Puppy Buyer Beware:

We have decided to include a Buyer Beware page on our Site to inform the public of what is happening to the Amstaff breed, and to let you know that the situation at hand is very serious. It is of great concern not only to me but also for many other ethical Amstaff breeders. If you have recently been looking through the Pups’ For Sale on Web Sites, then you may already understand some of the problems our breed and related breeds are facing from Cowboy breeders that are only trying to make a fast euro/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 euro/dollar is the main one,and breeder’s trying to turn the Amstaff into something it is not is another major concern.

At CromCruaich Kennel we strongly believe that the Survival of the American Staffordshire Terrier Breed 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 many people. By making you aware of some of these Cowboy's 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!.

Show vs. Pet Quality:

I would like to start by saying that there is NO such thing as a show quality puppy. Certain breeder’s will advertise puppies as show quality and will ask for large sums of money for them. There is NO such thing as a show quality puppy, this is one of the biggest con’s; there are only pups with show “POTENTIAL” or pups suitable for pet homes. Pups with show potential will normally cost one third more than a pup for a pet home. If a breeder tells you that their pups are show quality , you have two real choices; walk away or ask for a guarantee in writing that said puppy is show quality and if it turns out not to be, that you are entitled to your money back and that you keep the pup !.

Pups suitable for pet homes will normally have a cosmetic defect which does not affect the puppy’s health, but which is a fault in the show ring. These cosmetic defects include bad pigment on the nose/butterfly nose, kinked tail, a long tail that travels past the hock, incorrect bite, etc... etc...

We must remember that the show ring is simply a beauty pageant where dogs are looked at from a structural point of view in line with the breed standard. While some dogs may not succeed or be desirable for the show ring, they may however excel at canine sports or at Belgian Ring Sports, French Ring Sports or Schutzhund.

Limited Registration / Endorsed Pedigrees:

Most ethical breeders will only sell puppies with limited registration or endorsements on the puppies’ pedigree. This is to ensure that certain health tests are completed by the new owner for their new puppy. With the help of the breeder, the new owner can then make an educated decision as to whether or not the puppy/adult dog is suitable to take part in any future breeding program.

The Blue AmStaff:

The Blue Amstaff is a very popular colour among pet owners. Cowboy breeder's are aware of it's great popularity and take advantage of it. It has to be one of the oldest cons in this breed to tell you,

  "Blue is a very “RARE” colour there fore it will cost you more to buy".

We would like to make it very clear for you that the Blue Amstaff is NOT rare!!! In fact, the Blue Amstaff is one of the most common colours.

A dog’s colour should in no way determine it’s cost, and please remember that a colour is only cosmetic and has NO bearing on the dogs temperament, health or conformation which are so much more important. Please DON'T get caught out by one of the oldest con's going!

Aggression:

We are sickened to see people trying to install aggressive behavior into the Amstaff. Aggression toward humans has been bred out of the Staff over decades of selective breeding, that's what makes him one of the most trustworthy and greatest of all family dogs. An Amstaff will naturally protect his family and property; they do not need aggression installed back into them.

The American Staff's breed Standard states; "His Courage Is Proverbial"-

Please never mistake Aggression as Courage as there is NO similarity.

Aggression often only mask's insecurity and the ideal Amstaff should appear supremely confident in all situations, no excuses can be made for a specimen that lacks this quality.

Although the Amstaff does make an excellent Guardian of Property they should never be purchased solely for that purpose!

Health Testing:

 One of the first questions you should be asking a breeder is, “Do they health test their breeding stock”? That question is priority No.1.

The Amstaff like all other pure bred dogs unfortunately has many hereditary health problems, a few of the major ones are Ataxia and Hip Dysplasia; there is a brief description about these conditions below.

ATAXIA (NCL-A) :Cerrebellar Cortical Degeneration:

Ataxia, There Is No Cure:

Ataxia is a hereditary neurological disorder that is affecting the American Staffordshire Terrier population throughout the world, once your dog is affected by Ataxia "THERE IS NO CURE" and the only humane way to help relieve your dog from the suffering is euthanasia!.

Before a test for this disease was discovered in mid-late 2008, the only way to positively identify it was to perform a brain autopsy conducted within 12 hours of death.

There are already many breeders testing their breeding stock with a number of dogs already found to be affected and carriers, It will only be through these dedicated breeders and the continued testing that will help put a halt to the spread of this horrific disease.

We have had many phone calls from people making puppy enquiries that have said other breeders have NOT told them anything about Ataxia .  

EXAMPLES: Inheritance of the Ataxia Gene in a Litter of 100 Puppies:

When a breeder mates two dogs together that have been certified clear of Ataxia, the offspring are automatically clear of Ataxia by Parentage. If a breeder mates any of other combinations together then the offspring will need to be tested also.

Antagene's official Ataxia statistic's as of March 2011 was; 33% of all tested American Staffordshire Terriers in France are now Carrier's of Ataxia.

Hip and Elbow Dysplasia:

 Hip dysplasia is a “CRIPPLING” disease that causes lameness in the dog’s rear quarters. There is no way to determine if a dog is suffering from this condition without first having a Veterinarian X-Ray the animals Hips. No dog should be used in any breeding program without first having their Hip’s evaluated for Dysplasia, and the chances of passing it on to their offspring =”YOUR NEW PUP”

Once again, it is only the Cowboy breeders you will find that are not health testing their breeding stock. They will have your money, and you may have a crippled pup, they never get to see the pain and suffering your pup goes through, never mind the heart-ache and expense for your family.

(Please ensure the Parent’s of your new pup have both been tested for Ataxia and Hip and Elbow Dysplasia)

Tips for the Novice:

Please! We cannot stress enough, when searching for your pup to look around and compare, talk to Breeders, ask questions.

Don't just buy from the first breeders you come across just because they have pups ready to go as puppy farmers 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 make a sale.

Once again, the Amstaff unfortunately has like every other breed some health problems, you will find the ethical Breeders like us, are the ones with the best intentions for the breed in mind and are health testing their breeding stock. So when enquiring about 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 any problems you should "politely" hang up or just walk away"!. There are many other breeders around who do health test and you may save yourself and your family much Heartache and some very expensive vet 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 Irish Kennel Club (I.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 other breeds in which it is often mistaken for.

We can only inform you that there is a bench level criteria 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” ,but remember, there is no excuse for breeder’s not to be health testing. These people are only trying to convince themselves that their dogs don’t have any problems, and trying to save themselves money (at your expense).

The health issues that I have previously talked about are a “BREED” problem, not a bloodline problem! 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.

Thanks for taking time to read through our Buyer Beware page. We hope you will now be a little bit more Educated about the Amstaff , and a lot more wiser to some of the Wolf's that are breeding them.

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, then we feel that we have been able to give a little something back to the breed; 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 years.