Staffordshire Bull Terrier: An Owner’s Guide - Alison Smith

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Note the famous Stafford smile, as shown above by these two handsome dogs!

      The word Staffordshire relates to the part of the United Kingdom where the breed first became popular in the mid 1800s, particularly among the working classes. The Staffordshire area of the Midlands, including Birmingham, Walsall and Stoke-on-Trent, saw extensive breeding of both of this dog’s forebears – Bulldogs and terriers.

      The motivation was still to achieve the perfect fighting dog, and even though dog fighting was outlawed in the early 1900s, many fanciers continued to breed with the fight in mind and dogs still went head to head with each other. These clandestine fights were organized by word of mouth, culminating in a ‘game’ played out in someone’s home, backyard or a disused building. Thus the name of the breed is a tribute both to its forefathers and place of origin, making it truly British.

      Interestingly, whilst this breed’s aggression towards other dogs was never doubted, it is a fact that people were often to be seen handling the dogs in the fighting pits, and yet they were rarely attacked. This is a testament to the breed’s love of humans, and it is this quality that makes the Stafford such a wonderful companion to this day.

       The early days

      In 1888, the Bull Terrier Club of England was formed and subsequently the members published a Breed Standard – a blueprint for the breed. This Standard listed all the desirable physical and temperament points that any breeder should aspire to. All recognized breeds nowadays have their own Breed Standards, which are laid down by the Kennel Club and should be closely adhered to by breeders.

       This Stafford combines the physical strength and agility which his forebears were bred for. Staffords are always happy to display their keenness for life.

      The Staffordshire Bull Terrier had to wait until the 1930s before fanciers decided to try and establish it as a breed in its own right, rather than the loose blend of bull and terrier which had existed until that time. This was due partly to the fact that the abolition of dog fighting was now being strictly enforced and ‘underground fights’ were regularly stopped by the police and the organizers were punished. Illegal fighting continued, however – and, sadly, still does – albeit to a much lesser degree.

      Having lost their ‘sport’ to these new laws, breed enthusiasts started to think about what else they could do to show off their stock to other like-minded people. One way was to follow in the footsteps of many other dog breeds and perhaps start to compete against each other, not in the pit this time but in the show ring at a dog show.

       The first Standard

      At this point, the Stafford, as we know it now, was clearly recognizable. By cleverly breeding like to like, a very distinct and unique-looking dog was emerging. The very first Breed Standard was written by two of the Stafford’s most famous custodians and breeders, Joe Dunn and Joe Mallan. The writings were based on a dog called Jim the Dandy, which was owned by Jack Barnard. Early pictures of the breed show a dog that was taller and perhaps finer looking than the Stafford today, and possibly closer to its cousin, the Bull Terrier.

      In 1935, this prototype Standard was accepted at the first meeting of the newly formed Original Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club. In June of the same year, the Kennel Club (the UK’s official canine governing body) officially accepted it, too, thereby opening up a whole new world for the enthusiasts of the breed – the dog show.

       Popular the world over, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a happy-go-lucky companion who will be eager to try everything. Some even love water and swimming.

      It is perhaps unfortunate that many lovers of the breed in the mid-1930s, including people who had bred for years to create the Stafford, felt that the sport of showing was less than ideal. For them, a dog bred primarily for fighting would lose some of this trait if he was bred instead for the show ring, where a lack of ‘action’ would leave him naturally less aggressive over a period of time. Indeed, many secret fights were still going on, and some dogs continued to be bred for their prowess in a fight rather than in competition against the Standard.

      A year later, in 1936, the Original Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club became known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club, following some complaints from the Bull Terrier Club concerning the word ‘original’.

       First shows and famous winners

      It is widely believed that the very first appearance of the breed as an exhibit was in June 1935 at Hertfordshire Agricultural Show. The first Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club show was held two months later in August at Cradley Heath in the West Midlands. The records show that 60 dogs and bitches were entered.

      Around this time the breed was expanding rapidly in numbers and was sought after both as a pet and as a show dog. Whilst its origins were still very much to the fore, its popularity in the show ring meant that it was seen by many more people, as quite often the dog shows were held in conjunction with local agricultural shows, which attracted hundreds of visitors.

      Challenge Certificates (see page 88) were granted to the breed by the Kennel Club not long afterwards, and the first Stafford to be awarded this high honour was a beautiful dog called Gentleman Jim at the Birmingham National championship show, which is still held in the UK every year.

      In 1936, the breed was given its own class at Crufts Dog Show, and this was won by Cross Gunns Johnson, owned by Joe Dunn. In June 1946, the Southern Counties Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club held the first championship show purely for the Stafford, and breed fanciers saw an incredible entry of 300 dogs, which was testimony again to the growth in the breed’s popularity.

      Other dogs worthy of note at this time were Champion Gentleman Bruce, Champion Wardonion Corniche and Champion Brindle Crescendo of Wychbury. Pictures of them show a dog that had by now become much more uniform in appearance, although still perhaps a little taller than it is now.

       The breed internationally

      Nowadays the breed is very popular the world over. From America to Australia, from Russia to Argentina, the Stafford is revered as a wonderful pet and successful show dog. Sadly, however, there are some countries where the breed is the target of what is known as Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). This legislation came about because of a general confusion over the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and other breeds, namely the Pit Bull Terrier and several crosses of other breeds with the Stafford. Unfortunately, the physical similarities between these breeds can sometimes appear to be quite close to the uninitiated, although to the trained eye there are many differences.

       As a responsible owner, you will spend many happy hours with your well trained Stafford, walking him and playing.

      The German government tried to ban the breed across the European Union in September 2000, but luckily the intervention of the UK Kennel Club stopped this happening. The breed was banned in Ontario, Canada, in August 2005, and several other countries are closely watching the breed known as the Pit Bull Terrier. Therefore it is important that all Stafford owners behave very responsibly to avoid their breed being placed in the same category.

       The Dangerous Dogs Act

      As a responsible Stafford owner, the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA) is extremely unlikely to affect you or your dog. Owning a pedigree Stafford is perfectly acceptable in the UK. However, you must always make sure that your dog’s pedigree and Kennel Club papers are available, as sometimes authorities with little expertise in the breed can confuse them with banned

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