The Staffordshire Bull Terrier - Little Dog with a Lot of Heart

A family was at the local animal shelter to put a holdpeople, including General George Patton, President
on a pug for the pug rescue when they met and fellWoodrow Wilson, and author John Steinbeck have
in love with Bonnie, a brindle-colored Staffordshire Bullowned bully breeds.
Terrier.Pete from the Our Gang movies in the 1930s was an
The shelter's assistant told them that this little dogAmerican Staffordshire Terrier. The elderly dog in the
had been scheduled to be euthanized that morningoriginal 1963 movie The Incredible Journey was a Bull
but the administrator really wanted to see this dogTerrier.
get a home so they had postponed her deathA Pit Bull named Weela was named a Ken-L Ration
sentence.Dog Hero in 1993 after rescuing 30 people, 29 dogs,
The family didn't need any prodding. They had13 horses and a cat during some heavy floods in
already fallen in love with her and quickly decided toSouthern California.
adopt this sweet-natured little dog. When studyingAlaska's first certified hearing-dog was a Pit Bull
about the Staffordshire Bull Terrier they found outnamed RCA, rescued from a shelter. Another Pit Bull,
this dog breed is great with children because theyDixie, in Georgia, protected her family's children by
are very patient and have a high tolerance for pain.placing herself between the children and a poisonous
They learned that Staffordshire Bull Terriers aresnake. She actually suffered multiple bites to her face
closely related to several other bulldog-type dogand eyes, but fully recovered and was inducted into
breeds such as the Pug, Boxer, Bullmastiff, andthe Georgia Animal Hall of Fame in 1999.
Boston Terrier. The Pit bull-type dog breeds (calledToo bad people forget about the heroes and only
bully breeds) are one branch of this family and includeremember the dogs that attack. Bully breeds can be
the American Pit Bull, Bull Terrier, Americangentle but some people have trained them to fight.
Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordsshire Bull Terrier,With that big mouth and stocky chest their look is
American Bulldog and Miniature Bull Terrier.intimidating. But underneath that brawny exterior is a
These dogs descended from a bulldog breed that isgreat big heart.
very different from the Bulldog of today. They wereAll the bully breeds exist only to love and adore their
tall and had a smaller head than today's bully breeds.families. They bond deeply and heavily and display a
The bulldog of old helped the farmer control the bullsgreat amount of empathy. They give so much
when the farmer needed to bring them into theaffection and friendship, but it comes with a price
barnyard. Since it was entertaining to see a dogtag. They want you in return.
pinning a bull, the sport of pitting this bulldog againstThese breeds need a lot of you. They need your
bulls was begun. That quickly expanded into pittingtime and your attention.
the dog against bears and badgers.If you don't have the desire to give the love these
The dog needed courage and tenacity, so theydogs need then it's better to get a breed that
crossed this bulldog with terriers, which gave the dogdoesn't need or want a lot of attention. Bully breeds
additional ferocity and gameness. The Staffordshirewant and need a lot of love in return for the love
Bull Terrier is a cross between that bulldog and thethey give. Bonnie proves that fact every minute of
now-extinct White Terrier.every day. But her family loves her deeply and
The history of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and thewouldn't want her any other way.
other bully breeds is very interesting. Many famous