Please forgive me if I appear ignorant on this matter but I am rather concerned and felt who better to offer help and advice than Champdogs.

Yesterday I was walking through the town centre and saw a man with a dog who looked a bit like a Staffordshire Bull Terrier but taller and leggier. It was barking at everyone who walked past and as you can imagine, caused quite a stir. As I got closer I saw the man was trying to hand out leaflets, although most people wouldn't get close enough to take one. He did, however, have a young lad with him, whom I presumed to be his son, handing out the leaflets for him. Rather intrigued, I took one and was shocked to find it was an advert for American Pitbull puppies being bred from an import, which I assume was the dog he had with him.

I thought these dogs had been banned or have I got that wrong? The dog appeared to be extremely aggressive and the thought of it producing puppies was quite terrifying. The other thing I found worrying was the only contact for these people was an email address, no telephone number or address.

Has anyone else got any thoughts on the matter, I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

Regards, Glenda

These dogs ARE banned in the UK. If you still have a leaflet why don't you take it along to your local police station, and let them deal with it?

I would've had a blonde moment and asked innocently, "American Pitbulls?  Aren't they banned in this country?"  then asked for a leaflet and out of earshot called the police.

My husband did suggest the same thing but I am concerned that if reported the dog could well be taken away and destroyed and I would feel terrible if I was the cause of it being put down.

My husband did suggest the same thing but I am concerned that if reported the dog could well be taken away and destroyed and I would feel terrible if I was the cause of it being put down.

The courts have discretion now since the DDA was amended and can order the dog to be neutered, muzzled and kept on a lead at all times, but it doesn't have to mean it is put to sleep. A lot will depend on what it has done. And by the sound of it, being neutered and muzzled would be the right thing for this dog.

Did you get a leaflet and have you got the address?  It might be worth emailing the Police to let them know. 

tysons mum is a staffordshire pitbull they are nice dogs if nice people own them but if bad people get them they can make them be aggressive. tysons dad is a boxer so he has the good nature from both parents. i dont think u should report them cos its not the dogs fault it has bad owners, the police could take it away and have it put down

Jollyjem that is the law in this country. We ALL have a duty to uphold the law.  I do not know what a Staffordshire Pitbull is but I gather you aren't a UK resident or your dog could be subject to this law too.

no i live in the uk i know they are banned breed but its not the dogs fault its the owners who make them vicious

a staffordshire pitbull is a staffie with long legs the man at the RSPCA said that some people are breeding them for guard dogs and making them vicious, tysons mum was rescued from a bad home where they beat her and kept her locked in a shed. she had 6 puppies and only 2 survived and one was tyson, he is a very lfucky boy gto be alive

Jollyjem are you sure Tysons mum was not a staffordshire bull terrier, as opposed to a Pitbull Terrier?

she mite have been i never got to see her or tysons dad cos we got tyson from a rescue so i only know what the RSPCA man told me.

Surely there is some confusion here as the RSPCA wouldn't rehome a dog with pitbull blood?!!  Would they??!!  There would be huge cause for complaint if they did.

Surely there is some confusion here as the RSPCA wouldn't rehome a dog with pitbull blood?!!  Would they??!!

No because it would be illegal PitBull types cannot be sold or given away.

>a staffordshire pitbull is a staffie with long legs

No, that's probably an Irish Staffordshire. Either that or simply a badly bred Staffy or a crossbreed!

You should report this to the police, before pups are produced. By the sound of the way the dog was behaving in the street this is a biting incident waiting to happen, no one likes to think of a dog being put down, but consider how it ws behaving and how irresponsible the owner is - you would feel more guilty if someone got mauled, and its viscousness is being used as a selling point.

It shouold be reported.  The pups aren't going to go to the right home if that's  how they are being promoted !!!

I am afraid I would not need to ask for advice in this situation. :(
My first port of call would be to my local police station!
When you do report it,it is best to go direct to the police station and show them the leaflet.
If you phone, your complaint will just be added to a very long list, of yet to be investigated complaints :rolleyes:

Thats a rare thing, an RSPCA person knowingly rehoming a dog with pitbull breeding. They are illegal, whether purebred or cross bred and ALL  i ever hear about the rspca and pitbulls is them taking them away and destroying them. Even the ones with kc papers and presumably the ability to dna test to prove it, have been put down for being 'of pitbull type'.

