Not being familiar with each except hearing about thier temprements, could someone please point out the difference in looks between the two as I am confused.
I often watch Animal Cops on TV and the such like and the pits on there seem to come in all shapes and sizes and many look just like Staffies I see round here.
Now I looked on here
http://uk.msnusers.com/upsaddle2/kandy.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=8603
and one of them is the spitting image in all ways of the Staffie that is owned by people a few doors away!
How do you tell which is really a staffy and which could be a pitbull passed as a Staffy for legal reasons?

Bev

a pitbull is not actually a BREED of dog,but a mix of several breeds.take a look at this site
http://pitbulls.jentown.com/WhatisaPitpage/whatisapitbull.htm
it will explain it better than i can!

Huh?  Rachel, the American Pit Bull terrier is a breed.   It is registered by the UKC in the U.S. and there is also a breed registry.  The pit bull was developed (or some would say they are the same breed) from the American Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which is a registered AKC breed.

The fact that many of these dogs are not registered by any breed organization, or lookalikes are bred by mixing other breeds, does not mean all pit bulls are mixed breeds. 

Stacey

i was taking information from the site(which i posted the link above) it explains it better than i can!

I know Rachel, but one web sit by someone who ones a pit bull type of dog is not an authorative source on the breed.  It is a breed.  Anyone can mate two dogs together that look like a pit bull and call it a pit bull.  Or call a large, poorly bred staffie a pit bull, or any combination that gets you a bull-like face and size.   You can call it a pit bull type, but what you cannot legitimately call it is a pit bull.

Stacey

Please!! First of all, I agree with the other posters, a 'pit' bull is not a breed of dog.  There are American Pitbull Terriers, American Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers.  And what the heck sort of irresponsible person would want to 'pass off a pitbull as a Staffy for legal reasons'...... DUH!!!  Words fail me, really they do...... FOOL!

I have a pedigree Staffie, he is tall and Lean and if I had a pound for every person who asked me and my OH if he was a pitbull I would be a very RICH woman!

He is a Staffie I have 5 generation pedigree to prove it!

I think the people who are seeing all these so called "pitbulls" are mistaken! I think they watch too much Canine Cops US style!

thats probably because he is the tall type and not the short and squat type. Ours is the same, she is tall and she has a long face as opposed to a wide face except when she 'smiles'

Yes Coleystaff he is the tall type, our Rosie is the short stocky type, it is actually quite amazing the differences in the breed.

My OH thinks Ron is a throw back as he is an old tyoe looking staffy
My two are cousins as well!

yes its amazing the difference, I think you're right that he is an old type Staff as I thought the same of our Giorgia. I have been researching it on the net to see what I can find out but not much at the moment

got any pics of your dogs?
I`d be interested as i have an irish staffy and would love to compaire the two