PLEASE READ IF YOU ARE THINKING
OF PURCHASING AN
AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER
The reason we have now decided to include a Buyer Beware page on our Site is to inform the public of what is happening to the Amstaff breed in Australia, and to let you know that the situation at hand is very serious and spiralling out of control at an alarming rate.
It is of great concern not only to me but also for many other ethical Amstaff breeders throughout Australia. If you have recently been looking through the Dog's For Sale section in the local or interstate papers and visiting Web Sites, then you may already understand some of the problems our breed is facing from some breeders that are only trying to make a fast dollar.
We could see for the breed novice that was looking to purchase a pup that it would be an absolute nightmare to know, what is an Amstaff and what is not, what is correct and what is not ,am I getting ripped off ? or, who can you trust ? .There are too many people starting to breed and for all the wrong reasons, trying to make a fast dollar is the main one, and breeder’s trying to turn the Amstaff into something it is not is another major concern.
At Ravinboutya Amstaffs we strongly believe that the Survival of the American Staffordshire Terrier Breed within Australia now rests in the hands of their future owners. You the puppy buyer have a great impact on the breed and its future as you have the final decision of whom you do, and do not buy from!. Unethical breeders/puppy farmers will ALWAYS be around as long as there is a dollar to be made and people continue buying from them, these breeders are not concerned about the Amstaffs well-being, they are only concerned about who they can rip-off next.
We cannot emphasise enough that you should be putting just as much
thought into choosing the breeder of your new pup, as you do choosing your pup.
Selecting, buying and taking home your new puppy should be a happy occasion, something you and your children can look back on and cherish for the rest of your life's, and hopefully not something you will regret for the rest of your life's as what has been the case for so many people lately. By making you aware of some of these breeders and the unethical practices they use, maybe we can help bring a bit of sanity back into looking for, and selecting that very special pup, to make it a little bit more of an enjoyable experience for you, as it should be!.
Don't be fooled by someone who is trying to tell you that one color is rarer than another, or one color is more expensive to buy than another, especially a blue Amstaff. The blue Amstaff is very common, in fact with the popularity of the color these days it is the most common color you see. Please remember color is only cosmetic whether it be BLUE, Black, Red, Fawn, Seal or any other it has NO bearing on the dogs
Temperament or Health which are so much more important.
Please! we cannot stress enough, when searching for your pup to look around and compare, talk to Breeders ask questions, the best places to visit are Conformation dog show's that's what they are there for ,they were originally started to show-case purebred dog breeds to the public. You will see a great variety of Amstaffs of various types and colors, the breeders you will find there are breeding to the American Staffordshire Terrier Breed Standard, so you won’t find Staff's more true-to-type than what they are breeding!
Give theAmstaff Club in your State a ring, see when they are running a show or holding a Fun Day, these events are great you will see lots of Staff's and meet loads of people with the same interest who are passionate about the Amstaff ,and have a genuine concern about the
breed and its future within Australia.
Don't just buy from the first breeders you come across in the Paper just because they have pups ready to go, as puppy farmers will always have pup's ready to go. Be aware there are just as many Cowboy's in this business as any other. Don't be talked into something you don't want, they will say and do anything to win your dollar.
Once again, the Amstaff unfortunately has many serious health problems and you will soon find the ethical Breeders, they are the ones with the best intentions for the breed in mind and are health testing their breeding stock. So when enquiringabout your new pup PLEASE make, "are you health testing your breeding stock" one of your first questions!
All breeders at the very least should be testing for problems such as Ataxia and Hip/Elbow Dysplasia. If a breeder ever tells you they don’t need to do any health testing as their dogs don’t suffer from anyproblemsyou should "politely" hang-up or just walk away"!.
There are many other breeders around who does health test and you may save yourself and your family much Heartache and some very expensivevet bills in the future.
If you are interested in purchasing a pup from an ethical breeder they will only be happy to show you the results of testing if you request them, NEVER be afraid to ask!
We cannot emphasize enough that you MUST make sure your Amstaff pup will be sold with Australian National Kennel Council (A.N.K.C) Pedigree Papers either on a Main or Limited Registration, and also make sure your pup will be Micro chipped , under no circumstances accept anything less!!!!. One of the main reason's you should do this, is due to the Amstaffs close resemblance to a restricted breed in which it is often mistaken for, your Amstaff can be seized by Canine Control/ Local rangers and may be destroyed if you cannot prove that it is an Amstaff !. There are only 2 territories that do not currently have BSL.
Having that Paperwork and Microchip is Critical ! Some people will try to save themselves a few dollars by purchasing a cheap pup from a Backyard Breeder, but believe me they regret it when Shire/Council officer's come knocking at their door, it's very upsetting for all concerned, especially your children!!
We can only inform you that there is a bench level criterion that ethical breeders use, but whether or not you use the above information as a guideline when searching for your new pup is ”entirely up to you.
Never forget there are many more ethical and genuine breeders around who do test their dogs, than those who do not, and those who do not health test are the minority. By simply making another phone call you may save yourself and your family much Heartache and some very expensivevet bills.
The American Staffordshire Terrier is a Medium sized dog, NOT a large one, and should be possessed of great strength for his size. He is a balance of power and agility, a balance of Bull and Terrier. If you Increase his size, you will decrease his agility to the detriment of this Balance.
They are not supposed to have a MASSIVE head or chest.
The American Staff is NOT an American Bulldog !!
If you can learn something from us and then take it away and use it for the good and well-being of the American Staffordshire Terrier and its future within Australia, then we feel that we have been able to give a little something back to the breed that has given so much to us.
And If you just put that little bit of extra research into choosing the breeder of your pup, we are sure your new Amstaff will give you as much enjoyment, satisfaction with never ending love and devotion as what we have had from ours over the many years that we have been privileged to have them as part of our family.
Thanks for taking time to read through our Buyer Beware page.
Adapted by Ravinboutya from the original Buyer Beware written by Stuart Barber of Runamuk Amstaffs & John Zammit of DDDAWGS Kennels