A History of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier

So much has already been written about the historydog that was low to the ground was seen to be
of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier that I wondered ifmore likely to be successful. It is from here that the
indeed it was necessary to write more!squat, low-slung muscularity of the Staffordshire
But it is important for an owner or potential owneroriginates. One does not wish to ponder too long on
to know some of its origin and breeding; in order tohow many dogs were unsuccessful - or the extent
understand the habits, nature and tendencies of theof their injuries!
breed today. If I were to neglect the history - it'sRecords existing from the region of Staffordshire
possible that owners or potential owners could missapparently report on events and wagering - hence
out on the understanding that the history brings.the association of the town to the animal, though the
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier of today is very muchpractice was not limited to this area.
a result of man's perverse desires in the area ofEventually one must assume that people finally came
animal fighting. However in this case, in spite of theto their senses, because the sport was eventually
hideous cruelty that birthed it - mankind has trulymade illegal, though not without considerable delay.
been blessed and now benefits from the existenceBeing a dog lover, that's about where I would like to
of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in my somewhatleave the history of dogs and fighting. I could go on
biased experience!to describe bear and badger baiting as does Gordon,
Though Staffordshire Bull Terrier records are notbut I hate the thought of it - and believe that any
detailed, there is evidence of a history of Bull andreader that truly loves dogs would also feel similarly?
Terrier dogs back in the 1800s, at a time when dogsSketches and line drawings of the earliest types of
were specifically bred for baiting bulls. However thisdog used in the fights, bear resemblance to
dog was a much larger animal - the size of a mastiff.something cross between what we would now call
The barbaric practices of dogs versus anything --the Bulldog and the modern English Staffordshire Bull
was considered public entertainment, I can only sayTerrier. Crossing of breeds continued and it is
that I sometimes feel I would like to entertain thegenerally accepted that the dog of today was
public with some of these individuals!arrived at by the crossing of the Bulldog with the Old
For those who are shocked by stories of cruelty,English Terrier and the English White Terrier.
might I suggest that you skip the next fiveThe history of the breed itself can be traced to the
paragraphs?beginning of the 19th century. But according to
According to John F. Gordon, bull-baiting, bear baitingGordon, it was not fully recognised as a breed by the
and the baiting of badgers were old English pastimesKennel Club of Great Britain and the American Kennel
and stories of such events are common in history. HeClub until sometime around the mid 1930s.Today
says: "any big, strong animal was fair game for theStaffordshire Bull Terriers have become one of the
pleasure loving Briton with his ponderous fierce dog."worlds MOST POPULAR breeds - and for good
And goes on to say "This sport soon took onreason, despite their fighting background, they make
throughout the country and it was not long beforegreat family pets!
every market town had its bullring or place whereBut perhaps you're still unsure? I LOVE Staffordshire
the bull was tethered and baited by dogs."Bull Terriers - so maybe I'm just a little too biased?
In the practice of bull-baiting - a tethered bull was toMay I suggest that you locate and watch the 2
be attacked by a dog. In order to achieve a win, thevideos on I found on YouTube recently (at the
dog was expected to hold the nose of the bull tobottom of the Should YOU own a Staffordshire Bull
the ground and to be successful at this without beingTerrier article) and see a wonderful perspective on
gored - so the dog needed to be strong, yet smallStaffordshire Bull Terriers and how perfectly they fit
enough to avoid the horns. So a compact, muscularin with families?