Hey, I've done some research on american staffordshire terriers and people are saying different things about them. I just need to get this straight, are amstaffs illegal in the UK? If they are illegal how comes ive seen ads with people selling amstaffs on the internet? and if people own them, is there no way u can somehow legally be able to own 1? ive also read that irish staffs r the 'pit bull type' and could b put down. Im really confused with what types of these dogs are illegal or not and y r they illegal if they are not pit bull?

thankss

The law says dog of the TYPE known as Pit Bull, and that will include crosses and other descriptions. (As the Pit Bull has never been a recognised breed in the UK, this is the reason for chosing that wording.) Essentially, if a dog or owner was reported, it would take a court case  to prove whether the dog was of the "type" or not. Purebred Staffies and crossbreeds HAVE been convicted of being of the type. DEFRA's leaflet explains a bit: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/ddogsleaflet.pdf
People are still advertising actual Pit Bulls on the internet. That is definitely breaking the law, but unless they are reported, they get away with it. The places allowing the adverts are also technically speaking breaking the law I think, but often they don't know.

Thanks, makes more sense now. Its really stupid that people still sell pit bulls on the internet and get away with it. So, basically, all these types of dogs like, irish staffs, amstaffs etc are all in the type known as pit bull and could be put down? but how comes staffordshire bull terriers are not in that type of area and get away with it because i read that on the kennel club site. how can people tell whether they have some pit bull in them? can a dog just be put down without any proof that it has pit bull in it? Ive herd stories that some people have american pit bulls and they are somehow llegally able to own them in the UK.   

I just need to get this straight, are amstaffs illegal in the UK?

In a nutshell YES.

IF you look at the UKC and the AKC standards for the Pit Bull and the American Staff, you will see that the more "game" one are registered as Pit bulls and the more docile as Am Staff (which are recognised by the American  Kennel Club). 

Bearing in mind that when the Dangerous Dogs Act was written neither the Pit bull or the Am Staff were recognized by the British KC, hence the use of the word "type" instead of breed, and the legislation also talks about crosses of this type. 

ow can people tell whether they have some pit bull in them? can a dog just be put down without any proof that it has pit bull in it? Ive herd stories that some people have american pit bulls and they are somehow llegally able to own them in the UK.  

It's down to a court of law to decide if the dog in question has enough attributes to be of Pit Bull type.  If the court deems that it is a Pit Bull then the court can either order its destruction or to reopen the Dangerous Dogs register and have it registered.   As it is illegal to give, sell or gift a Pit Bull to anyone, if the dog is seized by police/local councils, then the owner can request for the dog to be destroyed rather than go through the court procedure.

but how comes staffordshire bull terriers are not in that type of area and get away with it

Get away with what?
Staffordshire bull terriers are a recognised breed by the UK kennel club.
Their ancestry can be traced because their parentage will be on record.
Pure bred, KC registered staffords are not in that type of area, because they aren't crossed with any other breed.
With regard to the DDA, although there are 3 breeds and one 'type' mentioned in the original act, any breed of dog that is deemed dangerously out of control in a public space could well be seized under the act.
HTH

ok thanks for the info.  Theres some people that dont care and tell anyone that their dog is a pit bull/ half pit bull but people can easily report them. Also, ive herd stories that some breeders say that they r selling staffs, and so people buy their puppies, and soon, after,  they find out from the breeder that their puppy isnt actually a staff, its one of those 'types' (amstaff, irish staff etc) Whos to blame for? It not fair for the people who bought the puppies, because they thought it was a legal breed.

> Also, ive herd stories that some breeders say that they r selling staffs, and so people buy their puppies, and soon, after,  they find out from the breeder that their puppy isnt actually a staff, its one of those 'types' (amstaff, irish staff etc) Whos to blame for? It not fair for the people who bought the puppies, because they thought it was a legal breed.

Unfortunately these people will probably pay for their innocent mistake by having their dog destroyed :-(

There is no legal way around owning a pitbull in this country and you are taking a massive risk if you get one. Staffies are a recognised breed and so there are many ways of checking whether before you get a puppy the breeder is a proper one. For example they will have a kennel club registatration, they may belong to a staffie club, they may show their dogs. There are lots more things to be aware of before buying a puppy of any breed such as relevent health tests etc. I am sure someone who knows more about staffies tests etc will be on shortly to advise you ;-)

well, I would suggest that if you or anyone else who is searching for a new Stafford pup to research, research and then research some more.
Contact the kennel club, for local breed club information, who should be able to point you in the right direction for good breeders of KC registered Staffords.
Then research some more :-D
I completely understand what you're saying.  Some people think it's big and clever to say that their dog is half pit.
Sadly some people also buy without knowing what they're actually buying.
Whilst you may think it is unfair on people who have bought pups thinking they're a legal breed, I don't feel that ignorance is a valid excuse.
The information and advice is out there, and it's not difficult to find.  The people who breed these dogs and the people who end up buying them imo are equally at fault.
You know, my niece and her boyfriend came to me for Stafford advice as they wanted a pup.  I gave them lots of info. and names to contact,etc.  They chose to ignore that info. because they couldn't wait for a pup!
They then did the same thing exactly 6 months later and now have two unregistered, ill-bred (and as far as I'm concerned) cross-bred Staffords.
Nothing wrong with the dogs at all, but they don't know the exact parentage of the dogs and should they ever misbehave run the risk of them being seized or pts because they could be deemed of pitbull 'type'.

ok thanks for the info :D