Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, also called the Staffy or Stafford, is a purebred dog of small to medium size in the terrier group that originated in the northern parts of Birmingham and in the Black Country of Staffordshire, for which it is named. They descended from 19th century bull terriers that were developed by crossing bulldogs with various terriers to create a generic type of dog generally known as bull and terriers. Staffords share the same ancestry with the modern Bull Terrier, although the two breeds developed along independent lines, and do not resemble each other. Modern Staffords more closely resemble the old type of bull terrier, and were first recognised as a purebred dog breed by The Kennel Club of Great Britain in 1935.

Within the broad sweep of dog history, the story behind the modern Stafford is rather brief and somewhat confusing because of the multiple aliases attached to these dogs in centuries past, such as the "Patched Fighting Terrier", "Staffordshire Pit-dog", "Brindle Bull", and "Bull-and-Terrier". Similar crosses also had aliases such as half-and-halfs and half-breds. Blood sports such as bull-baiting and bear-baiting were outlawed with the passing of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 by Parliament, making it illegal to bait animals but promoting the matching of dogs against each other. Dog breeders migrated away from the heavier bulldogs, and introduced terrier blood into their crosses for gameness and agility. These bull and terrier crosses produced the ancestral breeding stock that, over the course of decades, evolved into the modern conformation show dogs we know today as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Bull Terrier. It was shortly before the American Civil War that immigrants from Great Britain brought their bull and terrier crossbreeds into the U.S. They became the ancestral progenitors of the American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff), Miniature Bull Terrier, Boston Terrier, and American Pit Bull Terrier.

By mid–19th century, and with stricter enforcement of the 1835 Cruelty law, conformation dog shows became the new focus for dog breeders across Great Britain. As a result, reputable breeders no longer needed to breed dogs with attributes necessary for bull, bear and rat-baiting, so dog breeders focused on conformation and temperament to produce dog show champions. The growing popularity of dog shows created the need to document and preserve dog show results, establish rules for showing, and document pedigrees of the developing new breeds to prevent fraud. To serve that purpose, the Kennel Club was founded on April 4, 1873. They established dog show rules, but were not involved in establishing the breed standards by which each breed of dog would be judged. Local dog clubs were responsible for creating the breed standard for their particular breed of dog.

History

The unregulated breeding history and inconsistent genetic makeup of the Stafford's early ancestry have led to misconceptions about its origins. Individual types and styles of crossbred dogs varied by geographic region. For example, the progeny from one area may have a higher percentage of terrier than bulldog, whereas other reports claim that bulldog to terrier was preferred over bull and terrier to bull terrier. Dog breeders made careful selections to reinforce inheritable traits from specific dog types. Many of the mixed breed types, or mongrels that were used to create the early fighting dogs have long since evolved and stabilised into the modern purebred dogs we know today. Many of the desirable phylogenetic traits of the breed's ancestry have been preserved and further refined by selective breeding to better suit the Stafford's modern purpose as a conformation show dog, while the unwanted traits have been bred out.

Two Bull Terriers

In the mid–19th century, bull and terrier hybrids were known by several different aliases, such as the Patched Fighting Terrier, Staffordshire Pit-dog, Brindle Bull, and Bull-and-Terrier. They were also referred to as half-and-halfs, half-breds, or more commonly as the bull and terrier, although they were not true breeds in the same sense that we know modern dog breeds. However, at least six modern breeds can trace their ancestry to the bull and terrier crosses. Another common name used for bull and terrier was simply Bull Terrier, which became the name for the new breed that James Hinks developed. Hinks used various undocumented outcrosses, including Dalmatians and Collies, that devotees of the original strain considered undesirable. They chose instead to remain loyal to their preferred type. As a result, two different breeds of Bull Terriers emerged: the Bull Terrier, nicknamed the White Cavalier, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, named for the county where it was developed. The Bull Terrier's fighting heritage was left behind whereas breeders of Staffordshire Bull Terriers in the UK continued their illegal competitions which paralleled what was happening in the U.S. with the American Staffordshire Terrier; neither breed could gain official acceptance in their respective native lands. Journalist and dog expert Denise Flaim stated succinctly: "No established registry wanted to be affiliated with a dog that drew the blood of its own kind for a living."

Recognition as a purebred

Traceable pedigrees did not exist prior to the founding of The Kennel Club (KC) in 1873, which was initially formed by a group of dog show fanciers who wanted to preserve the reputation of dog shows, while at the same time, avoid breeder fraud by establishing a dog's identity and documenting its pedigree. The first volume of ''The Kennel Club Stud Book'' was published in 1874, and included a list of dog shows and names of dogs that were exhibited at each show, beginning with the first dog show in 1859. Bull Terriers, and Bulldog

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