Hi guy's
 

Hi everybody, my name is Andrew and I am 42 years young,I live in the north west of England with my wife and 2 of my son's (one has left home).

I collect diecast model trucks and am very interested in anything that can be called a truck.

I have a varied musical taste from Oasis to Pink Floyd and every thing in between.

I look for ward to getting to know you all in the coming weeks.

Welcome, bulldog.

I hope you will contribute your comments and maybe some photographs.

Does your 'name' imply a suggestion of an affiliation with Macks?

Welcome Mate, great site. Lots of terrible humour, you'll enjoy it.

(Don't forget to post the odd photo also.)

Mike (hilifta)

Well I do love Mack trucks but my wife say's it's because I look like one:D

Thank goodness your tag isn't "poodle".:eek:

Hi bulldog_68 and welcome! :)

Thank's for the welcome guy's, The avatar is my 3 year old Staffy Saracen.

My daughter had a Staffie that she rescued when she was a vet nurse.
The dog had been a breeding ***** on a puppy farm that was brought in with mammary cists.
The owner decided not to accept the diagnosis and treatment and just wanted the dog to be put to sleep.

Daughter persuaded the vets to operate and remove the cists and adopted her.
The Staffie was totally deaf (no response from 100dB at all frequencies) and totally unsocialised (didn't recognise a ball) and thought to be about eight years old.

My daughter taught her to respond to hand signals and, when out walking the dog would keep looking back for any signal.

Several footballs were punctured before I bought a basketball, which, being bigger and firmer, survived.

She would spend all day chasing the basketball around the garden (across flowerbeds!) if allowed to.

At the beach she would retrieve stones thrown for her, even if it meant entering the sea and burying her head into the water.

She had two marvellous years living as a puppy - playing all day - until the cancer caught up with her and daughter decided that enough was enough and she was put to sleep and cremated with her ashes kept of course!

My opinion of Staffies was transformed - she was the ugliest example of an ugly breed, but was totally without aggression and just wanted her tummy tickled - a facet that appears to apply to all Staffies that I have encountered since - even those with the 'hard boys' that parade and pretend that their dog is hard and dangerous!
I love them!

Hi. Andrew, I'm pleased you took my advice and joined this forum, welcome along, I know you'll enjoy it.

G-CPTN, what a wonderful story, I too am a complete Staffy convert.
I used to be phobic when It came to dogs but in my early 20's I got over it and have been a dog owner ever since.
Til recently I had 2 white Boxer dogs and what a pair of comedians they were. The youngest one called Ralph was also deaf and used to rely on the older one George to help him out and to be honest is was like just owning the 1 dog.

When they passed away I was heartbroken and my wife bought me the Staffy as a pup but I was unsure about owning such a dog having heard only bad things about them.

Well I glad to say even though he is like a bull in a model shop, he is the most friendly and loving dog I could wish for and just to prove a point, my wife owns a shi tzu called William and he is the boss when its all comes down to it and I'm very sure that he will come to no harm with his big brother around.