Hi,
Guess what! Spent last night at Good Hope Hospital, as my 5year old grandson, who
is very small for his age was savaged by a staff at a friends house in Sutton Coldfield.
He went to stroke it and it jumped and savaged his neck. it missed his wind pipe
by mls. and his main vain, but took all the rest of his neck away.
He is having plastic surgery at the Childrens Hospital this morning as they could
not deal with it at Good Hope. Well, his school friend parents own a shop and its
the second time it has bitten. I'm afraid I have gone mad to get it PTS.
My grandson could have lost his life, he isn't out of the woods yet.
All I think is Why!!!!!
Regards
Denese

That's not good news. :( I hope the poor child gets better soon.

So sorry to read about your Grandson.  Hope he makes a good and quick recovery!

I went to my local rescue kennels the other day.  They had 33 dogs in there and 22 were staffies or staffie crosses (and no other pegigree dogs, I might add).  None of them were what I would consider to be typical of the breed in looks or temperament!  There are so many being bred by people who think they have a nice one, without the knowledge of what's behind their dog, that I suspect there are a lot of time bombs waiting to go off!! 
Such a shame because a well bred Staffie is a wonderful dog! :(

Im sorry to hear about your grandson being attacked as it is horrendous and I do hope he makes a complete recovery with out any physical or mental damage.

I think its a good time to promote to children etc that you shouldn't stroke strange dogs without the owners permission as I take it it is a strange dog??

Poor little lad. Hope hes well soon take care xxxxx

Just reread your post and see it was actually at a friends house.

I cant imagine what a horrible experience for all of you that it was, your grandson will be in my thoughts

I hope your grandson makes a speedy recovery.
I have a staff who is wonderful in nature and wouldn't hurt a fly, but then he has been brought up well. Last time I took him to the vet, a little boy, must have been about 4 years old, just wanting to stroke him all the time and just came up to him without asking me. Luckily, I have a good one, but there are so many out there that are aggressive and thats why this breed has such a bad reputation.
All the best.

I am awfully sorry for your grandson and do feel that if the dog was unreliable the owners should not have had it near visiting kids.

I am surprised at the title of your post though,or am I missing something 'Staff again', Staffs have an enviable reputaion for beign good with people, other dogs can sometimes be a problem but not humans especially children.  I hasten to add they are not my favourite breed because of their image and tendency to be a bit feisty with other canines.

sorry to hear about your grandson ,
i belive that any breed has the tendencie to snap hen older. i have boxers and my cousins etc and all yound childrenn near us will all play with them , i willnot however leave them alone with them as it not a chance i would like to take as they are bigish dogs and could hurt them through playing . mine have been brought up to respect every one and do what ever any one tell them be it children or elders my 5 year old cousins can take food and toys aways from them , i belive like children if you bring them up right you should have no problems but then again you may have an off day, but you say this dog has bitten twice ? twice to many!

OMG I am so sorry, what a horrendous accident, I truely wish him all the best and a speedy recovery. All my love and thoughts are with him and all the family. xxx

Hi,
I headed it "staff again" because in the midlands it is getting a bit like that!
Reece, my grandson has a cross staff who loves children.
The Staff that bit him was only two years old. someone some where has got
to find a way to stop people  breeding these vicious Staffs.

I thank you for all your good wishes. As you can imagine I am waiting
for a phone call, When he comes out of surgery.
Regards
Denese

so sorry to hear about your grandson.i have kids so i can imagine how you must be feeling!hope he has a speedy recovery and is as comfortable as possible! :) but just a question! do you think it is the dogs being bread badley or just the way there owners are training them or not as it would seem?and i agree if the dog had already bitten 1nce befor why did the owners allow it to be around children or any 1 for that matter withought being muzzled? it was an accident waiting to happen! :( just rearly sorry it was you grandson that had to be the one to suffer! wele be thinking about him! x

Thoughts are with your grandson Denese.

I am so sorry to hear about your grandson, I do not own staffs, but my friend does and she has two boys aged 10 and 7, their dogs are wonderful with them. I don-t think we should label the whole breed as they are not bred this way, I think it is the irresponsible owners that should be stopped not the breeding of the dogs, surely if this dog had already bitten, the dogs owners should not have had it anywhere near children.  Anyway keep us posted about the progress of your grandson, my thoughts are with you and your family.

