Recently I made a request to the Stafford community asking for more volunteers to please step up and help rescue and re-home. We need people in all areas of the country to help fund raise, transport, identify, foster, screen, do home checks and help communicate with the rescue and re-home volunteers for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier breed in America. I thought this was a reasonable request because basically the same few people have been bearing the weight of this task for many many years and its impossible for so few volunteers to do the work of an entire country. Also it sucks. We are tired.
This breed is becoming way too popular and every day more and more ‘pop up’ breeders and new breeders are selling puppies – some do the proper amount of screening and education and they also have solid contracts in place, microchip and register with their names and require dogs come back to them if needed…..the ‘pop ups’ and casual breeders are basically making puppies to pay their bills.
I received several earnest messages saying I live here, this is my experience with Staffords and this is what I am willing to do. AMAZING and THANK YOU!
I also received some super angry replies. In fact, one in particular was so full of hate I don’t know why she send me a message at all. She states where she lives and that she is only willing to help ID, transport and possibly foster if there are no issues or complications (ahem, this is rescue not perfect puppy school) and then she went into a tirade about how she refuses to help Staffords who are in need of re-homing because that’s not her job and shouldn’t be the job of ‘rescue’ either.
What this angry person fails to realize (mainly because she has not helped rescue in the same capacity as we have) sometimes re-home means a breeder cannot be found, has died, is ill and cant care for their dogs, or otherwise finds themselves in a situation requiring outside assistance. Sometimes re-home is helping a breeder who took back a dog, elderly or otherwise and requests our help because we have the reach and marketing available. Sometimes re-home means a family must give up a dog and the breeder is very far away, or in another country, and we are here to help.
I have said this a million times and will say it again – we are here for the STAFFORDS.
Let me add – the person who detests our efforts with such vitriol and spit for doing any sort of re-home misses the point in two ways.
- Calling what we do ‘rescue’ is usually not a true rescue. Unless a dog is in a shelter on death row – we are re-homing. We aren’t diving into a building on fire pulling Staffords to safety. We are taking in Staffords in need and finding suitable homes. We also ask for a small donation back to TSK to help replenish funds used – look at it this way – what we spend on YOU we get back to spend on the next one. We ask for this donation from re-home also.
- By NOT supporting good breeders by assisting them if we can, what she is essentially supporting is ONLY aiding those pop up and BYB’ers who don’t give a shit where the dogs end up as long as they get paid.
SO either decide you are able and willing to help STAFFORDS in need – or don’t. Personally I don’t care. If you volunteer then I welcome you with open arms but please don’t place rules and restrictions. (Exceptions are understandable such as cant foster dogs who hate cats/chickens and you have cats/chickens, etc….fosters are screened and appropriate placements made – we aren’t stupid) I am already faced with difficult tasks doing this. As I have said in past blog posts – I have been yelled at, cussed, threatened with lawsuits, accused of all sorts of horrible things from those same people who begged me to come to their aid.
SO that all being said – thank you to the people who have opened up their homes, wallets and cars to help Staffords in need.