hi
can someone help me out whats the differnce between staffordshire bull terrier and irish staff,is it legal to have a irish staff in uk,because im thinking of giving irish staff a home someone i know who can not look after him anymore.any help will be most grateful.thank u

A staffordshire bull terrier is a long established, kennel club recognised breed. Irish Staffs were bred from our staffies and other larger bull breeds like pitbulls, really for dog fighting. Now it seems that any 'big' staffy or pit bull or thier crosses are called Irish Staffs.

For me there would be many reasons not to consider this dog. It could come under the dangerous dogs act as a pit bull terrier type, if someone reports it you could end up having to have it muzzled in public places, neutered etc. The big reason not to have one though is you don't know what you're getting, I'm not sure there is such a thing as a reputable irish staff breeder :rolleyes:

I'd be very careful because DEFRA has actually published a leaflet (HERE that states Irish Stafford is just another name for Pit Bull, used to misrepresent what the dog is....... So that seems to be the official view.

From what I understand an Irish Staff is a mixture of Staffie/Pit Bull breeds, this is why alot of them are blue/grey in colour.  I would steer clear of it at this time because of all the press and it would be devastating if you took the dog on and for some reason were then not able to keep him or her.  If you like the breed why not go for a pure Staffie, there are so many in rescue looking for loving homes.

I think a great number of Irish Staffs are NOT pitbull related in any way. Mind you i also think a great deal of the big butch dogs hoiked about the street under the name 'pitbull' by their thuggish be-hoodied owners are not pitbulls either. You can 'make' your very own pitbull simply by crossing a lab and a staffy, at least some of the pups will resemble a pitbull.

However, irish staffies just like some non kc staffs, some kc staffs, some lab crosses, staffy crosses etc DO come under DEFRA's vaguely worded description of a pitbull, they are quite likely considered 'type' and thus you DO stand a very high chance of one being siezed - if that happens you either give up the dog to be PTS, or you go to court to fight to prove your dog isnt dangerous and isnt a pitbull (its up to you to prove this, not for the courts to prove it is).

With the current political climate the way it is regarding pitbulls i personally wouldnt be happy taking on a dog that could be snatched off me by the police at any time.

Staff: what are you talking about? Blue is a colour that appears in staffies, people for some odd reason think it looks great and unscrupulous dealers will tout blues as rare - THAT is why a great many irish staffs you see IN the uk are blue. A great many more are NOT blue, they are fawn or brindle or pied..... black or white, but blue ones have been 'hyped'. It has nothing to do with whether irish staffs are pit crosses or not.

>>>Staff: what are you talking about? Blue is a colour that appears in staffies, people for some odd reason think it looks great and unscrupulous dealers will tout blues as rare <<<<

Tis true- blue is quite acceptable colour in the KC stafford and greedy people do try to sell them for £1000 and ABOVE  - rip off merchants!!

Hi Lel,you beat me to it,my post was going to say that.

Wasn't tring to argue just stating something that was told to me by someone who breeds pit bulls. 

As it's illegal to breed pitbulls in the UK your friend must live overseas, and maybe there have been different influences on the type there. In the UK the colour is no indication of the ancestry - blue is an accepted colour in staffordshires, which of course is why it occurs in pitbulls too.

Blue is a colour that appears in staffies, people for some odd reason think it looks great and unscrupulous dealers will tout blues as rare

I think they are a lovely colour! Why is it odd to think that? 'If someone likes black staffies would that be OK?

Sorry think it was me that said that.

I liek blue i have a blue lurcher...... but what i meant was (and i didnt say it), is its odd how people think its BETTER or more desirable than another colour. Its only a colour!

The Irish Staff is known to be another TYPE of Pit bull or Pit Bull CROSS as are American Bulldogs and are covered by the DDA.  To keep a pit bull legally the owner must first be convicted of having a banned type and it is down to the court to decide if the Pit bull register can be reopened for that particular case. Please bear in mind if you are found to have one of these dogs that it will be siezed and put in kennels before a hearing at court and this can take some time! 

By Archiebongo Date 03.02.07 06:09 GMT
The Irish Staff is known to be another TYPE of Pit bull or Pit Bull CROSS as are American Bulldogs and are covered by the DDA.  To keep a pit bull legally the owner must first be convicted of having a banned type and it is down to the court to decide if the Pit bull register can be reopened for that particular case. Please bear in mind if you are found to have one of these dogs that it will be siezed and put in kennels before a hearing at court and this can take some time! 


Actually American Bulldogs are NOT pitbull crosses and although they have no kc recognition does not mean they are not a breed, they have been around in the UK for quite a while now and are perfectly LEGAL to own.

Irish staffords have nothing to do with pitbulls.They are simply an Irish strain of our staffords.They were bred in Ireland on the lines of the original stafford.The staffordshire bull terrier dog as we know it was changed through KC showing into what it is today.They are no more pitbull than our staffords.

If you read the link that Goldmali has given you will see that the Government obviously think so and if your dog is seized they are the ones you will need to argue it out with........whilst they keep it in confinement.

The government obviously think so.

Is this the same government that are allowing peodophiles to walk free thru lack of space?? :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Irish staffords are the original staffordshire bull terriers.The staffords as we know them have been changed through generations for the show ring.The Irish stafford was continued as it was originally, by people who refuse to see a breed changed for showing, and being made to fit a standard.To them it was not how the stafford looked but how it performed.And no I dont mean fighting.These dogs are excellent at a whole range of things.Agility,weight pull,A frame and being loving members of families,to name but a few.

>Is this the same government that are allowing peodophiles to walk free thru lack of space?? 

Why has that got anything to do with the belief, not just by the Government, that a variety of names are applied to what amount to pitbulls and Irish Staffordshire is one of them.  This is why they have had to devise a law based on appearances rather than names.

Is this the same government that are allowing peodophiles to walk free thru lack of space??

Not the Government but judges with a grudge or two Last time I was in court(not as a defendant BTW) there was a judge/jury, not a member of the government, setting the sentences/making the decisions has this now changed ??

True the Judges were making a point, but it's also true thet the Home Office want non-custodial sentences becase the prisons are full. :)

Well, unless the space is being taken up by Irish Staffordshire Bull Terriers I can't see why it matters to this thread :D

LOL @ Isabel :D

Only for non serious crimes which makes you wonder at the morals of some judges !

Isabel there is no need to be sarcastic :rolleyes:

I was simply saying that as someone pointed out that the government have got it into their heads that Irish staffs are pitbulls.
I was pointing out that they are not always right.

I think we are all entitled to our opinions on the whole DDA.You might think it is ok for dogs to be slaughtered simply for looking a certain way but I do not.These dogs are the innocents in this and this is our point.They didn't ask to be born and bred,but it is always down to the stupidity of us humans when any animal suffers. :(

You post is not following any of mine so I do not know where you think I have been sarcastic.

>You might think it is ok for dogs to be slaughtered simply for looking a certain way but I do not.

You are using very emotive language there.  No, I do not think it right that dogs end up being put to sleep and I agree the dogs are not the ones to blame but the difference between you and me is which humans we think are to blame for it.

Locking this now as I think it has run it's course

>They didn't ask to be born and bred,but it is always down to the stupidity of us humans when any animal suffers.

Exactly. :( And the DDA has been law for a long time now, so there's no excuse for people to continue to breed puppies that might look like a banned breed. These are the people who are knowingly putting innocent dogs at risk.