Staffodil - A New Breed?

Hello lovely readers :)

Many of you may not know that I absolutely love Staffordshire Bull Terriers, but like many Staffy lovers - I am fed up of bad media and rubbish headlines slating these wonderful dogs.

I bet a lot of you are used to seeing this kind of image in newspapers with headlines such as: 

"Jogger attacked by Staffordshire Bull Terrier"

The Staff's reputation is built on hearsay rather than fact, on it's appearance rather than the way it behaves and it is often identified incorrectly as a Killer. 

Kai (Blue Fawn Irish SBT with Corey the Rat)

Unfortunately, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier looks so similar to an American Pitbull Terrier that it has been tarred with the same brush.

Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that I am in no way bashing other dog breeds at all - but in reality many of the dogs that show aggression are not Bull Breeds.

According to this website called Dog Bite Claims the dog you should be wary of is actually the Dachshund!

I would have loved to take a huge chunk of the website, and reworded it myself blah blah blah - but I could be seen as twisting the truth to prove a point, so here is a (rather large) quote from the website with the top 10 on 'most aggressive breeds' 

(NB: I will repeat that I am NOT bashing other breeds but simply quoting reports and statistics! These opinions on the following breeds are NOT my own!)

"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.

A recent study carried out on 6,000 dogs and their owners found out 33 of the most aggressive dogs, and also those which have good temperaments. The study involved collecting data from two different groups. The first group consisted of 11 different breeds and the second was an online survey mainly involving owners, including 33 breeds. The conclusions from both groups were similar. It looked at the different types of aggression such as towards other dogs, towards strangers and towards owners. Some of the results were surprising, below are the top ten most aggressive breeds:

1. Dachshunds
2. Chihuahua
3. Jack Russell
4. Australian Cattle Dog
5. Cocker Spaniel
6. Beagle
7. Border Collie
8. Pit Bull Terrier
9. Great Dane
10. English Springer Spaniel"

The SBT is a whole different ball game. 

It's real nickname is in fact “The Nanny Dog”

That nickname came about because this breed is known to be so good with children. 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 standard. 

Roxi (STB cross) and her human sister playing on the beach.

Logan (SBT x Whippet)

Milly (Full SBT)

The very breed that many describe as vicious, unreliable and a killer.

Do We Look Like Killers To You?

Taz (Brown - Full SBT) &  Millie (White - SBT Cross)

 Baxter (With Alfie The Hamster)

Rocky ( SBT Cross)

Cara (SBT x Mastiff)

Georgia (Full SBT)

Boomer (SBT x Daffodil! - The Original 'Staffodil')

So why has the breed got such a bad name with regard to human aggression?

 It is simple. The media tell half truths but mostly - It's down to the Stafford's genes and the way their ancestors were bred.

It's all in the bite. No not the mythical 'Lockjaw' as in reality no canine has the capability to unhinge their jaw and set it to a “locking” position.

However every breed of dog does have the capability to hold on to their 'prey' or a challenger. You have to remember that nearly all domesticated dogs were bred for a job or purpose and having strong jaws and good bite was essential

How many people with Jack Russell Terriers for example lift them clear off the ground during a game of tug of war? My Mum owns a sweet little Broken Coat JRT and he will not let go for anything but the Post coming through the letter box... or Cheese.

Staffies have incredibly powerful cheek muscles, strong jaws and an extremely high pain tolerance. That along with a scissor bite made their ancestors unstoppable in the bull baiting ring.

So on the RARE occassion that a Staff (or Staff Cross) has bitten someone, they will cause more damage than say a Shi Tzu due to their aim for the face or throat, their jaw size and powerful strength.

However - the likelihood of a SBT actually biting someone is minuscule!

I am sure we have all seen people sidestep or cross the road, avoiding coming anywhere near the owner or their Staffordshire Bull Terrier. 

Making unwanted comments about the dog as if it was the devil on 4 legs. I have known owners of these dogs yelled at in the street and  for supposedly owning a vicious dog - I have been on the receiving end myself! 

My Husband and I were about 15 or 16 years old and just about calling ourselves Boyfriend & Girlfriend!

