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Location: Surrey, UK
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 363
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I'm pretty lucky not to have had any comments directly.
I think part of it is where we live - in rural Surrey, where you dont get your "stereotypical" staffy owners, so people dont have that built up prejudice. Staffies are just like any other dog around our village - and actually quite popular!
People always smile at Zulu when we walk past - he walks nicely on the lead and with an unassuming 23 year old female holding the other end of the lead I think people just feel a bit more at ease. Sounds silly but I think his colour also helps - with him being red, and you dont see an awful amount of reds around here anyway, its a point people always pick up on and ask about, and i think it makes him look a bit "softer".
I certainly go out of my way to make sure he steers clear of trouble, and any opportunity I get I always let people come say hello if they want to, and get involved in conversations if they want to know more about him. I can happily say I have converted a few "staffy haters" with Zulu - one of those being my mother who now adores them because she has given them a chance and not just believed all the media hype.
I always give dogs a chance no matter what breed they are. Yes I probably do have some preconceptions about some dogs, but I dont apply it to the entire breed - there are just some that I am more wary of through personal experience - i.e Zulu has been attacked a few times by offlead black labs...could be total coincidence but I'm just a bit more careful around them and Zulu incase he gets uncomfortable - I dont avoid them like the plague and leg it to the other side of the road as some people will do with staffs!