The "Altering Images" Road-show

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed has now become one of two images - that of the fashion accessory, the "must have" breed and - that of the most despised breed in the country. Love them or hate them the "Staffie" is here and deserves the same chances in life as any other.

Throughout the country you will find that most rescue centres, large or small, are inundated with Staffies or Staffie cross type breeds. Birch Hill alone has seen over 100 unwanted dogs pass through its doors last year and over 50% of these were Staffie related.   Why? you may ask. This is down to three main reasons:-

     Owners not having their dogs neutered, and some owners breeding for money

     A percentage of owners using the dogs as a "status symbol" until the novelty wears off.

     Being labelled as a "fighting dog" highlighted because of illegal dog-fighting

When Birch Hill attends fundraising events we always take with us display boards showing the dogs photos of the ones looking for new homes.  Quite often and not surprising to us, the comments made are about the amount of Staffie type dogs that fill our boards. Many people will shrug their shoulders and say they don't like Staffies, and so therefore these dogs tend to get overlooked.

Luckily Birch Hill holds a non-destruction policy but many other rescues do not. Sadly, some Staffies now born into this world, their life hangs in the balance from day one.  Where will they end up? In a happy home? In a rescue centre? Or at the end of a needle? The Staffie has become a victim of the throw-away society we now all live in, and now because there are so many, a large percentage are put to sleep immediately purely because they're a Staffie.

It breaks our hearts here to know that we can't help all of them, Realistically, we are a small rescue and our walls are not made from elastic and won't stretch that far.  We can guarantee that the other rescues feel just the same. So now, enough is enough, we need to try and change people's perception of them, and so together we need to "alter the image".

So let's see what we have and what we can do.

Firstly, Owners not having their dogs neutered, and some owners breeding for money.
Sadly, some owners see this as a form of income but have little thought of what happens to these puppies once they have sold them on. We know that some of these puppies are passing for as little as £20, but prospective owners give no thought as to what they are taking on, and 12 to 18 months down the line the dog becomes very strong and difficult to handle. When they can't cope anymore, they need to "get rid" of it. What a horrifying term that is, but one that we hear regularly. Also though, at some point there are not enough homes available for these puppies to go to.

Secondly, A percentage of owners using the dogs as a "status symbol" until the novelty wears off. Nowadays amongst some teenagers, the Staffie is seen as the "must have" fashion accessory, the accessory that makes you look tough. You will also find that out of all the dog owners who walk their dogs, it's the Staffie you see the most off a lead, with no collar or id, walking the pavements or in towns. This appearance does very little to help a breed that already has a bad image in relation to the third reason.

Thirdly, Being labelled as a "fighting dog" highlighted because of illegal dog-fighting. It's very sad that of all the dog bites that people receive each year, it's always the Staffie type and Rottweiller dogs that get the press coverage. Any dog can bite, but it's because these dogs are stronger and cause more damage, however, on the majority of these occasions, its not the dog but the owner that's at fault, but due to this, many people will see a Staffie off the lead in public as a threat and one to be avoided at all cost. This couldn't be further from the truth, the Staffie was known as the "Nanny Dog" because of its soft approach around children. Now, as a responsible dog owner, if you know your dog doesn't care for other dogs, then you should always have it on a lead and therefore avoids an awkward situation.

So there we have it, and such now is the despair that we need to try and cut back on the numbers of Staffie and Staffie type dogs coming through the many rescues' doors, but this can only be achieved by targeting the root of the problem. One small rescue on its own will not make a difference but many rescues uniting together can. That is why we are tring to organise a series of "Road-shows" gathering together as many dog rescue charities as we can, together with local councils and dog wardens, local veterinary practices and even behaviourists.

It is hoped that these "Road-shows" will educate owners to see the benefits of having their dog/s neutered/spayed, to encourage responsible ownership of these dogs, and to hopefully turn around peoples perception of these dogs and in doing so, many more Staffies will go to new homes.

So, if you love Staffies or hate them, why not come along and voice your opinion, help alter an image. It's only working together we can give them a safer and fairer future.

Come and see:-   Dogs Trust - R.S.P.C.A. - P.D.S.A. - Birch Hill Dog Rescue
Happy Staffie Rescue - Forest Dog Rescue - plus many others. Local Vets - Behaviourists
Dog Wardens - Games - Prizes - Refreshments - Side Stalls.

FREE ENTRY

We have now held two Road-shows, one in Kidderminster and the other in Bromsgrove. We have learnt quite a lot about how people see these dogs. A "Staffie" questionnaire was handed out at both these venues and the results show that we still have a long way to go to change the image these dogs have. For instance, a small percentage of those asked whether they think neutering was the answer to seeing less of these dogs in rescue and equally being put to sleep, they said "yes". However, when asked if their dog was neutered and the answer was "no", the reason for this being - they wanted to breed or they wanted their dog to be a "parent".

This shows that we need to provide a great deal of more understanding to non-registered breeders as to why it's wrong to keep turning these litters out unnecessarily. We need to give the Staffies that are already here a chance to find new homes and equally chance to find a safe place in rescue centres.

Due to fundraising committments now through the Summer season, the Road-shows will not be taking place but will commence again towards the mid-late September. We have already received positive feedback about the need to do more of these events out and about, and we have been approached to organise one in Redditch, Stratford-upon-Avon and Telford.

We'll keep you posted when they arise.

Many thanks to those who have attended these events so far.