GUNSCROSSED

Gunscrossed are a small family run kennel. We only breed when we require a puppy ourselves and only then from stock tested both medically and in the show ring.

Our aim is to breed Stafford’s of correct breed type and most importantly temperament, all our dogs live as part of the family.

Our long-term goals are to preserve this great breed as the 'formost all purpose dog' and to retain the correct blend of Bull & Terrier.

This is our foundation bitch, she has only been shown very lightly at Breed club shows and has consistantly been placed.
She has been HC and PHPV tested unaffected and is L2-HGA and HC tested genetically clear by DNA test.


We are also Kennel Club 'Accredited Breeders', which means we meet all of their current requirements and recommendations.

Breed Specific Legislation.

Before you consider buying a Staffordshire Bull Terrier please consider the following.

The current dangerous dog laws that are in place lack clout and are rarely enforced. Many owners fail to register or vaccinate their dogs, do not socialise or train their dogs, and do not contain their dogs as required by law. And yet, these careless owners face little, if any, consequences. The government is now proposing making a law that would punish responsible owners like myself, who follow the letter of the law and care for our well-behaved dogs like children.
Instead what needs to be done is strengthen and enforce the non-breed-specific dangerous dog laws that are currently in place, rather than create new ones that are constitutionally questionable, expensive, and burdensome for our animal control departments, local rescue shelters, and dog owners. Effective legislation that encourages responsible ownership and creates formidable consequences for law-breakers would help solve many of the problems communities’ face with dog owners.
Breed-specific legislation is very difficult to enforce. One problem is the correct identification of breeds. “Staffy” is an extremely vague term and tends to be a catchall for any dog that looks medium sized and muscular. However, there are a wide variety of crossbreeds that fit in that category. So BSL runs the risk of affecting multiple other breeds and mixes than the ones you are attempting to pinpoint. Many shelters and animal control facilities already struggle with this task – the dogs don't come with pedigree papers! – and frequently mislabel dogs, particularly mixed breeds. The media and the public tend to be even less skilled at identifying a “Staffy” or pure bred Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Even assuming the identification of Staffordshire Bull Terriers was easy (and it’s not), animal control personnel would be faced with the insurmountable task of having to identify, remove, house, re-locate, and/or euthanase the dogs within a given region. Most animal shelters struggle without having the resources and staff supports to handle their daily tasks; enforcing BSL would mean additional work that is not supported by the resources available. Additionally you will find that most shelters do not agree with breed-specific legislation. They realise that BSL is not a reasonable or viable solution for the issue of dog bites and attacks.
Irresponsible owners should be targeted, not a breed. Negligent owners already violate many dog laws, so enacting BSL would likely not faze them. However, responsible owners who are diligent in their duties - and whose dogs are good canine citizens - will bear the brunt of further restrictive legislation. The goal should be to enforce laws and increase penalties for violators (something that is undeniably currently not being done, or else animal control departments would not be so overwhelmed). BSL will simply add to the burden that responsible owners, shelters, and animal control officers must bear.
Human-aggressive Staffordshire Bull Terriers are not characteristic of the breed. The Kennel Club notes in their description (Breed Standard) of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier (SBT) breed requirements:

"Characteristics
Traditionally of indomitable courage and tenacity. Highly intelligent and affectionate especially with children."

Human-aggression in the bull breeds is not permissible by any club’s breed standard. People who breed dogs for human-aggression are dangerous individuals who are creating little more than a vicious mongrel. Those beasts may look similar to the “Staffy”-type dogs, but they are not truly “Staffordshire Bull Terriers”. Allowing BSL against “Staffys” targets the wrong kind of dog. This is why non-breed-specific legislation is so important. It covers all vicious dogs, regardless of breed.
We find it horrifying when a person is maimed or killed by a dog, especially when the person is a child. However we rationalise our reaction to the incident, we must remain rational enough to place the responsibility for the tragedy directly on the people involved, not on the animal itself. The circumstances that make a dog bite a person vary with the situation, training, and/or environment which the dog encounters or lives in. This stark fact remains: all breeds and varieties of dogs can, will, and do bite.
Any Bull and Terrier breed that threatens, attacks, bites, or even shows aggression toward a person, other than in defence of its own people, should be destroyed. The danger in owning or being in contact with such animal cannot be over emphasised. If, however, a Teacup Poodle exhibits the same behaviour it should receive the same treatment. Aggression toward humans is not a behaviour that should be tolerated in any dog. Dachshunds and Chihuahuas, however small, are still capable of inflicting serious wounds, and even killing a baby or child.

All of the breeding stock we use in our Staffordshire Bull Terriers is DNA tested clear of L2-HgA and Hereditary Cateracts. That means that our puppys are at birth clear from both these ailments, can never be affected by them nor can they pass them on to their offspring, they also will never have to be tested for either as they are genetically CLEAR at birth.

L-2-HGA (L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria)

L-2-HGA (L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria) in Staffordshire Bull Terriers is a neurometabolic disorder characterised by elevated levels of L-2-hydroxyglutaric acid in urine, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. L-2-hydroxyglutarate is normally metabolised to α-ketoglutarate.
L-2-HGA affects the central nervous system, with clinical signs usually apparent between 6 months and one year (although they can appear later). Symptoms include epileptic seizures, "wobbly" gait, tremors, muscle stiffness as a result of exercise or excitement and altered behaviour.
The mutation, or change to the structure of the gene, probably occurred spontaneously in a single dog but once in the population has been inherited from generation to generation like any other gene. The disorder shows an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance: two copies of the defective gene (one inherited from each parent) have to be present for a dog to be affected by the disease. Individuals with one copy of the defective gene and one copy of the normal gene - called carriers - show no symptoms but can pass the defective gene onto their offspring. When two apparently healthy carriers are crossed, 25% (on average) of the offspring will be affected by the disease, 25% will be clear and the remaining 50% will themselves be carriers.


Hereditary Cataract

Hereditary Cataract may be congenitally present as a nuclear opacity or may develop variably in terms of position, extent and age in both young and ageing adults from approximately 6–8 months to nine years of age. Currently, some 17 breeds are affected in the UK with the Boston Terrier and the Miniature Schnauzer each being affected with two types of inherited cataract. The possibility of HC is currently being investigated in another eight breeds of dog.
Cataract is defined as any opacity of the lens and/or its capsule. Thus, the clinical features seen range from pinhead marks to total lens opacity. The larger the cataract, the more severe the effect on sight. Congenital cataract is usually static, allowing vision through the adult cortical portion of the lens. As such, it can often be managed medically and surgery may never prove necessary. Hereditary cataract in young and adult dogs may or may not cause blindness depending on the amount of lens involved. For example, the posterior polar cataract of the Golden Retriever is static, but in 5% of affected dogs, there is subsequent cortical opacitation and surgery is necessary to restore sight. In the Siberian Husky and the Norwegian Buhund, the cataract is usually confined to the posterior cortex, but the amount of change is variable and surgery seldom proves necessary. Throughout the affected breeds, it is the pattern of the cataract together with age of involvement that directs the diagnosis towards a hereditary lesion. Differentiation of primary from secondary cataract is usually easily achieved, and of course, essential in terms of disease control.

Our advice is to only buy puppies from DNA tested clear parents, if in doubt ask the breeder if you can see the parents L2-HgA and HC test certificates from the Animal Health care trust.

Our beautiful blue brindle and white Whippet.

He is from Racing/Coursing bloodlines, his sire being WcrCh Red Devil and his Dam being from a mixture of Parkstone/Laguna/Bruntsfield bloodlines.

When he matures he should provide some useful bloodlines for the South East.

Watch this space.

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