Brilliant point! But I think anybody who loves their chosen breed will do their best to show it off to it's best advantage like that, regardless of the media stereotyping they're subjected to. I love it when we meet an Irish terrier virgin and they go away thinking what lovely, good-natured dogs ITs are. Yes, they can be lovely and good-natured, and we've worked b****y hard to make sure Bongo is!

Not a chance, wouldn't let anyone's opinion change my breed, as others have said it's their loss to not absolutely love the breed !

I'd like to say I wouldn't, but because dalmatians are generally accepted by the public, I can't say for definite.

I do still get the parents lifting the children out of the way and small dog owners lifting their dogs up because mine are bigger and bouncy but I wouldn't change them.

I'm not sure I could have a staffy though... not because they're bad dogs, I think staffies are lovely but because I know a lot of dogs don't like staffies. Either because they have been attacked by them, or because their owners always avoid them.

I'd hate for another dog to attack my dog, and because my dog is stronger, I get the blame.

I like to change people's opinions on things, like people tell me dals are untrainable... so I doubt I would change my chosen breed unless, as I say, it was a staffy which around here, seem to get attacked a lot!

Never! I was sceptacle about having a staff to start with but it's the kind of breed you have to research really well and own to understand fully.

When we had our staff's we had people that either ran off in the other direction, crossed the road or, to the other extreme, the idiotic owners who had a staff or staff x and try to tell you that their dog is tougher than yours and try to coax you into having a dog fight

Never said it wasn't bl**dy hard work to get to this point, but that's half the fun seeing what a difference I made.

I just wanted to add that I have avoided dogs before and it wasn't their fault that I did, it was because of who they were with, I tend to avoid children with dogs because they have little or no control and also yobs, just the other day on my regular walk I saw a group of about 6 teens with a staffy, I have nothing against staffies and know them to be loving dogs if in the right hands, but getting them in the right hands is the problem.

Simple answer absolutely NO owned Bull & Mastiff breeds so long now why should I change that to suit other people who dislike these dogs because other people act irresponsibly with them.

Simply nope and whippets can be a very nasty breed

It's not the breed that's dangerous it's the idiot on the other end of the lead

A lot of breeds-including my Jack Russell have reputations for being "difficult", hard-headed, wilful,etc. But like others have done and said- its half the fun to train and socialise them to a point whereyou can prove to others that they are wrong Everyone comments on how good natured, well-behaved my JR is- yeah thats because I work DARNED HARD to have got her that way

N.I.D's are not really accepted in the 'dog world' still so I guess if I cared what people thought I would have been put off at the time of even thinking of having them. Public opinion is always split they either love em and want to make a bee line to them to hug them or avoid us...I wish it could be a bit more calm and inbetween.

All I can say is that it makes me try even harder with their training (not that it isn't already a huge challenge...lol) and I want to be proud of walking my dogs around people and if they are being well behaved then I feel proud no matter what the people may be thinking. I know my dogs look adorable and if they are behaving really well I just glow with being proud of them and don't even notice anything else

Ok if my dogs have a less then perfect 5 minutes which they all do I kinda want the ground to open up...lol...because I do feel people judge us quite harshly if they are anything less than perfect than say they would if they were a different breed but in those cases I just go off and get training some more...

I guess in a way it has really made me focus on them being good which can't be bad.

And my answer is NO! I am proud of my dogs and if I wanted others in the future of the same breed I have now I wouldn't think twice. Or if I wanted to take on a different breed I would.

Heck I am 'different' anyway there is more to me than just my dogs which can cause a stir...lol...If I only lived my life to fit what the public feels 'nice' I wouldn't be me!

I don't make anything easy for myself, I know this!...LOL