Wednesday 21 December 2011

What’s The Problem With Staffies?

How is it that a breed of dog can be as so vilified as the Staffordshire bull terrier?

Portrayed in the media as “status dogs” Staffies seem to get the blame for every canine problem known to man. Let’s set the record straight right here and right now (please note, views expressed here are mine, based on my experience and not necessarily those of the council). Out of all of the breeds of dogs I deal with on a daily basis, the Staffordshire Bull terrier probably gives me less problems than any other dog.

Yes the breed was created in the eighteenth century as a fighting dog, which is why they are as brave as a lion. Yes they are very strong with a vice like jaw grip. Yes they do appear to have a high pain threshold, and finally yes they can be aggressive towards other animals, but hey, so can many dogs. After all, you wouldn’t put an average Greyhound near a cat, or even a Jack Russell for that matter. By the way, the Jack Russell was named after the Rev John Russell who first bred a working terrier similar to the modern day Jack, but with longer legs, which are why the longer legged ones are known today as the Parsons Jack Russell, well that’s my understanding of the story anyway, right, back to Staffies. So potentially they have all of the qualities needed for an aggressive dog, with one very big draw back, they love people.

The original breeders thought it very important to be able to control the dog, so created a breed that was compulsively loyal to people. I can’t think of many breeds that makes a better family dog than the Staffie. It simply loves its pack (yes you the dog owner are its pack). They are loyal, ask for little in return and are generally great with children and other pets, as long as they are made aware that the other pets are part of the pack. Obviously no dog should ever be left alone with children, correct supervision is essential, what I am saying is that as a breed they are lovely dogs and really don’t deserve the reputation the have. There are always exceptions of course, we are talking generally here.

So where did this reputation come from? Well that’s easy, irresponsible people, who probably shouldn’t be allowed to own dogs in the first place.

So let’s get over this Staffie problem, with correct handling & responsible ownership, they are generally a great dog.

I mentioned Jack Russell’s earlier; they are a funny breed as well, also perceived as aggressive. I think it’s fair to say that most terrier breeds can be snappy yappy dogs, even mine has been known to be a bit yappy, but certainly never snappy. To tell you the truth, she is a very well behaved dog, not highly trained I have to confess, so don’t expect to ever seem me on “Britain’s Got Talent” with her, but she knows enough to be able to keep her under control at all times. I could walk anywhere and she will trot along at my side, throw a ball for her and she will bring it back every time, tell her “bed” and she will go straight to her basket. So really, she knows the essentials to be a good girl and not cause any problems. However, even though she will trot at my side without a lead, I wouldn’t dream of taking her out without putting her on a lead, and I really don’t understand why some other dog walkers don’t feel the same.

Swale does not have a general “dogs on lead policy” apart from certain areas, as long as dogs are under control at all times. Click here for further details. My simple advice to all dog owners is that a dog is under control until such times as it isn’t. Does that make sense? What I mean here is that normally the times when a dog becomes out of control are not expected and take you by surprise. As good as my dog is, she is a dog, with the natural built in instincts of the terrier. I could be happily walking along the road, pocket full of dog poop bags of course, my dog trotting beside me lovingly watching my every move, no lead, fully under control, when a cat runs out from a house, sees my dog, dashes across the road and in a split second she may give chase and end up under a car. It’s all happened so quickly I would have had no way to stop her.

So even if you think your dog is well controlled, please use a lead when out for “walkies” unless you are in a safe secure place where no harm can come to anyone. Please also take bags with you because believe it or not here we are nearing 2012 and some people still think it’s OK to spread dog mess across the borough, come on, let us all make it a New Years resolution to end this dog fouling problem for once and for all.


Find out more about Dog Control at http://www.swale.gov.uk/dog-control-orders/