Is my dog a pitbull?!?
We recently brought a dog which is a 'staffy' but the more we look the more he looks like a pitbull. he is big for his age and tall. he dont look like your average staffy. ill upload a picture soon. and YES i know they are illegal hense why we are trying to find out.
Update:pic.twitter.com/LaDwIjCf
pic.twitter.com/grRAsyO1
I have put 2 pictures for you too see. these where took when he was around 7-8 months!!
Comments
the law on pitbulls in England is complicated, the law actually says pit bull type dogs are banned not the breed so technically a staffy who looks like a pitbull could be covered under the dangerous dogs act. 'A dog type is not a breed. Whether your dog is a banned type depends on what it looks like, rather than its breed or name.' (from the direct gov website) However you can apply to have your dog added to the exempted dogs list which means an expert will have to decide if your dog presents a danger to the public.
I would say that he is not a pure bred Staffy and thats why hes a little bit bigger than your average staffy, Staffy crosses aren't illegal so it should be ok. he's beautiful.
If anyone asks - it's a staffy. FWIW, looking at those 2 pics I'm not convinced he's a pit anyway.
Make sure your dog is well trained & well socialised & you'll *hopefully* be fine. Section 1 of the DDA is a pretty ridiculous law in that you could mix 2 perfectly legal breeds (eg staffy x lab) & create an illegal dog, whilst somebody else could take a pit bull & cross it with something else, & so long as it looked enough like the something else, it's not illegal.
If you ever do end up with problems, these people may be able to help:
http://www.ddawatch.co.uk/
Unless you are referring to an American Pit Bull Terrier, the term "pit bull" does not refer to a specific breed but rather a certain group of dogs. Staffy is short for Staffordshire bull terrier, which does indeed fall under the pit bull category. Whether they're illegal depends on where you live. Where I'm from pedigreed Staffies are perfectly legal, but pit bulls (which is used to refer to backyard mix breeds) are not. Could be that you were sold an American Staffordshire? Those are bigger than the English staffies. Could also be that you got a bully staffy, which are usually bigger than average.
I think he's an American Staffordshire Terrier, not an APBT. And the persons who commented that 'pitbulls' are not illegal are misinformed. I lived in Miami-Dade county for 10 yrs, and APBTs are illegal there. If you are found to have an APBT there, you face an enormous fine and the dogs will be removed and euthanised, unless you take them to Broward or another county outside of Dade. Broward county it was legal to have pits, but not in Dade. I know there are several other counties/states where pits are illegal, as well.
Pit bulls aren't illegal. And people have widened the term "pit bull" to other breeds, like Staffordshire Bull Terriers and mixed breeds of the same nature. The two breeds look extremely similar. They are essentially the same type of dog though. So any pit bull ban is likely to include staffies.
It doesn't matter whether he "is" it matters whether he LOOKS LIKE he is all or part "pit bull" or any of the half-a-dozen banned breeds - what matters MORE is whether the local dog council THINKS he LOOKS like a banned breed and if local law enforcement ever has a reason to notice your dog and his appearance.
The law is asinine. Go ahead and upload a picture, but the only opinion that will matter is that of the dog warden who subjectively decides whether he lives or dies based on how much HE THINKS your dog LOOKS like a banned breed.
It's generally not illegal to own pitbulls... however some local cities have placed bans on them.
Pitts aren't illegal unless you live in one of those countries that has made them illegal. In that case, they're prejudice against staffy's too. A pic is definitely needed.
Pit bulls are not illegal. And there is no way to tell until you upload the picture..or if you have papers on the dog..
Stafford shire's and and Pit bulls are very similar so its kinda hard to tell..