Pitbulls

[Emma09]

In my experience of BLS- if your dog catches the eye of the ranger and meets the requirements of a restricted or dangerous breed, the onus is on you as an owner to prove that it isn't.
The requirements used to be a 12 point checklist- you can google it, but it's quite vague in my opinion.
Many of my clients did have DNA testing to prove the dog was in fact a mixed breed dog and fought the council to keep it under strict regulations.
This is specifically one of the reasons why I bought my staffy from a registered breeder- I have the papers to prove what breed if dog he is.
I would not buy american staffordshire terrier from an unregistered breeder, basically the council will call that a pit bull.
I have nothing against that breed of dog or a pit bull for that matter- if it is bred and handled correctly.
My previous job before becoming a mummy was to stick my hand in dogs mouths to obtain DNA samples.
Only been bitten once, that was by a dachshund!

[PumpkinZulu]

Alish your dogs are not pit-bulls and are registered. You're doing all the right things so there's no point in worrying about what might or might not happen in the future.

[Astrid]

Ok, something I am trying to understand. The Pitbull and the American Staffordshire Terrier, pretty much come from the same breeding. The American Staffordshire Terrier is on the banned list in the UK. So why is it any different to own a APBT or a AST? If one is dangerous, then isn't the other breed? Also getting onto crosses, shouldn't the crosses of a Pit Bull be also banned, as it seems to be how many people are getting around things by saying "Oh, mine is a cross, not a pure bred" Well the crosses have to come form somewhere, so aren't some of them coming from Purebreds and therefore aren't you supporting restricted/banned bred by buying the crosses?

[Emma09]

Ok, something I am trying to understand. The Pitbull and the American Staffordshire Terrier, pretty much come from the same breeding. The American Staffordshire Terrier is on the banned list in the UK. So why is it any different to own a APBT or a AST? If one is dangerous, then isn't the other breed? Also getting onto crosses, shouldn't the crosses of a Pit Bull be also banned, as it seems to be how many people are getting around things by saying "Oh, mine is a cross, not a pure bred" Well the crosses have to come form somewhere, so aren't some of them coming from Purebreds and therefore aren't you supporting restricted/banned bred by buying the crosses?

I think because American staffordshire terrier's are a recognized pure breed in Australia.
So if you buy one from a registered breeder and can provide pedigree papers, you are safe. Unless your dog is deemed dangerous by the council, but this can happen to any breed.
People have tried to fight BSL in the past by providing DNA results stating a primary or secondary breed of another breed of dog- so 1 parent was a Labrador- this making it unfair to destroy because there are plenty of other Labrador crosses out in the world. Does that make sense?
However, if Your dog HAS bitten a person or an animal and been reported for doing so, I would imagine that the breed won't make much difference.
The cases I have dealt with are more to do with being dobbed in for owning a mixed breed dog that may look like a Pitbull- but has actually not done anything to harm anyone.
I'm trying to think of a case in particular- very well publicized case in Queensland about 3 years ago. If I remember the details, I'll come back to post.

[Artechim]

Astrid, there is no such thing as a pure bred pit bull, they aren't recognized as an official breed. Technically they are all cross breeds. None should be bred from but it is next to impossible to stop people that want to keep breeding them.
The distinction between pit bulls and amstaffs is what I was getting at before - they are pretty much the same thing yet you buy yourself a whole heap of trouble labeling your dog a pit bull rather than amstaff.

[Astrid]

Thanks for the replies ladies. Seems like a lot of splitting of hairs to me with the whole its a cross, or a slightly different breed etc Whilst a similar breed is recognised, and as such allowed, that it allows the banned "breed" to continue.

Really its wrong to blame the average public for not being able tell the different breeds apart, why should they have to know the slight difference between them? They are not dog show judges and nor should they be.