Another case of child killed by a dog.

[lazarus]

All dog owners should be made to fit muzzles on their dogs no matter which breed and if any dog bites anybody it should be put down, no ifs or buts, put it down.

[Bob Arctor]

Lots of reasons - but one that i actively tried to discourage amongst rehomers was the constant and incessant attempts to cajole people to adopt them.

If rescues continue to rehome/rescue Staffie sand staffie crosses then in some pounds 100% of the dogs avaiaable to adopt are Staffies,in others at least 30% are staffies.

 

They even try renaming them "lurcher types".

 

Prior to that - they cost about £25 /£50 as pups which is cheap as chips and a cheaper alternative than getting it back out of the pound should it be caught straying.

 

Now not all staffies and staffie crosses are bad dogs but purely based on statistics they will be the more prevalant dogs to attack with serious consequences.

 

So are you saying it's because they are so prevalent that they account for a higher proportion of attacks on children than other breeds?

Edited October 18, 2016 by Bob Arctor

[L00b]

So are you saying it's because they are so prevalent that they account for a higher proportion of attacks on children than other breeds?

I'd go with that, hand in hand with some traits of the breed, ease/cost of ownership (to my mind, a point not dissociable from that made by willman: supply/demand influences prevalence) and possibly less-than-responsible ownership (-for the breed type).

 

Some breeds simply need more careful ownership than others. A Staffie, Patterdale or any of the typical guard dog breeds (Bordeaux dogue, Rottweiler, Doberman, etc.) needs more overview/training/exercise than a Springer, a Yorkshire terrier or a Chihuahua. They're naturally more aggressive and frequently bigger, and dogs are animals, not kids or even remotely 'human' (a fairly obvious point which many owners would do well to remember). Some breeds are also particularly difficult to train (as 'pet' dogs) as well, even for experienced dog owners. Most tunnelling breeds (Patterdales and wire Dachs in particular) are renowned for it.

 

Don't watch over/train/exercise the dog enough for the breed traits ('handle a Staffie like a Chihuaha'), and sooner or later there may be consequences.

 

Nothing partisan against Staffs here, it's just basic common sense.

Edited October 18, 2016 by L00b

[El Cid]

So are you saying it's because they are so prevalent that they account for a higher proportion of attacks on children than other breeds?

 

I think most dogs has similar traits, they are not more viscous.

 

Staffies are popular and powerful, so they get in the news more. Also the fact that they are cheap, it does not take much effort to buy a staffie for £100; where as other breeds cost more, £300+

People that spend £1000 on a dog are more likely to train it and put more effort into its care.

[willman]

So are you saying it's because they are so prevalent that they account for a higher proportion of attacks on children than other breeds?

 

They account for a higher number of these type of attacks.

 

Statistically for breeds they aren't currently worse than say JRT's or labradors for biting per se but a larger % of serious attacks are by this type of dog.

 

I've trained cockers for 25 years and had nips and bites more times than in 10 years of bull breeds. But when a bull breed gets you its intense.

[Randy]

What is it about Staffordshire Bull Terriers that is so great that people feel they have to have them even though they pose a potentially fatal risk to their children? Not being a dog person I don't get the distinction and why having a similarly sized dog is not acceptable.

 

Inadequate stupid people like owning a staffie because it makes them look tough. It's time the breed was banned.

[El Cid]

Inadequate stupid people like owning a staffie because it makes them look tough. It's time the breed was banned.

 

The same people get other dogs too, ban the people, not the dogs

[monkey104]

All dog owners should be made to fit muzzles on their dogs no matter which breed and if any dog bites anybody it should be put down, no ifs or buts, put it down.

 

How are they going to bite anyone if they are wearing a muzzle?

[scottf]

What a surprise, another dangerous breed that has killed a child even though the owners protest that 'its never done anything like this before'

 

Tell that to the children that are dead because the owners insist on having a status symbol.

 

The sooner they ban these types of dog the better IMHO.

[RootsBooster]

All dog owners should be made to fit muzzles on their dogs no matter which breed and if any dog bites anybody it should be put down, no ifs or buts, put it down.

 

What about other animals that cause more deaths per year?