Stanley throws himself against his cage, his big brown eyes peering out. When the door opens, he clambers on Kelly, the dog warden. Staff aren’t supposed to name dogs, but with Stanley, a cross mastiff, Kelly Edmondson couldn’t resist. “He’s such a good boy – I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t want him.”
But when 18-month-old Stanley came to the Hackney Council dog pound two weeks ago, his pelvis and ribs were painfully visible, his spine jutting through the skin. Claws overgrown, he was scared of all people, found wandering the streets in the E5 area.
Just a fortnight later, Stanley is toilet trained and loves nothing more than socialising. As if on cue, he politely offers me his paw.
The cross mastiff will be moved to the RSPCA next week, where staff hope he will find a new home. But Ted Trewes, hygiene services manager for the council, says the stigma surrounding Stanley’s breed makes the adoption process difficult.
“He’s a bull breed, but there’s nothing wrong with him,” he says. “Bullmastiffs and Staffordshire Bull Terriers can be really loveable, but people associate them with gangs and violence. They think they’re going to be aggressive but they’re not. We struggle to re-home them.”
Stanley is one of many bull breeds facing unfair discrimination. Feryal Demirci, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, adds: “Most of the dogs we take in are bull breeds, which some people keep as status dogs. A lot of irresponsible breeding is going on, which makes things worse.”
As I leave, Kelly takes Stanley by the collar to put him back in his cage. His grin turns into a mournful stare, and he digs his claws into the ground, barking loudly.
“It’s not nice to hear,” Mr Trewes says. “People often come and see the dogs here and leave in tears.”
