jac_1983

I don't believe any breeder can claim that the pups will be healthy long term. I would never believe any breeder who claimed that and I would be out of there quick smart! The breeder I'm dealing with has never talked about how healthy the pups will be long term. She can only tell me about the health of her current bitches and stud up to this point. She told me about the health of past staffies she has had too. We're paying the same price as what we paid for our back staffy many years ago. Blue staffies are definitely not rare and that isn't a drawcard for me anyway. We like the colour as much as we like blacks. Just want a different colour from our last as its nice to have some change when you've had to say goodbye to a furry friend.

Thank you! I have a degree in genetics, so that's why I did wonder why there was so much negative information on the health of blue staffies when surely some responsible breeders could "breed out" the undesirable issues. I completely understand that backyard breeders won't at all care about the health of the dogs. But it seems that blue staffies have been around for a while now and surely there must be some responsible breeders out there by now. We also spoke to numerous vets who have confirmed they see a greater number of blue staffies with skin allergies, but that is not to say that ALL blue staffies have skin issues.

Thank you for your comments. Her asking price seemed reasonable to me and in line with the price we paid for our first black staffy, so that didn't ring any alarm bells. The breeder only told me about her stud dog and his heritage when I asked her about the health and origins of her dog. I sent her an article that outlined the potential issues present in blue staffies and asked her to give me her honest opinion on the article. She didn't deny any of the claims in the article at all. She simply stated that there are also healthy blue staffies and that her stud and two bitches hadn't presented with any problems and were tested for genetic issues. With regards to temperament, she has four young children (youngest is 5) and the dogs are all family pets that are raised in their home. She wouldn't ever risk the lives of her children and wouldn't ever want her reputation tarnished by breeding aggressive puppies. I've had numerous conversations over the phone with her and she seems very honest and kind. Your comment that I should buy with my head is completely true! My head tells me I can trust her, but then I see negative comments regarding the blue breeders in general and I question myself. I just wonder if they developed a bad reputation due to "backyard breeders" who want to make money and don't care about health. Is it possible that some blue breeders just like the blues and will do their best to breed healthy and gentle ones?

I have read many posts regarding breeders of blue staffordshire bull terriers. The majority say that breeders of blue dogs are unethical. I understand the reasoning behind this and am not here to ask about what health conditions these dogs may have as I am well aware of the potential conditions. We have owned one purebred black staffy and a tan amstaff x before. The black staffy died from cancer and the amstaff x had a bad skin allergy. Prior to that I had Jack Russell Terriers. Both died from cancer and one had bad skin allergies. Skin allergies, in my limited experience with dogs, seem to be something that does crop up relatively frequently. Most of the time its treatable and I'm OK with that. We have two very young children who have grown up with our most recent staffy. We would like to welcome a new dog into our house. We usually get rescue dogs but on this occasion we feel that it would be in the best interests of our children to get a puppy that can grow up with them and be used to kids from a very young age. We love the staffy breed and feel they are the right temperament, size and energy level for our household. I contacted about 6 breeders. My husband would like a blue staffy because we've had black and tan before (less confusing for the kids if its a different colour) and because he has always admired them(no judgement please). We want a calm, good natured dog who will become a member of our family. The breeder I like the most has a puppy for us and raises her dogs in her family home with her husband and 4 young children. She breeds blue with blue. I've questioned her regarding skin conditions and temperament. Her response was that she has only seen alopecia once (not in her dogs) but that was 8 years ago and she feels that honest breeders have tried to breed the condition out. She believes that "backyard breeders" would probably not be so vigilant with this. With regards to allergies she had a black staffy and it had bad skin but none of her blues have had a problem yet. She spent a lot of money purchasing her stud, whose father was actually imported from overseas. All her dogs are tested for the common genetic conditions and have beautiful temperaments. So can I trust her? Her dogs look healthy and happy. They are surrounded by children. She hasn't asked for a deposit until we come and visit and then decide to go ahead. She lives several hours outside of Sydney and doesn't advertise her litters (she was the last breeder I stumbled across after extensive searching, but she didn't state she had puppies). Can a blue staffy breeder still breed healthy, good natured pups even though its allegedly unethical snd not in the best interest of the breed? Is there such a thing as an ethical blue staffy breeder?