Flippy Dog

Absolutely LavenderGirl, if I ever have to use a boarding kennel again (I know there are some wonderful ones out there, for the present though, I never want to take another holiday) I will resort to what I used to do years ago and do my own little flier for each of my dogs cages with all their important info complete with a photo for identification. Talk about overboard but if it keeps my darlings safe then I'll do it. Maybe some of the boarding kennels do that now for their own peace of mind, hopefully. Flipp was back to have her stitches out today finally and the infection is gone. The bucket collar thingy was a disaster, she would have injured herself in fear if I had left it on her so we now have lovely purple spray to deter her licking the wound as it finishes healing and that's working a treat. Thanks all again for helpful words and thoughts. Hope I can return the favour sometime :)

Just be aware that papers don't mean that an AmStaff is ataxia clear. I spoke to a breeder this year who advertised a litter and the advert said the parents had been tested for ataxia - what the breeder didn't say was that while the sire was ataxia free by parentage the mother had been tested and confirmed as a carrier! Sadly the "breeder" still used her to breed and was misleading with the advertising so it sounded like both parents were clear so please don't think that papers mean an AmStaff is ataxia clear. I will say when I spoke to the breeder they were quick to point out to me that the mother was a carrier so maybe just an inexperienced breeder, they were a first timer from memory. Lovely to see another AmStaff response, hope you are loving your baby. Just wanted to clarify for anyone who is in the process of getting an AmStaff :)

Thank you all so very much for your kind words and wishes for speedy recoveries for my dogs and of course for your advice on where to go for advice, hopefully I will get a result that prevents this happening to anyone else which is now my main concern - after getting my dog healthy again. Just to answer a few of the questions through the replies, when they contacted me to say there had been an accident and that my dogs had both been attended to by their chosen vet at no time did they say come and get your dogs or that my dogs were in a state that needed me to return. Until I spoke to the vet it was my intention (even if I had to hitchhike) to get back to my dogs even if they didn't need me. The vet reassured me that she would keep the most injured dog at the vet hospital for me and that my other baby would only require antibiotics tablets and no further vet treatments. She reassured me that they would be okay and that I needn't return home early - which was true, the vet and staff were wonderful. My other baby was still medicated, fed and watered, but I could see by his behaviour that he didn't get anything else in those three days, I should have listened to my heart and gone home. As it was I didn't enjoy one moment after that phone call and would have done better for me and my babies to have gone home. As suggested, people have different ideas of what is negligent and my view of negligence - which was that they ignored my explicit details as to the care of my dogs - will be a case of "he said she said" as they are denying that I gave any instructions about the care of my dogs...if I was that uncaring of my dogs why would I bother taking them to an expensive boarding facility. Anyway, enough said, tears in my eyes again, I will be seeing the local RSPCA people on Wednesday and also the local council rangers. As far as recovery, we took our border collie back to the vet for a check as her worst wound didn't look good, it's infected and I am about to put a big plastic recovery collar on to stop her licking her leg. Being such a timid girl anyway I think it's going to do more harm terrifying her than good but I'll have to try it, I'm just amazed that as soon as I buy it she stops licking her leg... Thanks again everyone for all your words.

Thanks Megan, yes, we definitely asked them to cover the vets costs and were told in pretty foul language that no way would they pay and that it was our fault (how??) and even told us that we were horrible owners who didn't care about our dogs because we did not cut short our weekend away to come back and get our dogs... For what it's worth, I spent three of the four days away incredibly distressed (headaches, migraines, unable to eat, sleep or participate in activities) because of them and because I could not get back to my beloved dogs to get them away from these people. Thanks Aphra too, I'm assuming that it will end up in Small Claims court. I think this is still a process that does not require legal representation so costs are less. For me it is more about making sure that these people are made to comply with the standards so that nobody else goes through what I have. At the very least I'd like to find a supervising body of some sort that can inspect them regularly to make sure they are doing their job and doing it properly or quit rather than cause harm to another dog or cat.

I've had a pretty awful experience at a boarding kennel resulting in both my dogs ending up under veterinary care. The owners were negligent and incompetent to put it politely and have left me with a broken heart and a dog still under veterinary care. I'm trying to work out where to go to make some serious complaints, before I take legal action. I'm determined that they be held accountable for the injuries to my dogs and I think they should have paid the vets bill as well... I don't want to go into more detail other than to say it's not about the money, but that they caused the injuries and distress to my dogs through clear incompetence... I know I'm going to need a solicitor, but prior to that I'm hoping to do some research and work out just where I stand and my chances. Thanking you in advance for any suggestions in where to go for advice. (I apologise if this has already been covered in an earlier topic, I went back 4 or 5 pages and couldn't see anything. Happy to be sent to read an older topic if there is one that covers this.)

