Originally Posted by Boston1954
Actually, I don't think I would have a negative reaction. The American Staffordshire Terrier can be as friendly as any other breed if they are raised right.
I get so darn sick and tired of people calling the American Staffordshire Terrier a Pit Bull. When my husband was having surgery and a bunch of us were in the waiting room waiting for our loved ones to come out of surgery, a guy came in with a white dog. I always carry dog biscuits in my purse (one of the things dog owners have in their purse) and I asked him if his dog could have one. "Sure". She was an American Staffordshire. She came around to all of us. We petted her and loved her - I sat on the floor, she rolled over and I rubbed her tummy.
I also remember driving down a street several years ago with a dog with heavy chains wrapped around his body, lugging them like he was carrying the weight of the world on his back. I could have cried for that dog. (It was being trained for fighting in the pit). That was an American Staffordshire. NOT A PIT BULL. The Pit Bull has two legs, stands upright, and has a heart of steel, fights those dogs till they bleed and sometimes die. As a dog owner and dog lover (like my husband) I intensely despise these people who raise dogs like that. Don't get me going. They walk down the street, yank on their chains - hey, these animals are just like our Bess (the avatar), curious, nosy, love life and deserve everything that God put them on the earth for.
Be afraid of an American Staffordshire, never! Be afraid of the PIT BULL, you bet your sweet life. If they treat people the way they treat their dogs, steer clear. American Staffordshires are a sweet gentle dog trained by sweet gentle people. Edie