[News] 17month old killed by Staffie dog

[Pavilionaire]

The only positive I can think of is this is good news for the local cat population.

 

[zefarelly]

"The Staffordshire Bull Terrier’s reputation is built on hearsay rather than fact. On the way it looks, rather than the way it acts. It is often identified incorrectly. In reality, many of the dogs that show aggression are bull breed crosses. The purebred Staffie is a whole different ball game. It has a nickname, ‘The Nanny Dog’.

That nickname came about because this breed is known to be so good with children. The Staffie is the breed that is recommended for a family with young children by many of the welfare and re-homing organisations. These organisations and rescue centres believe it is probably one of the best family dogs of all the dog breeds. It is the only breed that has been described as “Totally loving to its family “, and is the only dog to have “totally reliable” in its breed description and standard. The very breed that many describe as vicious, unreliable and a killer.

The Kennel Club describes the breed’s suitability to young children. One of only two breeds, to have this recommendation"

The dog was described looking like a staffie, that does not mean it is.

An American Pit bull Terrier looks a bit like a Staffordshire, and can be the same size, but usually bigger.
These I would not trust anywhere, A Staffordshire I would gladly welcome into my home, knowing several in my time on this planet.

Maybe we should wait for the full info before blaming a breed of dog or the parents.

COmpletely agree, with the exception of 'or the parents'

I remember feeling really bad for my dads dog after it got a whack for snapping at my little half brother. Didn't bite him, just a warning shot

My dad hadn't seen him yanking the dogs tail. . . .

A new dog is like. Toddler . . . Needs time to acclimatise and train.

 

[Easy 10]

Cats are good, or at least goodish. If you croaked alone with a dog the dog would probably pine away and die too. If you lived with a cat it would be 2-3 days before the cat decided to start eating yer face. Always remember, no matter how clever a cat is, it does not possess an opposing thumb in order to open a can of Whiskas. Cats are killers and opportunists, they will weigh up the odds.

Wide words. Cats are basically @rseholes who despise their owners. Any affection they show is entirely fake - they only do it to get fed.

Dogs on the other hand, are thick. Their love and trust is utterly unconditional, you only have to see the reaction when you walk in the house after being at work. My cousin had a boxer that would literally piss itself with excitement and joy whenever she walked in, she had to drag it outside before it would flood the hallway.

Thing is, if I did get myself a mutt that loved me like that, then in 15 or so years when it came to say goodbye, I know it would leave me grief-stricken. I've had my pet cockatiel for 18 years and I know I'll be in bits when he goes, thats going to be bad enough.

 

[vegster]

Wide words. Cats are basically @rseholes who despise their owners. Any affection they show is entirely fake - they only do it to get fed.

Dogs on the other hand, are thick. Their love and trust is utterly unconditional, you only have to see the reaction when you walk in the house after being at work. My cousin had a boxer that would literally piss itself with excitement and joy whenever she walked in, she had to drag it outside before it would flood the hallway.

Thing is, if I did get myself a mutt that loved me like that, then in 15 or so years when it came to say goodbye, I know it would leave me grief-stricken. I've had my pet cockatiel for 18 years and I know I'll be in bits when he goes, thats going to be bad enough.

The old saying used to be " if you lock your wife and the dog in the boot of your car, which one is going to be the happiest when you unlock it ? "

When the time comes, undo the stitching on your pillow and do what you have to do, your old Cockatiel will be with you for a few more years.

 

[Easy 10]

The old saying used to be " if you lock your wife and the dog in the boot of your car, which one is going to be the happiest when you unlock it ? "

When the time comes, undo the stitching on your pillow and do what you have to do, your old Cockatiel will be with you for a few more years.

I was trying to remember that saying for my last reply

That old cockatiel is still very spritely, which gives me heart. He hears the car on the driveway when I get home, so the first thing I hear every time I put the key in the door is him screeching. Then when I walk into the room, he breaks into the theme from The Adams Family, bobbing his head along. He never breaks this little routine, the daft old goon.

 

[clapham_gull]

Err....

What ??

