We own a Pure breed American Stafford-shire Terrier. Is th..

On 25 May 2007 13:44:09 -0700, Michael Yardley wrote:
> Condo where the dog lives is trying to bring in a bye law about
> vicious dogs being muzzled. They are saying in the bye law American
> Pit Bulls. Stafford-shire PIT Bulls.Our dog has a small head not like
> a true Pit Bull that has a big head. So the question is "We own a Pure
> breed American Stafford-shire Terrier. Is this a Pit Bull?"

An AmStaff is one breed that's commonly referred to as a "pit bull".
Another is the American Pit Bull Terrier, and the third is the
Staffordshire bull terrier.

Is your dog large or small? Some people say APBTs and AmStaffs are the
same breed. Others identify APBTs as being up to about 50-60 lbs. and
AmStaffs as being up to around 90 lbs. But Staffie bulls are small
dogs... the breed standard calls for them to not exceed about 35 lbs. or
so.

I've heard that England has very restrictive "dangerous dog" laws about
pit bulls and other supposedly "dangerous" breeds... but the
Staffordshire bull terrier is exempt, because they're so loved.

IIWY, I'd start attending all Board meetings. If your dog is always
sweet and nice around people, intriduce her to your neighbors and Board
members. Get them to see the "human" face of this rule they're
considering. Tell them that "vicious" dogs (ones with a history of
biting people, not those of any given breed) should be banned, but that
any dog that isn't a problem shouldn't be subject to being singled out.
Point out that the three "pit bull" breeds have been tested and show
better temperaments than dozens of other popular breeds...
http://www.atts.org/ There are lots of resources out there on the
Internet. Look for a local pit bull rescue and see if they have
anything that might help.

I already had an issue where some nutcase started to complain about my
pittie because she walked "too close to" this idiot's unit.
Fortunately, a couple of Board members already knew us and thought my
dog was the sweetest, most adorable dog ever. The others were handled
when I let them know that they'd be in for the longest, naastiest, most
expensive legal battle I could summon up if they were to try to do
anything about my dog. I told them my dog was never going anywhere
without me, that they'd have an easier time separating me from one of my
arms, and that I wasn't going to move out of my home because of some
nutjob. I would only recommend taking the hard way if it's the last
opportunity left to you, and if you have some vocal support from other
residents. Try to keep things as sugary-sweet nice as possible for as
long as possible.

--
* John Oliver http://www.john-oliver.net/ *
 >> Stay informed about: We own a Pure breed American Stafford-shire Terrier. Is th.. 

Um...no Max...Staffies are a separate breed.

There's a number of distinct breeds that folks all lump into "pit bulls".
American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT)
American Staffordshire Terrier (AST)
Staffordshire Bull Terrier (SBT)
Bull Terrier (BT)
American Bulldog (AB)
Those are the general 5...the top 3 being the most common.

Every AST goes back to the APBT. There are even a few SBTs that will go
back to the APBT. There are a few APBTs that have BT in them if you go back
far enough.

None of the first 4 breeds are supposed to have big heads..that's something
people have started breeding for with no good purpose or use. They are not
a head breed like a Dogue de Bordeaux.

Anyhow...John said it right....get out to them meetings, introduce yourself
and your dog to the board and get them good solid information on preventing
dog bites. Maybe find someone local to you that does bite prevention
programs for kids and get the condo board to bring them in. An ounce of
prevention and education can go a long way in fighting BSL especially when
it's a housing complex.
Sandra
PS--OH..and one more thing...there is NO such breed as a "pit bull"...it is
simply put, a generic term for any short haired heavily muscled dog. Cross
a Jack Russell with a Lab...Boxer and a Lab...almost anything with a lab and
you've got a generic "pit bull" type dog. Unless your dog has registration
papers from a registry, it's just a mutt and as long as s/he's loved and
well mannered and you're a responsible owner, it doesn't matter what they
are.

"Max" wrote in message

> Yes. Staffies are in the pit bull family. We have one as well.
>
> On 25 May 2007 13:44:09 -0700, Michael Yardley
> graced this newsgroup with:
>
> >Condo where the dog lives is trying to bring in a bye law about
> >vicious dogs being muzzled. They are saying in the bye law American
> >Pit Bulls. Stafford-shire PIT Bulls.Our dog has a small head not like
> >a true Pit Bull that has a big head. So the question is "We own a Pure
> >breed American Stafford-shire Terrier. Is this a Pit Bull?"
 >> Stay informed about: We own a Pure breed American Stafford-shire Terrier. Is th.. 

Sandra,

You misread the question. The OP said they had a "Pure breed American
Stafford-shire (sic) Terrier", and then asked if it was a Pit Bull. An
Amstaff *is* a Pit Bull..regardless of its head conformation, an
Amstaff *is* a breed that's considered within the Pit Bull family. The
OP mistakenly associated large heads (which of course is a
stereotypical trait of Pit Bull breeds),as the only way to identify a
Pit Bull breed from non-Pit Bull breeds. Which as you know is not the
case.

I am quite aware that a "Pit Bull" is a generic term used to identify
a number of distinct Bull terrier breeds and indeed the AST is a
separate breed within the generic term "Pit Bull" but that wasn't the
question the OP asked.




On Sat, 26 May 2007 21:09:47 -0400, "Sandra"
graced this newsgroup with:

>Um...no Max...Staffies are a separate breed.
>
>There's a number of distinct breeds that folks all lump into "pit bulls".
>American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT)
>American Staffordshire Terrier (AST)
>Staffordshire Bull Terrier (SBT)
>Bull Terrier (BT)
>American Bulldog (AB)
>Those are the general 5...the top 3 being the most common.
>
>Every AST goes back to the APBT. There are even a few SBTs that will go
>back to the APBT. There are a few APBTs that have BT in them if you go back
>far enough.
>
>None of the first 4 breeds are supposed to have big heads..that's something
>people have started breeding for with no good purpose or use. They are not
>a head breed like a Dogue de Bordeaux.
>
>Anyhow...John said it right....get out to them meetings, introduce yourself
>and your dog to the board and get them good solid information on preventing
>dog bites. Maybe find someone local to you that does bite prevention
>programs for kids and get the condo board to bring them in. An ounce of
>prevention and education can go a long way in fighting BSL especially when
>it's a housing complex.
>Sandra
>PS--OH..and one more thing...there is NO such breed as a "pit bull"...it is
>simply put, a generic term for any short haired heavily muscled dog. Cross
>a Jack Russell with a Lab...Boxer and a Lab...almost anything with a lab and
>you've got a generic "pit bull" type dog. Unless your dog has registration
>papers from a registry, it's just a mutt and as long as s/he's loved and
>well mannered and you're a responsible owner, it doesn't matter what they
>are.
>
>"Max" wrote in message
>
>> Yes. Staffies are in the pit bull family. We have one as well.
>>
>> On 25 May 2007 13:44:09 -0700, Michael Yardley
>> graced this newsgroup with:
>>
>> >Condo where the dog lives is trying to bring in a bye law about
>> >vicious dogs being muzzled. They are saying in the bye law American
>> >Pit Bulls. Stafford-shire PIT Bulls.Our dog has a small head not like
>> >a true Pit Bull that has a big head. So the question is "We own a Pure
>> >breed American Stafford-shire Terrier. Is this a Pit Bull?"
>
 >> Stay informed about: We own a Pure breed American Stafford-shire Terrier. Is th..