One
of the problems that you face when working with animals is the knowledge that
you gain and the distance it puts between yourself and those that do not work
with animals. Anybody that has spent time around an animal understands that
they are anything but emotionless, or thoughtless, or that they lack a
consciousness. The ignorance and general unwillingness to bend on false truths
that people believe they know, without any experience or first hand knowledge themselves
can make your life away from the animals very difficult. And the biggest problem
of it all is when lives are put at risk, because of this lack of knowledge.
The
Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a dog that has an incredibly negative reputation
amongst the British public. This dog is believed to be uncontrollably aggressive,
especially towards other animals, and cannot be trusted. No civilized, high
society person, would dream of owning such a menacing breed – or at least that
seems to be the general opinion. However, the people who believe this will
never have spent any time around a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The closest they
will have come to a Staff is probably at the end of the lead of somebody who
looks unrespectable, even dangerous, or at the very least a hoodlum. They will
probably be blind to the Staffs running about the parks playing with other
dogs, or being walked by kind, gentle people that are not youths or uncouth
individuals. Or at least that is how I feel it must be, because nobody can
spend time with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and not find themselves smiling as
the little, happy, dog smiles back at them, tail wagging and large warm eyes
twinkling.
Nobody
who has spent any real time with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, even those with
intense issues with other dogs, can understand that the why the breed is
portrayed so harshly by the media. Anybody who tells you that Staffordshire
Bull Terriers are naturally aggressive dogs and are a danger to be around,
especially for children, have never looked into the beautiful, soulful gaze of
a Staff. They have never spent any time around one. They have never given one a
cuddle or even a little pat on the head. They haven’t researched or read around
the breed, they don’t know their breed standard and how the Kennel Club itself
states that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are not only “highly intelligent and affectionate
especially with children,” but also, “totally reliable.”
As with all dogs, the animals raised in horrendous, steroid
induced, hateful conditions where they are pitted against other animals to
fight for their lives or face the sharp stab of a cattle prod, will become
products of their environment. All breeds have the potential to be aggressive.
All breeds have the potential to be abused, or the potential to feel they must
protect their owners – for many dogs are truly loyal and would throw their
lives on the line for their family. All breeds have the potential to snap when
a child pulls at their ears, pokes them in the face, tugs on their tails. The
media will only tell you about those dogs that do snap. They will not tell you
about the hundreds that sit happily with a child draped across their back, hugging
them so tightly they can barely breath, but just soaking in the attention they
so love to receive.
The most human aggressive dogs that I know are not
Staffordshire Bull Terriers. I have never known a people aggressive Staff, I am
not saying they do not exist but out of the many, many dogs I have worked with,
I have not yet met one that is people aggressive. The dogs that I do know that
are people aggressive are primarily terriers such as Jack Russells, Westies and
many other little breeds that people wouldn’t dream of considering viscious.
And that isn’t to say those that do show signs of aggression are viscious! A
dog will only bite you if it has a reason to bite you. Dogs do not lash out for
the sake of it. They either feel incredibly threatened, and this threshold of
what is threatening varies between dog to dog, or they have a medical
condition.
As an example, my last dog bite came from a long
haired, handsome little Jack Russell Terrier. He bit me because I went to
stroke him when he was curled up in his bed, which was idiotic of me as I knew
this dog and I knew that he had trust issues with people due to years of abuse
when he was young. The moment after he bit me, because I was invading his safe
space, he panicked and didn’t know what to do with himself. He didn’t want to
hurt me, he just felt threatened and in his mind, the only option he had was to
give me a bite, a warning bite at that. I was fine, more concerned about him –
it was my mistake, I had threatened his safety, albeit unwittingly. This dog
often sits in my lap and enjoys soft, gentle, reassuring affectionate strokes
but only when he comes up to me. Only when he jumps into my lap or comes to my hands,
will I tentatively stroke him, because it is his uncertainty and distrust of
people that makes him lash out. And what amazes me, is that although he
suffered abuse at the hands of people – he still seeks the comfort of human
touch! He wants to be around people, he wants to trust you, he wants to feel
your love, but he struggles because of what people have done to him.
Like I have said before, and like I will most likely
say again, all dogs have the potential to lash out. No dogs will lash out
because of their breed. It all comes down to the individual dog, the individual
incident, the way they were raised, the home they live in, the way that the
person being bitten has treated them, or the mental/physical health. People see
themselves on such a higher level than animals, but when you truly look at it,
we are very much the same. All beings are the product of their environment.
Yes, some may have a higher tolerance for invasions of privacy, or even abuse,
and some may be more affectionate and seek out comfort more than others, but
nobody is born evil. All animals are fresh, blank canvasses, at birth. I just
wish people remembered this, both when dealing with animals and when dealing
with other people. And also, nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes.
