MOST people think of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier as a dangerous dog, but it is far from the truth, as reporter Michael Yong discovers.
ARMED police officers shot and killed a Staffie in Cheltenham on Tuesday after it attacked its owner and killed another dog.
And it is stories like these that lead many people to believe that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are all dangerous.
This is not the case, though, says Deb Barron, who works at Cheltenham Animal Shelter.
The shelter has 26 Staffies in need of a home – and she says many of them are lovely family pets.
She added that she had seen an increase in the number of Staffies under their care, and said she thought it was because of the dog's reputation as a "status" breed.
"They are very similar, in looks, to the American pitbull, which is on the dangerous dogs list and is not allowed to be owned here," she said.
"That's mostly why people choose to get them. When the owners find out they are not as aggressive, they don't want the dogs anymore, and bring them to the shelter.
"People are drawn to them because they are of a different breed, but some of them are not trained properly and that is the actual problem."
She rejected the rumour that the dogs are aggressive in nature, and said it was down to their owners to train their pets properly.
"Staffies are really lovely dogs," she said.
"They used to be called the midwife dogs, and they are incredibly good with children.
"They are fantastic around young people normally but in the wrong hands, or from a lack of training, they can become dangerous, just like any dog.
"Most of them are taken as puppies, and need to be trained properly from a young age."
The shelter is preparing to re-home some of the dogs, and are hoping for responsible owners to take them as pets.
Deb said: "They are lovely dogs, and people who have owned a Staffie before will always come back and have a Staffie again.
"They know how friendly a Staffie can be, and we welcome anyone who wants to come to visit our Staffies anytime."
Camille and James Parfitt, from The Reddings, own a Staffie called Sullivan.
The couple bought him as a pure-bred puppy after being won over by their beloved rescue Staffie Gilbert, who died of a brain tumour after seven-and-a-half years.
James said: "He was very friendly, gentle and got on with lots of other dogs. Everybody loved him and still talks about him.
"We introduced him to our baby girl Paige when she came out of hospital and were happy to leave him with her when she was about two. There was never any danger.
"We were so happy with the breed we got Sullivan. When he was younger he was very excitable and would jump up and 'mouth', not bite, you. Staffies can be quite boisterous so you have to train them quite a bit so they know their place in the pack. Some people are wary when we're walking him but Staffies' reputation is unjust – I've had a Labrador before and he was prone to getting into fights with other dogs."