The only story I heard like that involved a Dalmatian. It came second hand (the story not the dog) and I haven't been able to get it out my mind since (*)


(*) In a bad way.

 

[Bry Nylon]

Thing is, if I did get myself a mutt that loved me like that, then in 15 or so years when it came to say goodbye, I know it would leave me grief-stricken. I've had my pet cockatiel for 18 years and I know I'll be in bits when he goes, thats going to be bad enough.

We don’t hear enough about Bruce on NSC these days. Glad to hear he is still with us.

 

[Easy 10]

The only story I heard like that involved a Dalmatian. It came second hand (the story not the dog) and I haven't been able to get it out my mind since (*)


(*) In a bad way.

Well...can't be ALL bad

 

[Easy 10]

We don’t hear enough about Bruce on NSC these days. Glad to hear he is still with us.

Blimey, well remembered! Sadly though, Bruce flew out the back door one afternoon, never to return.

Casper was/is the replacement. Unlike Bruce, who was from a pet shop, I hand-reared this one so he's far more tame.

If anyone else wants a bit of hand-rearing, I'm usually available on Thursday mornings.

 

[clapham_gull]

I've never owned a dog but was always around them as a child.

I've always taken the opinion that no dog is more likely to bite than another, but there are certain dogs you really wouldn't want a bite from.

I see it all the time up here (even today), people with dogs that are CLEARLY chosen as a form of protection, weapon. It's really sad.

Having said that I've only been bitten twice. Once when I was very young and have no recollection of but more recently by a King Charles Spaniel on a train. I was walking to the shop and the little bugger came from under the table and attached itself to my leg.

Didn't quite break the skin because I had thick jeans on although it went through those.

Oddly I was approached by the guard (I didn't actually complain but someone must have) and asked whether I wanted the owner thrown off the train and/or to call the Police. I got the impression they knew the owner and it happened before.

If your dog routinely bites passengers on trains, why on earth would you take it on ?

 

[Solid at the back]

Some very idiotic posters on this thread. Absolutely nothing wrong with staffies at all. Most lovable, friendly, cuddly dogs I've ever encountered. I've known worse greyhounds or labradors. Don't see threads about them.

 

[m20gull]

Shame the thread title mentions Staffie specifically. This incident will be more complicated than the breed, which we don't know at this stage. At its heart will be indiscriminate breeding and socialisation. We're on our fourth Staff. She was abandoned and we know nothing of her past. She hates children so God knows what has happened to her. She obviously goes nowhere near any children and is never off lead. But no dog should be trusted near small children, there is just no managing the risk. Our other Staffs have always been on the receiving end, Boxers and Retrievers mostly...

 

[clapham_gull]

Some very idiotic posters on this thread. Absolutely nothing wrong with staffies at all. Most lovable, friendly, cuddly dogs I've ever encountered. I've known worse greyhounds or labradors. Don't see threads about them.

Without the specifics of this case, it's hard to deny that some very bad owners are attracted to certain breeds. That's the issue.

I see it up here all the time. It leads to certain breeds getting a bad name. Unfortunately the fact there are many many good owners like yourself is irrelevant.

I'm generally wary of certain breeds because of the owners, the dogs invariably covered in dog bling with a muzzle.

To be fair, I saw the same in the country when I grew up. Those dogs tended to mongrels, had the shit kicked out and treated humans accordingly.

 

[Easy 10]

Some very idiotic posters on this thread. Absolutely nothing wrong with staffies at all. Most lovable, friendly, cuddly dogs I've ever encountered. I've known worse greyhounds or labradors. Don't see threads about them.

The idiots are the people who don't recognise that staffies, greyhounds, labs, rotts, bulldogs, whatever - they are ALL unpredictable animals, who have powerful jaws with sharp teeth, and who can turn in an instant with catastrophic life-changing consequences.

YOU might trust them to be 100% loveable friendy cuddly fluffballs around toddlers. Personally, I would never put my trust in an animal that can simply act on a whim, to the "disbelief" of its owner who will swear blind it would "never hurt a fly" - until that is, its too late. Seen far too many stories along those lines down the years. And here again is another one.

