is why different breeds have different abilities/jobs etc.. There are extremes/exceptions in every breed and the owners play a big part too but certain breeds like staffies are appearing far too frequently in the news for my liking, coupled with my own personal bad experiences of them, I just don't like nor trust them I'm afraid

I agree Fran that certain breeds have certain traits, etc. The greyhound is good for chasing, running, doesn't mean that all greys would kill a cat! As Az says, the owners are the problem; staffs can be a fashion statement or make their owners look 'hard' and they train their dog to be vicious/attack. Just look at the owner of the staffy who killed the toddler on New Years Day last year. The dog is only doing what it was trained for, which sadly means the situation is often like a time bomb. I have come across some lovely staffys on my walks with my dogs and 2 in particular are extremely well trained and obedient. However, a lady I meet has a staffy that attacked another dog without any povocation whatsoever Although I guess most breeds are capable of this. Unfortunately, the other dog sustained nasty injuries even though the attack only lasted a very short while. The media definitely seem to have it in for staffys and any attacks by them seem to be reported. I agree that you should punish the deed NOT the breed!

[Fran]

And another one .....


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/7278085.stm

[Az]

Just because it looks like a staff, doesn't mean it is one - this is what many people have been trying to point out.

You have people breeding the offical KC reg staff, which is far removed from what back yard breeders are breeding - they are breeding 'Irish' lines that have been used in the (more recent) past for fighting etc

They are like different breeds. I would be VERY surprised if ANY of the dogs in these attacks were proper KC registered Staffordshire bull Terriers.