Thinking of getting a Staff...

[CoreysMummy]

As in the dog.. not staff as in people to do shit for me... Wish I could afford that lol.

Anyways, does anyone have one? Or know someone with one? Are they good with kids?

I would train it properly, ,I think thats very important for a dog, especially one of that breed...

I am also right in the assumption that they go for about 500quid for a decent pup?

Thanks for ANY info xxx

 

[Lou]

I'm gonna get jumped on but I'd say NO NO NO!

I don't think they mix well with kids. My sister had her face bitten by one and I just don't like them or trust them

EDIT - and also there are plenty of unwanted rescue dogs if you do decide to get one

 

[MrsBrightside]

Ive got a male staff and hes brilliant with kids. They are known as nanny dogs as they are soo good with kids. Ive never had any problems with mine around kids.

He is the softest most loving dog I have ever met and even when he got attacked he didnt make a move just stood there til I saved him

I wouldn't leave him alone with children but then I wouldn't leave any dog alone with kids.

Training is a must but again I would say that with any dog.

I paid £170 at the time for Butch as a pup with good papers and hes been the best pet I have ever had but yeah anything upto about £700 is about the right price to pay for one. i would also suggest getting him insured. I did with Butch simply because they can have a lot of leg problems due to how they walk and the strenth they have at there legs. They also are prone to ear problems.

my boy... love him to bits

if you need to know anything just ask away cause ive had butch now for 9 years so have seen him through from puppy to old man

I also agree if u can rescue one then please do. They are a breed people get to "show off" and then they get left to one side when they realise what they have done.

http://www.staffordwelfare.com/

 

[CoreysMummy]

this is the thing, everything we've ever got has been rescued.. all our cats and that. (at my parents house).

I would go get 2/3 cats tomorrow from the rspca but OH reccons hes allergic - but hes not to dogs... work that out!! Crock of shit if u ask me.

But hes adamant that this is the breed he wants, and you cant find them in rescue homes, I guess because people snap them up, which is great for them, but... u know.

Friends of ours have one, and its great with their kids, but I dont know if id ever be able to trust ANY dog... never mind one with a reputation. Although the reputation could be unfair I really dont know.

 

[MrsBrightside]

To be honest I only got Butch cause my ex was brought up from been a baby with Staffs so thats all he would have. I have never looked back and would have a house full of them if I could.

Yeah they tend to get snapped up BUT if you contact the SBT welfare they might be able to help you out. I in the end had to buy one as tried to rescue as well and kept missing out on them.

They only have a rep cause of the news etc. They jump on the fact that its a staff. There are loads of cases of other breeds killing and attacking people and kids but they never get put in the news cause they dont get the headlines if you get me. I makes me soo mad.

 

[Snuggle]

Staffies are supposed to be fab with kids and there are always a few everytime we go to rescue centres, might depend on your local one hun If you plan to get a pup then you can pick them up for around £200

 

[Lou]

I only don't like them because I've had direct experience of them attacking someone.

My old dog Travis was a bull mastiff/ rottweiler cross and he was soft as anything.

 

[MrsBrightside]

here's a little bit about the history etc

http://www.bulldogbreeds.com/staffordsh ... rrier.html

 

[CoreysMummy]

That link was great thanks MrsB!!

My friend accross the road has one, and her flat dosent smell of dog (which is one of my big worries) and the poor thing is at home all day on its own, and dosent get walked offten. BUT its perfectly happy and obediant etc. I am going to walk it a few times a week for her, as I feel bad its in the flat all day, so we'll see how I get on and that... might help me decide if I could really handle one!!

 

[lea m]

I had a staffie! I loved him lots! (He died a few months ago He was 15 though, OH had had him since a pup and I since he was 5! Heartbroken wasnt the word )
He was a gorgeous dog and absolutely brilliant the kids! And everyone! never any sign of aggression!
Staffs get a bad name because "so called gangsta" boys like to use them to make them look tough and train them badly and mess up their heads! Poor things!
Samson (our staff) was constantly surrounded by children and never once did anything but wag his tail lol!
They are a very giddy breed lol (trying to find the best way to describe them) and you do need a fair bit of time for them! They dont really like being alone! (Until the get old! Samson was like a puppy until he was about 12, then he would just chill out all day lol)
They are gorgeous dogs!!