I'm a bit rusty but I used to have Amstaffs, just in between at the moment, I did show, do obedience and bred one litter some years ago so maybe some stuff in the memory bank might be useful here... 1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) I was a breeder if one litter counts and have had two AmStaffs so far and loved them and the breed to bits, still grieving their losses. I have other family dogs, cats and horses so I need to wait till there is room and time for another AmStaff. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? Memory tells me that the breed was first recognised in America around 1934/35 when there was a split between those wanting to name them American Staffordshire Terriers and those whose preference was the American Pit Bull Terrier, and that is where the two breeds first began to be separated, (including different kennel clubs recognising teach breed, UKC & AKC I think) The split occurred however, in the 70's I think it was, AmStaffs were used to 'add fresh lines' to the APBT and there are still dual registered dogs today. The breed was first developed from bully type breeds, the White Bull Terrier rings a bell, and a few other 'english' breeds and used as 'butchers dogs' they were required to hold the bull by the muzzle so that the butcher could do his job. They went on to become family guardians, herding dogs and generally held any role their owner required. Or so the books tell me if I have remembered correctly... 3. How common is it in Australia? These days the AmStaff can be found for sale in too many papers and too many pounds and shelters seem to have them up for adoption, or at least they are listed as AmStaffs and crosses. 4. What is the average lifespan? 12 to 14 years. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? Very much like the staffy bull terriers - they love their family, they love to please their owners (if they understand what you want) and are typical boisterous terriers who have strong jaws and can chew through lots of shoes if bored :) 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? Regular daily walking, playing, running and toys definitely and mental stimulation is very important, however, having said that, my first girl didn't hold weight well so she didn't require as much walking and didn't seem to miss it. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? Provided they have commonsense and intend to put the effort into understanding what an energetic and intelligent dog they have and that they research the breed to be sure they can devote the time, socialisation and training into their dog to end up with a fantastic friend, but most dogs need owners who have commonsense and time don't they? 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? I think it really depends on the dog, some can be incredibly full on needing time, attention, training and even a doggy playmate and others are happy to lay in the warm sun while you are at work etc. 9. How much grooming is required? Minimal, the occasional brush if you feel like it, although a good rub/massage is probably as good, and a bath when they need one. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? Some can be, this is an incredibly strong dog in a fairly smalll package, or at least it's a small package if it's close to the preferred heights for the breed so if they are not well trained then yeah, they can be boisterous, they are terriers after all. An adult dog may be less boisterous than a pup or juvenile, but they are for the most part easily trained. I hear and read stories of them having an innate sense of who they need to be gentle with, and I know my girls were calmer than usual when around my new born son but maybe they had simply matured and calmed and it was just coincidence. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? Ataxia was not not around when I was more seriously involved (early 90's) so I don't know much about it. Hip displaysia can be an issue, I wonder if it's because the dogs are getting heavier and too solid, I don't know but it wasn't as common back then in the breed. Elbows can now be an issue, again, I don't recall it being an issue. I was aware of epilepsy in two related dogs, they weren't closely related so I don't know if hereditary or if an issue these days. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) Dependent on why you are buying an AmStaff, you need to know their history with the breed, what papers the pup will have, are pups ataxia clear by parentage and the parents too, any history of any health issues, hips, elbows, anything. Agression in any of the lines, what are they breeding for, in particular with AmStaffs as some breeders are breeding for size "big heads, big boned" but there is only one breed standard and this is not what the standard is aiming for, a big oversized, dog can't perform to the same standard as a less heavy, fitter dog when asked to work whether as a butchers dog or as a herding animal etc. Making sure the pups nose, lips and eyelids colour in black or very dark grey/blue is important and espcially these days with BSL, AmStaffs shouldn't have a red nose, although very occasionally, they will which possibly links back to colour dilutions, or, dual registrations back in the lines. If going for a show ring or future breeding stock pup then of course you need to know your standard, make sure the lines don't carry the obvious defaults like more than 80% white, tri colour, black with tan etc or the hereditary health concerns. Also, be sure to find out the reputation of the breeder, ask others, ask them what their guarantees are etc. I would hope that all good breeders back their dogs on common sense matters (eg a hereditray issue over a new owner not teaching their dog basic obedience) and would want first option if a dog needed to be rehomed, I know I did. Whew, I don't know if I actually added anything new or useful but it was fun trying to see what I could remember ;)