Hi,
Now! I have calmed down a little, it is probly the owner!
9 times out of 10 it is, isn't it. Its just that I am not sure
if all the breeders do proper home vetting!!! all the
time. But!! its happening more and more in the midlands.
It might be better if they were sold through puppy
co-ordinators ect; Just somethink to stop any Tom Dick
or Harry, owning them for the wrong reasons.

My Grandson is still in surgery.
Regards
Denese

its like that here too, i would say its about 50% good & bad here,

denese, always sorry to hear about an unprovoked atttack on a defenceless child, and I truely think that any dog that has an agressive tendency towards humans should be dealt with in the appropriate manner.  However, what we need to remember here is that "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BAD DOG, JUST A BAD OWNER". Just think about it, it is exactly the same as saying that guns kill people, they don't, a person holds the gun and pulls the trigger. 

Michelled you cant say 50% good and bad here cos you dont know all of the staffs to make that assumption, but as someone who knows Staffs I can say that you are wrong with that statement. You could take any breed of dog from a Lab to a ST Bernard and train it to be aggressive the Stafford of today is a loving family pet in most cases and it is unfortunate that you have had these bad experiences but dont tar all, or even 50 percent, of them with the same brush.  What we need is more severe penalties for those who own a dog which turns out to be dangerous, regardless of breed, "PUNISH THE BREED NOT THE DEED"

i was talking about the owners not the dogs,50 % of the people in my area that own staffs,IMO should not be owning ANY dog especially not a dog like a staffie.

for the record,despite personal bad experinces,im not anti staffy,but i am very weary, & some one out of their heads on drugs can not be a good owner for a staff nor can a little old lady whose dog is agressive & looks like it could tow her over at any opprtunity.

however,50% of people around here are great staffie owners.:)

Goldstaff, I can't agree with you at all on your "No bad dogs just bad owners" statement. One of my collies can be dog aggressive, although only if they invade his space, and I do not 100% trust him with people and he has never been allowed near a child. I have had him from a pup, nothing bad has ever happened to him and he was socialised from 6 weeks. Does his temperament make me a bad owner? It is not always the owners fault a dog turns out to be nasty, sometimes genetics play a part. My other two collies are wonderful and the youngest I would trust with anyone, he is in love with the world! :p

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BAD DOG, JUST A BAD OWNER

Sorry Goldstaff, I don't agree.  There are some lines in my breed that I won't touch with a barge pole because their bad temperament!!

I am afraid Goldstaff that you are sadly wrong.  Dogs, like people, can be born with mental illnesses or develop them which no amount of "good owners" or behaviour modification can cure..........

Don't forget too that some dogs are great with their own children and not safe with other children :(  I know someone who claims their Mini Schnauzer is great with children (it doesn't actually bite when pulled about ) but I wouldn't let it near my 7 year old and he's really good with dogs.  That Mini is a dog 'on the edge' if ever I saw one!  A case of Iffy dog and useless owner there ;)

Hope the child is alright and makes a good recovery, physically and mentally.

Any news yet ? Hope the little one is out of surgery and is starting to recover from what must have been a very traumatic attack :( Let hope he des have a fear for the rest of his life due to this terrible incident :(

Lucy
xx

Just wanted to add my good wishes for your grandson -I'm cold just thinking about it. The poor lad.

Marianne

Hi,
My Grandson Reece, Has had his surgery. It is amazing what
the plastic surgeon has done. She has managed to stretch
the skin over the wound were it was missing, He's in a lot of pain though.
He's had lots of presents. But! he keeps saying he cannot hear!
I hope it doesn't loose his faith in dogs. As we are a dog loving
family. We think the police have gone to get the dog PTS
as the hospital had notified them. Its been a terrible day.
Regards
Denese

Try to get some rest and hope that your grandson can be pain free and rest too.

Hi Denese

I am so glad to hear that Reece is out of surgery and that it has gone well. Hopefully the loss of hearing will only be temporary.  Keep us posted xxxxx

what a provocative title !

as other posters have said, people should be aware that not all dogs like to be stroked by children or adults for that matter and parents need to be educated. It seems strange that this happened at a friends house, I wonder if there were previous signs that this dog didnt like children or people.