 

[ASD123456]

When i read this I thought you were getting staff like to do cleaning and ironing, I thought 'wow lucky bitch, I'm sooooo jealous'

 

[Fluffy Bunny]

But hes adamant that this is the breed he wants, and you cant find them in rescue homes, I guess because people snap them up, which is great for them, but... u know.

I work in rescue, our centre is always full of staffies, normally around 60-70% compared to any other breed

Worth a look at your local rescue

 

[*Rainbow*]

Deleted

 

[Xena]

I was thinking you meant a staff like a stick lol

 

[bonny]

When i read this I thought you were getting staff like to do cleaning and ironing, I thought 'wow lucky bitch, I'm sooooo jealous'

Me to i was about to paddy about how unfair it was.

 

[muppetdaddy]

Hi,

I owned a Staffie a while back (way before I met OH) but he was stolen one day from my back yard while I was at work but thought i'd share a few memories of him which may give you insight into this particular breed:

I got him when he was about 12 months old and he was a 'rescue' dog from a gypsy camp where he was left to roam and fend for himself in most respects so his obiedience was 0%

After several months of loving training I got him to the point where he would:
*Do the usual stuff like sit, lie down, stay, come & paw
*Walk to heel without a lead (when I say heel I mean actually bumping my heel as we walked)
*Sit by my feet when I sat down (very useful when we went to the pub)
*Could sit balancing a Bonio treat on his nose while I walked out the room and would flick it up in the air and catch it once I returned to the room and told him he could have it (the record was 15 minutes 8) )

He lived with me, my ex, her mum, sister and brother and never once showed any agression to anybody. The only accident we ever had was when he split my ex's eyebrow because he jumped up to lick her face as she bent down to stroke him after she'd been out all day.

However, there was one incident in the pub where he showed his true colours.

I was sat in the pool room with him under the bench and the bloke playing pool moved round the table and trod on my foot. He turned round and said something along the lines of "Watch where you're putting your fucking foot mate!" so I said "Sorry" and got the reply "You will be!" as he straightened up.
Straight away my Staffie grabbed the end of his pool cue and started to splinter it whilst growling at him. Needless to say the guys next remark was "Is that your dog?" and when I replied that it was he left the cue and walked off

To sum up, Staffies are brilliant dogs if they are given the love and attention they crave. All too often people get them as a status symbol and treat them to be agressive which is why they get a bad press.
I personally wouldn't get a resuce dog if you can get a pup purely for the reason that you don't know how they've been treated in the past, if they've been neglected or mistreated it's not worth the risk with children involved IMO.

In my experience it's like having another child around as they crave attention and love playing with everything & everything. They also get 'stroppy' if you ignore them and will resort to destroying anything & everything so be prepared

Sorry for the long winded post but I still miss him to this day and it's nice to relive some memories

 

[*Rainbow*]

Deleted

 

[Jade89]

from my experience staffords are brill with kids...my sister has got 2 and they let the kids jump all over them and everything, they love it. at one point when Aaliyah couldnt climb very well she used to use the dog as a stool to get on the sofa

 

[holly;]

we used to have a staffy but he ended up biting my little sisters leg he bit and just wouldn't let go, she had 5 great holes in her leg and there really was blood pouring everywhere.
she couldn't walk on it for a week and had it stitched and bandaged up for nearly a month. she's been left with great, thick scars a refuses to wear skirts/shorts because of them.

and this is from the dog who used to cuddle up on the sofa with the cats and 'mothered' my new kitten.
he was a gorgeous dog and behaved but just flipped out that once and my sister's had trouble with her leg ever since.
i would never get a staffy again and i must admit i know all dogs aren't the same but i honestly do cross the road if one is behind me or coming towards me after seeing my sister in so much pain and her screaming.

 

[mrs_tommo22]

Ive had a rescue staffy bitch and she was fantastic with stephen, wouldnt put me off one at all.