I simply do not trust powerful animals around vulnerable children. I never will.

 

[dadams2k11]

The idiots are the people who don't recognise that staffies, greyhounds, labs, rotts, bulldogs, whatever - they are ALL unpredictable animals, who have powerful jaws with sharp teeth, and who can turn in an instant with catastrophic life-changing consequences.

YOU might trust them to be 100% loveable friendy cuddly fluffballs around toddlers. Personally, I would never put my trust in an animal that can simply act on a whim, to the "disbelief" of its owner who will swear blind it would "never hurt a fly" - until that is, its too late. Seen far too many stories along those lines down the years. And here again is another one.

I simply do not trust powerful animals around vulnerable children. I never will.

According to Crufts, Staffies are only one of two breeds recommend to be around children.

Taken from this video below* about 40 secs in. This is what staffs are capable off.

*First time I have ever watched a Crufts show and loved it.

https://youtu.be/sjZnNkwEUEM

 

[Easy 10]

According to Crufts, Staffies are only one of two breeds recommend to be around children.

Taken from this video below* about 40 secs in. This is what staffs are capable off.

*First time I have ever watched a Crufts show and loved it.

https://youtu.be/sjZnNkwEUEM

Perhaps I'm not making myself clear. I don't CARE about staffs looking cute on Crufts. I don't CARE about them being "considered" the best breeds around children and toddlers. And its not just staffs either.

I simply don't trust a dumb animal with a brain the size of a golf ball and jaws that could crush a skull to be hanging around infants all day. Maybe its just me, but thats my opinion. I cannot trust the decision-making of a dog, not matter how "soppy and lovable" it is, most of the time. Sorry.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Perhaps I'm not making myself clear. I don't CARE about staffs looking cute on Crufts. I don't CARE about them being "considered" the best breeds around children and toddlers. And its not just staffs either.

I simply don't trust a dumb animal with a brain the size of a golf ball and jaws that could crush a skull to be hanging around infants all day. Maybe its just me, but thats my opinion. I cannot trust the decision-making of a dog, not matter how "soppy and lovable" it is, most of the time. Sorry.

With all that said, your not blaming the dog, but the…..

 

[birthofanorange]

Shame the thread title mentions Staffie specifically. This incident will be more complicated than the breed, which we don't know at this stage. At its heart will be indiscriminate breeding and socialisation. We're on our fourth Staff. She was abandoned and we know nothing of her past. She hates children so God knows what has happened to her. She obviously goes nowhere near any children and is never off lead. But no dog should be trusted near small children, there is just no managing the risk. Our other Staffs have always been on the receiving end, Boxers and Retrievers mostly...

Genuine question: Although you seem to be a sensible dog-lover etc., I have to ask why you have a dog that "hates children", when you have children? Isn't it tempting fate, to some extent?
I accept that all dogs can turn (even little ones), but I'd rather have a small dog attack me/kids, which will be painful, rather than one that is capable of literally ripping one's face off, or worse.
What's the attraction of having one that can do that?

 

[Easy 10]

With all that said, your not blaming the dog, but the…..

.....who cares who's to blame ? By then its always too late, followed by the predictable but useless "disbelief" from the owners.

It doesn't make a blind bit of difference to a dead or ravaged toddler does it. Just REMOVE the risk. I would be deeply unhappy if a dog, pretty much most breeds of a staffie+ size, was living with my tiny grandkids. You cannot trust ANY animal not to turn, and it only takes a second. Even a "nip" to a little-un who pulls its tail can be horrendous.

I just don't place the blind trust in dogs that so many on here seem to.

 

[wellquickwoody]

How many staffies are there in the UK and how many ever injure or kill someone ? All down to training and owners

I like Staffies, and yes they can be fun, loveable scamps. But they HAVE to be properly trained and socialised as they are capable of 'turning', and I'm sure that there will be stats out there to show that certain breeds do this more often than others. I would be shocked if Staffies were not in the top 20 per cent of breeds most likely to turn, along with certain pit bulls, and other fighting dogs.

In any case, new dog and young child should not be alone in the same room.