wiseguy

Deja vu. Why describe the dog as a ''type'' at all, why not just ''a large mongrel dog ran out of the surf & attacked.....'' etc, etc. This same problem was recently highlighted regarding the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Breed misidentification, it is the biggest single threat facing the owners/breeders of registered pure breeds today. Especially the Bull breeds. God love ém. Bogan owners will be the death of dog ownership. And they are coming to a town near you.

You don't believe that all the bites that are blamed on SBT's are APBT"s do you? And although Staffy crosses are not SBT's that is still the part that gets reported and what the public form their opinions on. (sadly) APBT owners have used the same argument for years, saying that the dog that attacked wasn't a pure bred pitty and if the truth be known many pitbull attacks are not by pure bred pits, but BYB lookalikes.. but then if you're in the UK or US if it looks like one it is one... which is BS. Am I missing something here? You appear to be agreeing with what I said while at the same time challenging it? Strange. Btw, just in case you dónt know. The APBT is a restricted breed in Australia, however, while there has a been a curious & dramatically decline in their population since the enactment of the B.S.L, there has been a similar increase in the amount of ''staffy crosses'' now in the population. Coincidence? More than a mere coincidence I would suggest Also, American Staffordshire Terriers & American Pitbull Terriers are both banned breeds in the U.K. The Brits consider them to be the same breed you see. Silly billys. And the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is experiencing a similar increase in reported antisocial ''incidents'' there as they here. And for for the same reasons. Breed misidentification. If we could deboganise the population the bull breeds would stand a chance.

Staffordshire Bull Terriers will continue to appear in bite stats more because of breed misrepresentation than actual breed transgression. "Any trouble Nigel, just tell them he's a staffy". And so it rolls. And a ''staffy cross'' is not a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Staffordshire Bull Terriers are the archetypal ''people dogs''. None more so on this Earth. It would be extermely rare for a genuine SBT to bite a human. Even rarer for an unprovoked attack. Other dogs? that is a different story. SBTs can be dog aggressive. You are right on the money about one thing though. Bogans are a definite problem for the bull breeds. Maybe the problem could be more easily rectified if BSL was actually a "Bogan Specific Legislation"

This is a fairy tale I.M.O The RSPCA doesn't have a mandate to seize animals. They have to make an application, the police seize the animals & then release them into the RSPCA, when it is a case of animal cruelty. BSL is not an RSPCA issue.

Only if they come under scrutiny for whatever reason, which is more often than not after an ''incident'', where some are invariably misrepresented as Staffordshire Bull Terriers by their owners. Now it appears accredited breed identifiers are ''officially'' identifying dogs of dubious ancestry as Staffordshire Bull Terriers out of a misguided sense of compassion for individual dogs, without thought or concern of the consequences down the track for the breed they are libelling. The SBTS of NSW is deploring this disturbing twist to an already worrying situation. They are questioning the credibility of some breed identifiers. Apparently with good reason. It would be pointless complaining to Dogs NSW, a closed shop if there was one, so local members are the next obvious choice. Which is the topic of this thread. There is no excuse for deception, especially if it has a potentially devastating effect on the innocent. Shouldn't a dog of dubious breeding be i.ded simply as ''of mixed breed''?

Breed identification is not the issue. Breed MISidentification is. Imo, the the notice from the SBTS of NSW is not a plea for help, but a warning to it's membership their breed, all ready an innocent victim of misreprentation by those seeking to avoid the impost of the restricted breed legislation, is now being threatened by uninformed breed assessors, albeit out of a misplaced sense of compassion, who are undermining their breeds true character, reputation & credibility by officially identifying crossbreeds as their recognised pure breed. In todays climate of animosity towards canines in general, pitbulls in particular, to deliberately misrepresent a dog as a breed it is not, for the sole purpose of deception, is not only dishonest it is immoral. Staffordshire Bull Terriers don't need help. They can stand any scrutiny. What they need is honesty. What they deserve is honesty.