The Staffordshire Bull Terrier or "Staffie"
Although in the past few years I've offered to help several rescue or welfare organisations dedicated to helping Staffies, I've only ever had one opportunity to have one stay with us - and that was only overnight. Brogan, pictured here, was a male Staffie of around a year old who had been picked up as a stray. I agreed to transport him from the pound to the rescue organisation who would be rehoming him, but that involved an overnight stay with us.
In spite of his youth, the upheaval he'd gone through in spending time at the pound and then being transported & placed with complete strangers, he was perfectly behaved in the short time with us and was very friendly and playful with the whole family - and also with friends and relatives who came to visit us specially so they could meet him!
As you can see, Brogan is a true representative of the breed; he has a powerful head with very big jaws that open extremely wide. They are relatively small dogs (..or I'm just getting very accustomed to Great Danes!) but have a stocky, powerful frame.
Although they were originally bred as a fighting dog, their temperament has been changed dramatically over the years and devotees of the breed usually refer to them as "the nanny dog" because of their excellent and trustworthy behaviour with children. They are reported to be very friendly if properrly socialised and trained from early puppyhood, but should another dog start a fight, the Staffy will be prepared to end it! As they 
crave human companionship and attention and are desperate to please their master, training can be quite easy and effective. This leads to excellent dogs whose behaviour is second to none.
Despite these qualities, Staffies in this country have unfortunately been given a very bad press in recent years as the result of the popularity they have with people who want a "status symbol" that will denote them as a "hard" man or woman and who train them accordingly. These people are in my view the ones who are generally totally irresponsible owners, those who fail to socialise and train their dogs properly. Worse, they are capable of training them to be aggressive and confrontational - exactly the opposite of what all responsible dog owners and most of society want and expect.There is also an element who use this breed for illegal dog fighting. Sadly the poor Staffie actually helps all these dangerous and irresponsible people because he is so willing and eager to please.
There are many proposals put forward by all sorts of people and organisations as to how this can be prevented. Personally, I favour promoting the breed for what they really are; the nanny dog, the soppy Staffie. There can't be many "Terminator" impersonators who would want to be seen in the street with a dog that makes people turn and say "oooh look, there's one of those nanny dogs"......!!
So, if you're a Staffy owner & you've got pictures of your dogs as they really are - friendly & dedicated to the family, please let me have a link to your website if you have one. If not, please email me any photos & I'll add them to this page. I'll also happily add here any comments or opinions about Staffies.
**NEW** Having just retired from full-time work, I can now offer dog walking, dog sitting and other ways of helping care for your dog during those times when you really need it. Obviously, Staffies will be very welcome! Please go to my Dogs at Home pages for more information. (Merseyside area)