More staffy attacks on kids

[PaliRichard 10]

PaliRichard

 

You have a Staffy. Your bias[/Quote]

 

Having a staffy does not make me bias, it makes me aware of what they're actually like, rather than having a skewed opinion about a whole breed from a small (very small % wise) number of incedents. If I were to put your opinion into perspective I could say all men are paedophiles because some are, and what proof do I have? Well we read in the news that men are paedophiles don't we, so it must be true.

 

No. A dog cannot tell the difference between a kid shouting and screaming and an adult shouting and screaming unless they know it[/Quote]

 

You're trying to add extra criteria on now to prove your point. Unfortunately you're still wrong. My brother in law stayed with us recently with his new born, his 3 yr old and his 5 yr old. It was the first time my dog had met any of them (including my brother in law). My dog was curious (but not invasive) about the new born, the 3 and 5 year olds were typically excitable and did plenty of shouting and screaming and jumping up and down. As I previously said, he (and all other dogs I have known in similar situations) didn't see it as aggressive behaviour, he took it as very small children being giddy, and behaved equally giddily back. If (and he hasn't been in this position but I can imagine his response) he was faced with an adult shouting and screaming I would imagine he would cower with fear, not the same response at all.

 

And I can prove it. All these poor kids that have been mauled by Staffies were not adults[/Quote]

 

That's not proof of what you're saying, you (nor I) know the circumstances. We don't know how the dog was treated in every day life, we don't know if the child was being aggressive to the dog when it 'turned'. You can't make the assumption that 'staffy's' are dangerous on a small % of cases that we don't know the circumstances of, that, in no way shape or form, is 'proof'.

 

If dogs weren't stupid, they would know not too, because they're small and vulnerable and week. But they don't, they bite their faces off.

 

But as we (that is, we on this post who actually know staffy's) have established, the majority don't bite kids faces off. As I stated in my previous post it would be easy to establish evidence if they did, and they would have been banned long before now.

 

Let's look at the facts.

 

Owners of said breed speak highly of their demeanor and behaviour.

 

Experts (RSPCA, various dog trusts) speak highly of them, and in fact, highlight the problem is one of them being mistreated by owners, which is predominantly what makes them aggressive, just like when humans have been mistreated, they are more prone to aggressive behaviour themselves.

 

Unless you are saying that humans, on the whole, are aggressive and prone to attacking children for no reason (which I would invite you to substantiate) I can't see how you can make the argument for one and not the other, when the evidence for both says the same thing.

 

I will repeat my earlier invitation, you are more than welcome to come and spend as much time as you like with my dog. At least if you are going to make the accusation spend time with one to get a balanced view.

[southcoast 10]

Any adult who has a breed like a staffy and has kids is a fool,its asking for trouble,some owners just dont have the brains to work out whats safe and whats not.

[Gazza58 10]

I got my first staffie over thirty years ago,they were pretty rare then and you hardly saw any.The reason i got a staffy was ,my eldest son was only two then and after speaking to a good few dog experts regarding what is the best type of dog to have with a child in the house.i Everyone of them said one of the bull breeds,either a staffie.bulldog,or a english bull terrier,the reason given was all children will at some time pull the dogs tail,stand on it,poke it in the eye ,etc and any one of these dogs will never retaliate.Yeah there are some idiot owners out there,bad training,bad breading,but this is not the dogs fault.

[onewheeldave 22]

 

The problem is that current bite statistics can be misleading because many dog bites go unreported and only bites that require medical attention are taken into account for these statistics. This means that dogs that have specific fighting qualities from when they were used as fighting dogs or hunters, or larger dogs with more strength appear to be more aggressive than they actually are. When a pit bull terrier attacks it is more likely to have serious consequences, but some breeds from the toy group can be just as aggressive but their bites have little effect so the incidence isn’t reported and a distorted image is presented about aggressive dogs.

 

 

But this aspect is highly relevant!

 

We all know that, for example, Yorkshire Terriers can be very aggressive and liable to bite. It's true that they are less likely to be reported for biting than a Staffy or Rotweiler would be, but that's cos a Yorkshire Terrier is unlikely to do any major harm, however aggressive they are.

 

Whereas a Staffy (for example) displaying a similar level of aggression, will, in all likelihood, leave the person dead or maimed.

 

These dogs are bred to fight- over many generations of careful breeding, their teeth, jaws, musculature and attitude have beem moulded into those characteristics which make them excell at the task of ripping other animals into submission.

 

We all know that other breeds (e.g. little terriors) are just as likely to be ill-trained/prone to aggression- but, the key point is that if they attack a child, it will probably come out with some degree of bite wounds and the accompanying emotional trauma: in contrast, if atacked by a fighting dog, the child can easily end up with no face, maimed, or dead.

