Staffordshire Bull Terrier, it is almost enough to take word by word to know the story of our little British!
The story of his molasses and mastiff ancestors goes back to the circus games under Caesar, to cross the Middle Ages with the Bandog, a dog that showed qualities of biting that soon made it the tool of butchers to take hold on the muzzle of a wild or restive bull, which his master ordered him to hold so that he could bleed him. It is then climbing and we do not know if the fights related to the slaughter of the animals of butchery which generates the organization of spectacles or the opposite. Still, little by little the name of Bull-dog was given to dogs fighting bulls, these fights being named themselves, “Bull Baiting”. These shows are so popular that virtually every city has a place dedicated to these fights, the “Bull ring”.
During the XVI and XVII centuries for the pleasure of the king, one builds an official place, the “Bankside Bear Garden” were are raised and produced the best fighters. Among the beasts to which Bull-Dogs are confronted, bulls are the most used followed by meadows by bears, donkeys, wild boars, and sometimes lions and panthers.
In 1802, an action was brought to make illegal these violent games, unfortunately, it is Bull-dog which became the target of the press and the public opinion.
In 1835, under the pressure of animal welfare associations and the Queen of England, the Bull Fighting will be declared officially illegal and the organizers prosecuted. However, it will be necessary to wait several years before seeing completely disappear these combats, since it seems that the last one was organized in 1853.
Unfortunately in 19th century England, industrialization will cause a rapid rural exodus to the cities, which are not ready to welcome these populations. It will follow the living conditions extremely hard for these new workers, confined in slums, working like madmen. These living conditions are terrible and the favorite pastime of these men, to forget this life so difficult, is to drink beer in pubs, but also fighting animals, including dogs and roosters, despite the law.
The evil spirit of some organizers had certainly anticipated this law and imagined the Dog fight. These dog fights are then easier to organize in the back room of a pub than the traditional “Bull Baiting”.
The bulldog’s spirit of struggle does not quite satisfy the spectators of these fights, which find them too slow, too heavy, not enduring enough, in fact, unsuitable for this kind of sport.
On the other hand, there are Terriers, some of which weighed four kilos and others more than ten. Old Black and Tan, Old White, Fox and others are the first pit dogs. Small, agile, lively and aggressive, we see them destroy many rodents during the “Rat Killing Matches”, extremely popular shows in the XVIII and XIX centuries, giving rise to a large gathering of bettors. The objective of these “Rat Killing” was that the dog kills as many rats as possible in a minimum of time.
Other “sports” were very fashionable, such as the Bear Painting, the Monkey Painting, and others and of course the Dogfighting.
We do not know which breeder (unless it is the result of chance) had the idea to cross Bull-Dog and Terriers, it is always he will come out a type of dogs combining power, flexibility, mobility, endurance, and courage. Moreover, this dog very attached to his master was able to go to the end of his forces to please him.
Another hypothesis is that it was actually the selection through a small Bulldog that gave this dog. This hypothesis is based on paintings and sculptures of the time but remains marginal.
This type of dog dubbed, Half and Half or Bull and Terrier or English pitbull or Sporting bull terrier is the ancestor of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. It is particularly popular in the “Black Country” and London regions, but more generally in all industrial basins.
A selection is started from short and squat Bull and Terriers, especially in the Staffordshire region, at a time when several types existed such as the short and light Warlaston and the high-rise Walshall with very “terrier” lines. dogs make the happiness of the working class, fighting dog, pest hunters, and pet dog. Able to fight furiously and return to the pram of the family child after his fight, able to chase a fox or badger with rage and sleep at night in the children’s bed. 1934 that a breeder, JOE DUNN, proposes to make recognize the race. This idea is not necessarily the taste of purists who think that this recognition can only distort their Bull & Terrier. However, it seems that the bad image that could stick to their dogs convinced some of the breeders and owners of the time to go through the recognition of their Bull & Terrier as a breed, to improve this negative reputation. Joe Dunn organizes the beginning of the year 1935 with the permission of the Kennel Club an exhibition or 27 representatives of the breed will be presented and judged by Fred Holden. Among them was presented “Jim The Dandy”, a 13 kg black brindle male of high quality that will be used to write the standard. With the success of this exhibition, it convinced Joe Dunn and his friends to make these dogs a “purebred” allowing them to be recognized and participate in exhibitions. The club will be established in 1935 at a meeting at Joe’s Old Cross Guns Pub and Lil Mallen, and the breed homologated by the Kennel Club on June 15 of the same year. On August 17, 1935, the first official exhibition was held by Mr. HN Beilby, with 60 participants and won by “Jim the Dandy”.
From the year of creation of the club will be registered 174 dogs Stud Book. “Gentleman Jim” and “Lady Eve” will be the first Champions of England in 1939.