'Hard' dogs dumped for not living up to image
Published Date: 21 October 2009
By LAURA CUMMINGS
THEY are already shunned by pet owners because of their fierce reputation, but now Staffordshire bull terriers seem to be facing a different image problem entirely – not being vicious enough.
Animal welfare workers across Edinburgh and the Lothians are struggling to rehome record numbers of abandoned Staffordshire bull terriers, amid fears an increasing number are being given up by their owners after failing to live up to a so-called "hard-man image".
The Scottish SPCA reported more than 80 per cent of the dogs currently available for rehoming at its Balerno centre are Staffordshire bull terriers or Staffie-type crossbreeds.
The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home at Seafield said around a third of the total number of dogs it currently cares for – and is looking to rehome – are Staffies.
Diane Stewart, manager of the Scottish SPCA's Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre, said: "Many of the Staffies come in as a result of being abandoned because they don't live up to the hard-man image that certain people buy them for.
"It is becoming increasingly difficult to find them good, genuine homes so they remain in our care for much longer than any other breed."
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn added: "There is a small element of society that goes for status dogs, which is 'I am a wee hard guy and look at my wee hard dog'. But a lot of Staffies end up getting dumped because they turn out not to be aggressive, and that is beginning to creep up here with an increase in stray dogs.
• Would you choose a poor abandoned Staffordshire bull terrier as your pet? Vote here
"Staffies are lovely wee dogs but we have a problem rehoming them because people think it is 'one of those devil dogs'. Staffies are as good as any other dog, as long as they are trained and brought up properly."
Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home manager David Ewing said the home currently had around 20 Staffies, out of a total of 60 dogs.
He said: "It is a constant uphill struggle to rehome them, and in the last few years the problem has got worse.
"There is an image problem with Staffies and it is a big mistake because Staffordshire bull terriers by their very nature are very good little dogs, but people wrongly see them in the same way as pit bull terriers.
"Staffies are known as the nanny dog because they are extremely good with people and it is very rare to have one that is aggressive with people. They are thoroughly trustworthy little dogs."
Mr Ewing added that there is often "a knee-jerk reaction" after someone is injured by a Staffordshire bull terrier, with some owners choosing to give up their own Staffie. Meanwhile, the Scottish Staffordshire Bull Terrier Rescue charity said that it had received a "significant increase" in requests for Staffies to be rehomed over the last year, partly because of over breeding.
Christine Henderson, committee member for the Edinburgh and Lothians area, said: "There are thousands of Staffies in rescue centres across Scotland just now and some of them are being put to sleep unnecessarily. It is a really sad situation."
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Hard-dogs-dumped-for-not.5751951.jp