I am very sorry about the attack on the poor lad, this should no happen to anyone let alone a young boy. I think you could have had a better title, I am a staffy owner and have two great dogs and am still to meet a bad one. I have been bought up around dogs mainly labs, spaniels and jack russells, no one every seems to worry about the amount of times these types of dogs have bittern people and I know of plenty, tarring all staffies with the same brush is wrong and its the same as saying all people from say Liverpool nick cars and rob houses. I can remember a little while ago looking and a web page posted on here from the USA about Pitbulls, It was showing how good they are with people ect, that it is the owners that cause the problem and not the dogs, but it also said that out of all dog bites reported in 2003 (I think) only about 1.5% were by pitbulls and that you are more likely to get bittern by a lab or cocker, This is just a little food for thought. Not every dog that was built for fighting (other dogs) years ago will attack people and children, every dog is able to harm or kill but it seems only staffies make the news.

well said, as a fellow Staffy owner I heartily agree with all you have said. I would still like to know whether the dog had been aggressive in the past. Also people must be aware of young children around dogs, its a relationship that doesnt always work and needs responsibility on both sides.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is fed up with this 'stereotyping' !

Hi Coleystaff, I think Denese did post in the end and say sorry that she hadn-t meant to cause offence to any staffy owners and that she was just thoroughly upset at the time, which is understandable and she also said that this was the second time the dog had bit:)

I couldnt see a post that said the dog had bitten before and the stereotyping to which  I was refering was not directed at Denise but just the general view of Staffs

Hi,
The owners of the staff have there own 5yrs old boy. It had previous bitten a pregnant
women who had gone in the shop to purchase an item. [It was a school friend.]
I would like to say a lot of staffs in the midlands are not as friendly as you say,
and lots are still breed for dog fighting. I think I'm right hasn't there last week been
an R.S.P.C.A. raid in West Bromwich, that seized some fighting Staffs.
I would imagine the would look for the more aggresive Staff to breed from,
as the friendly or timid one's would not be any good to them, But!! were
is the rest of the litters sold? My grandson loves dogs and has his own staff cross,
I have six children, four with there own homes and Dogs. Plus my Large Sams.
Doen't the Staffs jaw lock when it bits? So it is more likly to do more damage in an attack???
I have been brought up with dogs all my life and never come across such
a vicious attack that was un- provoked.
Samoyeds are known to be childfriendly But!! there are some inbreed one's that are
being breed a little nasty. I am not nieve enought to know I wouldn,t
touch one under any circumstances.
Regards
Denese

HI,
Even though Staff owners think I am getting a there loved one's I'm not!!!
But!!! it's getting to be fact.
Surly there is some Staff Ass. or clubs that could try to do somthink about
what is happening to there breed and try to find a way to stop it!!
My Mothering Law, used to breed and show Staffs. But!! she gave it
up after a stroke.
Regards
Denese

Hows the poor little lad doing today? Thoughts are with you all.

Hi Denese
Glad to here that your Grandson surgery went well.
For the nice staffies out there and there are lots of them, they are very people orientated and would lick someone to death rather than biting them. I would agree that there are other staffs out there that are encouraged to fight. If this dog had already bitten a friend before, then I would certainly not have let him round a child. You only have to go to rescue centres to see the amount of staffs that in some cases are not likely to find a home because of their aggressive behaviour, but we only have the owners to blame for this.
I remember when I was a small child, I was rolling down a hill and got attacked by a little dog (sausage dog) sorry don't know the breed name, but they do look like sausages. It put me off little dogs for life. All breeds can attack, its a shame that in your case it had to be a staffie.
When I decided to get a rottie pup (who also has a bad reputation) one of the most important things was to look at the parents temperments as this is a good indication if the pup will have a good character. Unfortunately there are breeders out there that don't care and will mate anything to make money, so we can't always blame the dog.

