The Stafforshire Bull
Terrier

Ahem - This is me, Hecky

Below, a brief history of the
breed.
First, let's look at the name
(deconstruct it, as some modern philosophers are wont to say) for some genealogical
clues. "Bull" and "Terrier" immediately jumps out, and
indeed, they inform the breed's ancestry.
The
Terrier's Legacy
There is much debate as to the
specific terrier that definitively informed the staffie's ancestry - some
experts suggest the English
White Terrier (a breed that is now extinct), while
others argue for
the Manchester terrier (click on the thumbnail to your
right to see a Manchester "Black and Tan" Terrier), and still others argue that a cross between the
Manchester and White terrier was used. What is clear, though, is that the
turn of the seventeenth century saw the staffie's origins informed by a terrier,
especially in the face that was brought forward and out in the cross with the
bull dog below. Of course, aspects of the burrowing terrier (the word
comes from the French - "terre" - which means earth) personality is
also evident in the staffie of modern times.
The Bull's Legacy
The Bull, of course, refers to the
British Bull Dog, but originally, the bull dog that contributed to the breed
lines of the staffie didn't
quite look like the famous bull dog of contemporary
times. Taller and more athletic than the current bull dog, with legs
under, rather than beside the ribcage as is the case with today's bulldog, one can
nonetheless see in the wide and deep brisket, and the stocky, muscular frame the bull's gift to the
staffie's build.
Bull
& Bear Baiting
Okay, now
why would people want to cross these two breeds? The answer,
unfortunately, is not a pleasant one. During the 1800's the
"sport" of bull- and bear-baiting was popular in England. This
essentially involved the barbarous practice of tethering a bull to a stake, and
to set a pack of dogs onto the bull. Similarly, with the bear. The bloodthirsty
expectation was that the bull would
eventually be killed, but in the process also injuring or felling one or more of
its canine attackers. Now whereas the early Bulldog and the Mastiffs were
used, they were rather heavy, and the search was on for an agile dog, but with
the same strong jaws, and an aggressive temperament. The cross between the
Bulldog and the Manchester terrier achieved just that - a smaller dog, more
nimble, but as strong as ever. Initially, this dog was known as the Old
Pit Bull Terrier, but over time became known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
While
the bloody practice of bull- and bear baiting was eventually outlawed in
Britain, the barbaric sport was particularly popular in Central England, and
well in the county of Staffordshire, on the upper reaches of the Trent river.
And here, then, an explanation of the full name - Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
From
these less than favorable and inauspicious beginnings would evolve one of the
most lovable, popular, loyal, and trusted breeds on the face of the earth.
In his authoritative Encyclopedia of the Dog, Bruce Fogle mentions that
"There is probably no breed that is more loving with its family .... than
this kinetic mass of solid bone and thick muscle" [B. Fogle, The Encyclopedia
of the Dog, DK Publishing, 1995]. Indeed, in England, Staffies are also
known as "nanny dogs" which says much about their relationship with
children.
Currently,
the Staffie is popular in all the corners of the world, especially countries
which had ties to Britain as former colonies. In Canada, Australia, New
Zeeland, and South Africa, the Staffie is a favored breed. In fact, in
South Africa, it is the most popular breed - maybe because it has been
immortalised in the popular novel (and now big budget film), Jock of the
Bushveld, by Sir Percy Fitzgerald.
The
Amstaff and the Pit Bull
In
the US, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is often mistaken for a Pit Bull Terrier
or an American Staffordshire Bull Terrier. These are separate and distinct
breeds, even though they share a genealogical and ancestral history with the
Staffordshire. In the 1880's, when the bull and terrier breeds arrived on
North American shores, selective breeding produced a generally heavier, taller
(and many say more aggressive), dog. The Amstaff and the Pit Bull
represent these two lines of selective breeding away from the original
Staffordshire. In the table below, a simple comparative difference chart
helps to distinguish these three breeds from each other.