American Staffordshire Terrier History, Form and Function, Livability and Lovability

https://www.petzpaws.com/ The building blocks for the American Staffordshire Terrier were the extinct Old English Black and Tan Terrier, the White English Terrier, the not-extinct bulldog, and quite possibly the not-extinct scrappy Fox Terrier.  The American Staffordshire Terrier which is also known as AmStaff for short, is in the Terrier Group with its brother the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, and the already mentioned Fox Terrier.  We've covered the Sealyham Terrier - I'll put a link up here at the end of this video for you.  In the 1800s lineage of the American Staffordshire Terrier was being developed in England to be a bear bait dog.  Well, that's not nice!  But thankfully in 1835 English Parliament outlawed bear baiting with the Humane Act.  Well, that is nice!  But, because bear baiting became illegal, it created a whole new problem for the American Staffordshire Terrier forefathers. The American Staffordshire Terrier bloodlines and their industrial laborer and miner owners would now engage in underground dog fighting matches in the seedy underbelly of industrial Staffordshire, England.  But, some industrial laborers desired better opportunities in a world full of possibilities and they would find hope for a better life in the United States.  And would you bring your beloved and faithful dog with you?  Heck yes!  And they did too!  Meanwhile, in Staffordshire, England dog fighting was a lucrative side business, and business was good!  The dog breed that was winning dog fighting matches was the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier brother, who decided to stay in England.  In the meantime a new United States dog breed from the "Pitbull" was being developed - they were not specifically no longer used just for dog fighting in this new country, they needed a utility dog that could watch the livestock, kill rodents, monitor children, and be a loving family pet. However, the same can't be said for its rough and tumble brother the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which continued its dog fighting ways back in Staffordshire, England.  The American Staffordshire Terrier proved its worth to its owners and the popularity of the AmStaff grew in the United States.  But in the late 1800s the passionate AmStaff fanciers begged the American Kennel Club to allow their beloved dog breed into the AKC, while they themselves hunted wild game with dogs and guns, still, their response was a hard, No!  Back in England, the British Kennel Club had the same objection to introducing the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in their kennel club.  Rules for thee, and not for me.  The road finally cleared in 1935 - 100 years after the original Humane Act, in England, that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier became recognized.  Progress moves very slowly in English Parliament when it takes a dog 100 years for a dog breed to be recognized. I wonder how long it took the Fox Terrier, which the aristocracy used for Fox hunting, to be approved?  You can be it didn't take 100 years! But paving the way with Britains' approval of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier into their album; now allowed the American Kennel Club to recognize its American brother, the American Staffordshire Terrier.  The AmStaff was recognized by the AKC in 1936 and the Staffordshire Terrier Club of America (amstaff.org) also began in 1936.  So is the American Staffordshire Terrier a pit bull?  In lineage yes, even technically probably yes.  It's just that its brother the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is the undisputed "pitbull" dog breed - and you can't take that away from him, he's earned the moniker.  The AmStaff is a medium-sized dog breed that weighs 40-70 pounds and has a height of 17-19" depending if it's a boy or girl.