[onewheeldave 22]

 

More than wrong, probably the least educated thing so far, a dogs weight alone doesn't account for a % of danger. My staffy has a pound for pound ratio far more than an alsation or boxer (two other 'freindly' breeds) but if I was going to be attacked by one I would hope it was a staffy. I've been 'attacked' (in a friendly manner) by all three and I can assure you if an alsation or boxer took umbridge with me it would be far harder to stop them than a staffy.

 

 

Really? So how come people Staffys were/are used for dog fighting? Why for example, if Alsations are so much better at fighting, didn't someone clear up in the dog-fighting game by using an alsation?

[PaliRichard 10]

Any adult who has a breed like a staffy and has kids is a fool,its asking for trouble,some owners just dont have the brains to work out whats safe and whats not.

 

Yet many parents hire baby sitters they have never met before.

 

As I said earlier, I would trust my staffy with my children more than a stranger any day of the week.

 

I mean, look at him

 

Kevin

[Gazza58 10]

But this aspect is highly relevant!

 

We all know that, for example, Yorkshire Terriers can be very aggressive and liable to bite. It's true that they are less likely to be reported for biting than a Staffy or Rotweiler would be, but that's cos a Yorkshire Terrier is unlikely to do any major harm, however aggressive they are.

 

Whereas a Staffy (for example) displaying a similar level of aggression, will, in all likelihood, leave the person dead or maimed.

 

These dogs are bred to fight- over many generations of careful breeding, their teeth, jaws, musculature and attitude have beem moulded into those characteristics which make them excell at the task of ripping other animals into submission.

 

We all know that other breeds (e.g. little terriors) are just as likely to be ill-trained/prone to aggression- but, the key point is that if they attack a child, it will probably come out with some degree of bite wounds and the accompanying emotional trauma: in contrast, if atacked by a fighting dog, the child can easily end up with no face, maimed, or dead.

 

You do talk a lot of sense,however i will pick you up one one point,they were bred to fight i agree,however that aggresion has been bred out of them over many years,trouble is those who want to act the tough guy do there utmost to re.awaken that trait.

[PaliRichard 10]

Really? So how come people Staffys were/are used for dog fighting? Why for example, if Alsations are so much better at fighting, didn't someone clear up in the dog-fighting game by using an alsation?

 

I don't have the mind of a dog owner who encourages fighting so I can't answer that. What I can say for certain is if an alsation attacked me I would find it much harder to defend myself than if a staffy did, and I have been a fighter myself, so this is a subject I can speak about with absolute assurance.

[onewheeldave 22]

I don't have the mind of a dog owner who encourages fighting so I can't answer that. What I can say for certain is if an alsation attacked me I would find it much harder to defend myself than if a staffy did, and I have been a fighter myself, so this is a subject I can speak about with absolute assurance.

 

I'm guessing when you were a fighter, you were up against humans, not dogs? If so, to be blunt, you're in no position to speak with any level of assurance on the issue of being in a fight with a dog.

 

Out of interest though, just what is it about alsations that makes you so certain that you would do better against a dog bred for fighting (e.g. a staffy)?

[onewheeldave 22]

Originally Posted by onewheeldave View Post

Really? So how come people Staffys were/are used for dog fighting? Why for example, if Alsations are so much better at fighting, didn't someone clear up in the dog-fighting game by using an alsation?

 

I don't have the mind of a dog owner who encourages fighting so I can't answer that. What I can say for certain is if an alsation attacked me I would find it much harder to defend myself than if a staffy did, and I have been a fighter myself, so this is a subject I can speak about with absolute assurance.

 

Well I don't have the mind of a dog owner who encourages fighting- but, I'm prepared to offer an attempt at an answer

 

I'm guessing it's cos if you put an alsation up against a breed of dog genetically designed to fight, it will likely end up dead?

[Plain Talker 11]

Yet many parents hire baby sitters they have never met before.

 

As I said earlier, I would trust my staffy with my children more than a stranger any day of the week.

 

I mean, look at him

 

Kevin

 

That's one vicious-looking amminal, pali... lol

 

I love staffies, I've had three in the past, and my dad had a Labrador-Staff cross, who was a lovely, friendly "people-dog".

 

I was bitten in the face by a Jack-Russell/ corgi cross as a kid, (it was a vile dog, never controlled, and permitted to roam around the streets where we lived,) I still have the scar from it. That's not stopped me and my family from rescuing four Jacks, one of which I currently own, (well one of which who owns ME!)

 

It's all about the Deed, and not the breed. Any dog can "turn" if it's owned by an idiot, or if it's not socialised properly. (or is around children who aren't "dog-socialised")

[Leah-Lacie 10]

If we're having a vicious looking dog competition, my dog will win

http://i49.tinypic.com/2lcms0h.jpg