One afternoon whilst out walking Levi, a spaniel came running over and started biting her legs - and it was not playing. She was on the lead, and we were miles away from this other dog. 

The other owner was calling HER vicious and a horrible dog...

She tried relentlessly to get away to the point that she started crying.

She wasn't snapping back, she was trying to run  away all whilst this other dog kept biting her. 

In the end, Hubby pushed the other dog hard enough that it stumbled over, picked up Levi and cuddled her like a baby whilst walking away.

She was fine - just a few scratches. 

Had the shoe been on the other foot and Levi had attacked the other dog - She probably would have been destroyed.

Levi 

It would be laughable if it wasn't so sad. 

People look at these dogs in horror, as if they are the hounds from hell. Land Sharks. MURDERERS.

Riley (B&W SBT) Kai (Blue Fawn Irish SBT)

Imagine the frustration these owners must feel, when they know and understand the true temperament of their chosen breed, and yet ignorance and lack of knowledge still plagues them.

Unfortunately the rescue centres are full of them, for the very reasons that they make amazing pets. They are not aggressive to us - and socialised properly - they can happily live with other animals too!

Ellia (SBT with her Bearded Dragons)

Ellia (SBT with her Chinese Water Dragon)

Ellia (SBT with Maisy the Bearded Dragon)

This makes them completely useless to the thugs that want them as weapons of intimidation.

Riley (Thug Life is Tiring)

If you are considering a rescue dog then please consider the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. I don't think you will regret it. There are organisations and rescue centres that believe it is probably one of the best family dogs of all the dog breeds.

Milly, (SBT Cross - ex rescue, with her two retired racer Greyhounds. 

This was a week or so after Milly found her forever home)

Sammy (SBT - Possible Cross - Ex Rescue)

Of course my love of these dogs has grown over the last 10 years and luckily for me there are 3 Staffs in my family - not in my home (yet) - but my Brother in Law owns a gorgeous boy called Tyson. 

(I don't have many pictures of him though because he literally NEVER sits still!) 

And, my sister in law owns 2 of the most loving boys I have ever met!

I would like you all to meet Riley & Kai 

(Riley is Black and White Full SBT, Kai is Blue Fawn Irish SBT)

Yes, Kai is asleep

This photo was taken shortly after i came out of hospital and Riley wouldn't leave my side the whole weekend

So - I must have had a good reason to pick this topic to talk about...

Well truth be told it's about the girl that stole My husband's heart.

Levi.

I breifly mentioned her already but this whole post is dedicated to her.

Before I met Levi, I believed the media hype that Staffordshire Bull Terriers were mean and would attack me. 

So the first time I was introduced to Levi, I nearly pooed my pants when she jumped up at me barking and chased me up the stairs... 

She pinned me to the door... and licked me to death.

Looking back at that now I still laugh at how wrong I was - she was just so excited to meet me and there is me thinking she's going to eat me!

The more I spent with her, the more I fell in love with her.

She was a clown, a huge softy and still thought she was a puppy well into her mature years. She would run full speed down the hall way to stop, slide on the laminate floor and crash into the closed door every day - at least twice.

She used to sit under the table whilst we were eating dinner and rest her head on your feet.

Well actually she used to sit under the table and lick my feet. Which is hilarious and gross.

On other occasions she would do a running jump onto your lap even though she knew she wasn't allowed on the sofa -although as you can see in one of the photos above, she liked to push those boundaries!

She was absolutely amazing and definitely changed my opinion on this wonderful breed.

In conclusion, the SBT has been given a bad reputation because of what they look like. They are a prime example of 'judging a book by it's cover.'

Take for example the photo at the very beginning of the post...
That is a photo of a Staffy caught mid sneeze - Not aggressively barking and baring teeth!

They make a great family pet, are loyal, loving and brilliant with people. Give them a chance.

Before I go I would like to thank everyone who gave permission for me to post their photos - I had such a huge response when I asked for help that I just couldn't have finished it without you!

If you can't view the video please click here

Peace out
Hailie

In Memory of:

'Levi'

(AKA Buddy's Tasmanian Devil)

16th November 2000 - 20th March 2013