Hi,
He's a little better today, the hole side of his neck from his
ear, to his shoulder, under his mouth has stiches.
He's coming home. They have done all they can now.
It's just antibotic cream every two hours and Tabs. to stop
Infection. He looks a poor little mite.
Thanks again for all your good wishes.
Regards
Denese   

Denese

I have 3 staffies myself and thankfully mine have wonderful temperaments and the dogs they have come fro have wonderful temperaments.
Dont be disheartened as there are still people out there who are breeding great Staffies!
The majority of Staffies are fantastic dogs as with anything there are always a few that let the side down :(

I will keep your grandson in my thoughts and wish him well, Im sorry he has had such a bad expeience.

So sorry to hear about your grandson, I hope he has a full recovery and isnt too disturbed by what has happened to him. I have three wonderful Staffs and four children of my own, it breaks my heart to hear such stories and I hope that someone will do something about all the bad breeding that is going on. I have raised one litter and all owners were thoroughly vetted..theres no way I would allow a puppy to go to an inexperienced owner, and I would take back every single one of them, rather than see them in rescue centers. I know this particular Staff belonged to a family friend, but I hope they are held responsible for what has happened, they should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves letting an aggressive dog around young children :(

Hi Kerriddbx.
I'm afraid it was the grandsons friend not mine, and the
reason I was so upset is they wasn't that concerned.
I heard today that it had also bit there own child, and he
is also on antibotics. But! only grabbed his arm.
I do think my daughter should not let the owners get
away with it. Even! if it only stops them getting another!
Some people!!!!!
Regards
Denese

If the police are involved now and they should be, I doubt that they will get away with it and the dog should be PTS to avoid another tragedy like this. Take photos of the injury this dog has caused, just in case it goes to court.

I doubt if the owners will be prosecuted as the incident happened in their own house. The dog of course will be put down.
If this dog was known to bite why was he let near children or why was the child allowed to stroke him and be near him. Arnt we supposed to be the superor race with enough sense to make sound judgements where the dog is only an animal and can only act in that capacity.

Even if it happened in their house, the owners should be accountable for this. If the owners have insurance, they can be sued as all policies cover liability normally from £1 million up. They are responsible for their dog and knew that he had bitten before and was likely to bite again.
My old dog (collie X GSD) once bit a delivery man when he stuck his head out the cat flap (dog that is), then the same idiot came back and delivered something else and my boy bit him again. I did not know and he told a neighbour 3 doors away that if my dog bit him again then he would get him destroyed. I found out 4th hand what had happend via a friend. not one of my neighbours told me, but as soon as I knew, I did something about it and built a porch as I had nowhere else to put a cat flap. You have to take responsibility for what your dog does in and out of your house, especially if you know what the consequenses will be.

Hi really sorry to hear about your grandson.  All dogs have a possibility of turning.  As the saying goes nothing is ever perfect.  As we do dogs have bad days to and feel very grumpy.  Maybe no one is to blame!

Hope he gets better and just hope that emotionally he is not turned against dogs forever.

Kind regards

So sorry to hear about your grandson hope he gets better soon, give him a big hug from me.

It's such a shame that the wrong people are breeding and owning this breed.  They are such a lovely and gentle breed in the correct hands, there are loads around my way, actually I think that I'm the only home in the area that doesn't have one and they all have great natures.

Hope your grandson's OK with his own dog when he gets home.  Hope his parents are OK as it must be such a strain on them.  Yep I agree that the dog should be put down but the emphasis of the dogs behaviour in my eyes should be on the owner as more than likely it's them that have unfortunately made him that way, it's so sad.

Hi Denese
So sorry to hear about your Grandson.
When my son was 4 he was bitten on the face by my brother in laws dog (rescue x breed), so I know a bit about what you are going through. My son Liam was taken to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge and was in theatre 2hrs 45 mins. He was bitten just under his right eye and cheek. He had some tissue loss on his cheek which they managed to patch up. Liam is now 16 and you cannot even see the scar, occasionaly if he is really hot there is a slight redness. I am not trying to play down what happened to your Grandson in any way, I know what I went through at the time & it was so awful. I was just trying to reassure you that the plastic surgeons can do wonders. They recommended to us to rub Nivea Creme on to the scar twice a day once the stiches were out, which we did for months.
Hope your little Grandson is doing ok.
Helen