A long legged type of staffie could be an IRISH staffie. AFAIK there is no such thing as a staffordshire pit bull. There is Staffordshire Bull Terrier, perfectly legal, and then there is Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier, again legal but not KC recognised.

And then American Staffordshires (AmStaffs) and American Pitbull Terrier (APBT) which are illegal.

Em

I have since dropped the leaflet I was given into the police station and will allow them to deal with the matter. It was one of those situations where you know the right thing to do but have a moment of self doubt. I am hanging onto the idea that he will will neutered and muzzled and not destroyed. Thank you all for your words of support. :-)

>Thats a rare thing, an RSPCA person knowingly rehoming a dog with pitbull breeding. They are illegal, whether purebred or cross bred and ALL  i ever hear about the rspca and pitbulls is them taking them away and destroying them. Even the ones with kc papers and presumably the ability to dna test to prove it, have been put down for being 'of pitbull type'.

>A long legged type of staffie could be an IRISH staffie. AFAIK there is no such thing as a staffordshire pit bull. There is Staffordshire Bull Terrier, perfectly legal, and then there is Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier, again legal but not KC recognised.

>And then American Staffordshires (AmStaffs) and American Pitbull Terrier (APBT) which are illegal.

>Em >

A pitbull cant be KC registered, so they cant possibly be destroying pitbulls with papers.

A pitbull cant be KC registered, so they cant possibly be destroying pitbulls with papers

Registered longlegged Staffies have been convincted under the DDA as being "of pitbull type". (Well there was at least one such case.)

I have reported pitbull puppies advertised in the paper

They were advertised as being good strong guard dogs !

>Registered longlegged Staffies have been convincted under the DDA as being "of pitbull type". (Well there was at >least one such case.) >

If that was the case and the dog in question had papers, they would prove the dog wasn't a pitbull and therefor wouldn't be classed as a pitbull and wouldn't be put down. :rolleyes:

Papers don't prove anything!  DNA testing might.

No this DID happen. The KC reg was completely ignored. After all the didn't have to prove the dog was a Pitbull, just a PitBull type and the court ruled this dog was.

You're right Goldmali...the law states pitt bull type and hence it doesn't matter if its a poorly bred yet pedigree great dane if it is ascertained to be of 'pitt bull type' then it is illegal and can hence be destroyed
Archer

Goldmail, i'm not doubting what you are saying, i'd love to know when and where this happened ? If this is the case then every Staffordshire bull terrier owner could be in danger of losing their dog and it being put down, depending on if it is deemed pit bull type ? Having KC papers DOES prove your dog is a Stafforshire bull terrier and not a pit bull ! It is the owners responsibility of the dog to prove otherwise, and by producing papers this would be proof It can be said that if the dog was poorly bred it might look out of standard and therefor deemed as a pit bull type, but again it has papers and this should be enough to prove it's breeding. I agree that DNA profiling is probably the key, but until the laws are made clearer, people wont know this. If this happened in this country i would be amazed

Can't remember further details but if you want to PM me I'll give you the contact details for my ex husband who is the chief reporter for Our Dogs and has since day one been one of the people doing most of the reporting about all DDA cases, he will without a doubt remember as he did write the case up. (He also spoke to or met all the owners in all these famous landmark cases -others for instance being Stella, Dempsey, Saaba and what was that one called that was a Gt Dane cross and was found guilty because he wasn't muzzled in the car?-, and he's been on radio and TV a lot talking about it, he did speak once about writing a book about the DDA but it never happened.) He's got quite a memory for it all. :)

Sorry badly worded post i meant dogs KC reg as other breeds have been put down as being 'of pitbull type'.

  For as long as people go around calling staffordshire bull terriers, staffordshire pitbulls, what chance has anyone got?

joseph dunn the founder of the staffordshire bull terrier club,ch lady eve the first of two chapions of the breed may 4th 1939 just been reading about the start, now that is what i call a staff sam london