The case of a neglected Staffordshire terrier is a clear example of a crisis in the breed which an Angus animal campaigner said has reached “epidemic” proportions.
Chunky has been at the centre of a court case which saw its owner Curtis Waters (23), of Arbroath, fined and banned from owning any animal for a year after he left the dog in a flat for two weeks.
The animal was saved in the nick of time and, after being nursed back to health and rehomed by Help For Abandoned Animals volunteers, is now living a happy life in Angus.
HFAA’s vice-chairman called the sentence too soft and says Chunky’s case is a prime example of the crisis facing a breed which has become stigmatised in modern culture.
Ian Robb said, “Staffies are lovely dogs and can make wonderful pets, but they have become associated with a bad culture and we are now in a dreadful situation which is out of control.
“About 60 or 70% of the dogs abandoned across the country are Staffies or Staffie crosses and it is an epidemic which the politicians have to try and do something about.”
He added, “Thankfully we have not reached the situation, which I believe is happening in other parts of the country, where they are having to put dogs down because they cannot cope with the numbers coming in.”
Mr Robb once received death threats after participating in a programme about the fate of greyhounds once their racing days were over. He said he would stand against those who perpetrated cruelty against that breed, and is now similarly focused on bringing the Staffie situation to decision-makers’ attention.
Mr Robb said, “Politicians need to be aware of the scale of this problem — and if it is on this scale in a place like Angus it can only be much worse in the cities. Once the election is over I will be taking this matter to Holyrood to try and get the government to take notice of this situation.”
He added, “We also need people who treat dogs in this way to be dealt with much more harshly. A year ban on keeping an animal was ludicrous. This man left the dog to die — it’s as simple as that — and it was just luck that Chunky was found before it was too late.”