‘Staffies are not dogs I’ve had a problem with’

Waitara Staffordshire bull terrier owner Estelle Low loves her pets and disputes claims the breed is dangerous.

Low has two staffies, Dante, 3, and Nym, five months, and was first introduced to the breed through her grandfather’s dog, Toke.

‘‘All of us grandchildren have extremely found memories of him when we were kids,’’ the vet nurse said.

‘‘He was such a sweet dog and he was an ex-pig hunting dog and we never had any problems with him.’’

Low was extremely upset to see a photo of her dogs attached to an opinion piece by North Taranaki Midweek columnist John Sargeant that lumped staffies in with pit bulls, describing them as savage ugly brutes that should be rounded up and shot.

Sargeant, who was bitten by a labrador, said he didn’t care about claims it was the owners who were the problem, he believed it was the breed.

‘‘It made me sad and angry, I cried,’’ Low, a member of the North Taranaki Dog Training Club, said.

‘‘It made me scared for my dogs because I take them out in public. Now I’m worried for their safety when they go out and about.’’

Low, who has had people cross the street, grab their kids and pick up their dogs, said the public hysteria about dangerous breeds was often being fuelled by people who knew nothing about them.

‘‘It just makes me shake my head. Staffies are not dogs that I’ve ever had a problem with,’’ the 26-year-old said.

‘‘It makes me sad because Dante has always got the biggest grin on his face and he just loves cuddles.’’

Dante, who Low began socialising with people and other dogs from a young age, takes part in competitive agility and obedience shows as well as holding world titles for tricks, including playing dead, begging and riding a skateboard.

‘‘He loves skateboarding, the kids love that one too. This is not seen in the newspapers, it’s just when one of them does something dangerous it gets reported.’’

Low, who runs New Plymouth Staffie Walks, said breed-specific legislation, which the government is looking to introduce, wasn’t warranted. She believes the focus should be firmly on the owners.

‘‘It has been proven it doesn’t work in reducing dog bites.’’

She said ‘‘bull breed’’ mixers were often sought after by the wrong people because they had a big head and were muscular.

‘‘These dogs end up in the wrong hands, they [the owners] don’t look after them properly, they don’t train their animals and they don’t socialise them.’’

Low said she hoped in the future people would take the opportunity to talk with her about her dogs, which she involved in school holiday programmes, rather than fleeing in fear.

‘‘Come talk to me, come meet my dogs because we can help change your opinion.

‘‘That’s why my dogs are out there in public, that’s why I take my dogs to school holiday programmes. I want to educate kids and grown-ups that these are well-natured and trustworthy dogs.’’