Bull Terriers, Staffies and Pit Bulls

[Brendan]

Just bringing this over from the thread about the Drum. Someone mentioned the barman?s dog, Blue and specifically what type of dog he is. There seems to be a lot of confusion about this so may I just clear it up?

This is a Pit Bull or American Pit Bull: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/file.php?0,file=616

This is a Staffordshire terrier or Staffie (Like Blue from the Drum): http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/file.php?0,file=617

This is a Bull terrier: http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/file.php?0,file=615

There is not such breed as a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Pit Bull Terrier or any other weird mix of the names people come up with unless they are referring to how the dog has been cross bred.

Pit Bulls are the ones that are classed as Dangerous Dogs in Britain because they do have volatile personalities and if not properly trained and engaged they can cause problems.

Right, now consider yourselves told.

[Alan Dale]

Three terrifying beasts.

Thanks for the heads up. Now I'll be able to correctly identify any dog that chases me round the park or mawls my kids.

You know the rules about picking up their turd? What are you supposed to do if it's pure liquid?

[jumpinjackflash]

You get your pooh bag/nappy sack in your hand and then you grab some mud/dirt/gravel/whatever and throw it on top so that you get a nice good grip of the runny pooh and scoop it up. Yuck. That's what I do anyway and my French Mastiff can produce quite a substantial amount so I should know! Sorry if anybody was eating whilst reading this.

[RosieH]

Brendan Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> There is not such breed as a Staffordshire Bull

> Terrier, Staffordshire Pit Bull Terrier or any

> other weird mix of the names people come up with

> unless they are referring to how the dog has been

> cross bred.

yes there is - i used to have one - Staffordshire Bull Terrier (http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/87)

Lovely dogs

[Brendan]

Well I stand corrected. In my experience they have always been referred to simply as Staffordshire terriers but I shall not argue with the kennel club.

Or it may just be what we call them in South Africa.

They are lovely dogs and good natured with people which is why it is a shame that they get lumped in with Pit Bulls. They can be a bit agro towards other dogs though if you don't socialize them propperly.

[KalamityKel]

Lovely but also dangerous.

The one that lives next door to by brother scares the life out of the kids and is very aggressive. Altho, that could also be down to the way the owners treat him. We expressed our concerns to the council and the RSPCA but the clever sod (the owner) took him elsewhere on the day of inspection and claimed never to have owned a dog. Sadly Lewisham Council representatives believed him *sighs*

[Brendan]

Is it a staffie or a Pit Bull? Although if treated badly most dogs will become aggressive.

[KalamityKel]

It was/is a cross bread of this and that which I think ended up resembling a staff of sorts. Our main concern was the aggressive behaviour not just the "dangerous dog" thing.

[mattham]

OK, so now I know it was a pit bull I had to pull off some poor kid in Brixton a few months back. Vile animals. Viler owners.

[Brendan]

I don?t like them much either. Although I will acknowledge that if properly trained and looked after they can be good pets. The problem is that the risk of them going bad is too high. Especialy since the type of people who feel the need to have a ?hard? dog are often a bit pathological and therefore not fit to look after a potentially dangerous animal.

My old next-door neighbour used to have two pit bulls and even though she really tried with them she just couldn?t assert her dominance as head of the pack. One bit her finger off one day when she was trying to feed it.

I feel very differently about staffies though.

[fractionater]

CHAV DOGS!

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Leave chav dogs alone, they are as good or as bad as the owner.

My dog is lovely and he's a chav dog.

http://blufiles.storage.live.com/y1pHpY7ZId26qO0wJXKC3dpQYKQIHzy7YOpNg1fL3PQyXfJm7IVFyvXEQSYKM7o5RgWJT1j8cCPkO8

[KalamityKel]

awww Chav wot's your canine friends name?

[Brendan]

Nice dog. He looks like he may have bull mastiff somewhere in his ancestry.

The point that dogs are as good or bad as their owners only holds up to a certain point. The fact of the matter is that some breeds are more prone to aggression than other or just stronger and therefore more difficult to control.

Then you put the irresponsible owner who buys their dog for the image into the mix and the probability of problem dogs is raised.

You can liken it to a gun. I know that I know how to and I am responsible enough to look after, maintain and responsibly use a gun and if I had one it wouldn?t in any way be a danger to society. But does that mean that every palooka in London should have one? Sometimes it is just better to ban things outright for everyone.

[KalamityKel]

Ban dogs altogether? Oh dear! Personally I'm not much of a dog person (I like them but wouldn't have one myself) I prefer cats better ;-)

[Brendan]

I love dogs but I think the Pit Bull breed should be discontinued. I am not suggesting that dogs be put down but sterilisation, a ban on further sales and an iron fisted, zero tolerance crackdown on dog fighting should do it. (default death sentences for the people involved in dog fighting and financial bonuses for arresting officers)

If someone desperately needs a penis extension and cant afford a Land Rover Sport they can get a staffie, bull terrier or bull mastiff. All of which are less likely than a Pit Bull to end up dangerous.

[KalamityKel]

I once had a dog - a cross breed of a scottie and a staff. lol she didn't really like men all that much (I think it was the deep gruff voice some men produce). A very loving and protective but not overly processive friend, getting herself confused with the pecking order in the household which was full of cats. she was marked down at the vets as a dangerous dog...

[Brendan]

Really?!?! It must have been the scottie in her.

Nasty little buggers.

Great big pointy teeth.

[KalamityKel]

or just simply she was scared shitless of the nasty man at the vets who would stick nasty sharp things into her. hehe Revenge was always sweet with her - leaving little packages behind on her way out :))

[TillieTrotter]

A had a Stafford when I was a kid and it was the most docile, loving dog I've ever known. They have unfortunately got very bad press over the last decade or so because of the type of people that want to own them.

[RosieH]

yes, my Staffie was gorgeous, sweet natured, incredibly friendly and never seemed to scare anyone.

sadly he was stolen, we're pretty sure for dog fighting. he wouldn't have stood a chance

[KalamityKel]

:( That's so sad

[david_carnell]

Am I stating the obvious when suggesting that, despite it being down to the owners to control their dogs, this bugger

http://www.morganhilltimes.com/content/img/f163595/Pitbull-2-CR.jpg

is going to do a lot more bloody (literally) damage when badly behaved than this fella

http://www.geishawalk.com/images/creatures/small-dog.jpg

Now, I'm not suggesting banning all large, possibly violent dogs, or anything nearly as knee-jerk. People are entitled to own whichever dog they wish. However, I think owner licenses would be a good idea. You have to prove to be responsible if you wish to own certain breeds (like the guy in the top photo) and sit tests - much like a car (theory and practical). That way the people that own dogs that are harmless don't need to worry but those that rightly wish to own Staffs, Dogos, Rottweillers, etc can be assured to have responsibilty.

[RosieH]

yes, it was horrible. not the kind of thing you expect these days really - seems more suited to Dickens's day

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

It used to be about 7 bob for a dog licence. Don't know why they stopped them - seems a good idea.