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The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, commonly know as the Staffy, was first bred in the early 1900s in England as bull-bait. Hence the term bull terrier

Bull bating is a savage blood sport where a bull is tied to a stake in an arena. The bull only has a range of about 10m to move around in. The bull is then angered by having pepper blown in its face, or by having a dog bite it. After bear- and bull biting was outlawed in the UK in 1835, staffies were used in dog-fights, since dog fights were easier to keep “underground”. (In Jock of the Bushveld, Jock is used for dog-fighting by a gambler and trick into fighting a baboon)

The Staffie is related to the American Staffordshire bull terrier and American pit bull terrier, but are much smaller than its American relatives. After Pit bulls were banned in the UK, some breeders deceptively labled their pit bulls as staffies. This might have led to reports of staffies attacking people. Staffies are sometimes confused with pit bulls. However, many kennel clubs make a clear distinction between staffies and pitt bulls.

The Staffordshire bull terrier was accepted into the UK kennel club in 1935 and the American Kennel club in 1976

Staffies are small-medium sized dogs measuring about 36-41 cm in height. Females weigh about 11-5 kg and males can weigh up to 20kgs. They have short-haired coats and can be brown, brindle, black, red, white or a combination of white and another colour.

They are quite robust and a healthy breed, but like many other dog breeds they can develop hipdysplasia and cataracts. Staffies love to “tan” and excessive sun exposure can lead to melanomas especially on areas like the tummy where there is less hair.

Staffies are friendly, loyal, intelligent, hardy and persevering. Due to their amicable nature (and despite the original intent for their breed), they are not considered to make good guard dogs or attack dogs. They love people and make good family pets.

Personally I think Staffies have been quite popular in South Africa in the past thanks to Jock of the Bushveld and a Dunlop (tyres) TV commercial where a staffie (accompanied by the theme music from Chariots of Fire) runs through obstacles.

Related Site: Pretoria Staffy Club.

Picture: Bao H (flickr).
General source: Wikipedia

Remember always:
Before you consider buying a puppy, make sure that the breed will be suited to your family. Give some thought to adopting an older dog from a rescue organization (they do also have puppies). You could also find dogs in the classifieds where you can get a dog from its original owner before it has to go to a shelter. Dogs should be treated like family members and not like commodities.

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A Staffordshire Bull-terrier Puppy

Very Few south Africans haven’t heard of Jock of the Bushveld.

Jock of the Bushveld was a  brown Staffie (English Staffordshire Bull Terrier) that belonged to a Percy Fitzpatrick in South Africa during the 1800s.  As an ox-wagon transport driver, Fitzpatrick used to take his dog Jock with him on his travels. He would recount his adventures to his children on story-nights and as bedtime stories.

Some of the events in Jock’s life included:

• Jock was the runt of the litter and was saved by Fitzpatrick who adopted the puppy.
• Jock was coerced into fighting a baboon by a gambler and bcame a fighting dog
• Jock his hearing due to an injury.
• Jock was shot because he was accused of killing chickens. He was however not guilty and only defending the
  chickens from an intruding canine.

Personally I think this is terrible. It would be terrible even if he did kill the chicken.  Dogs have a natural hunting instinct. How selfish and hypocritical of the humans to shoot him for what humans do en masse (killing chickens).

Fitzpatrick’s friend Rudyard Kipling encouraged him to write a book about Jock’s adventures. The book, based on the true story of Jock’s life, was published in 1907 and was very well received. It was also translated into several languages.

A movie based on the book was made in 1986 but some people didn’t like it because it lacked a happy Hollywood ending. Another movie with a happier ending was made in 1995.

The is a statue in honour of Jock in from of the city hall in Baberton, Mpumalanga (South Africa), that was sculpted by Ivan Mitford-Barberton.  The Kruger National park reflects on this canine hero and has paid tribute to this famous dog in the form of the The Jock Safari Lodge. Jock also has his own FaceBook fanpage

Jock of the Bushveld is definitely an interesting story.  You can find the book online or at any good bookstore. You also might be able to find it at a shop that has  secondhand books for sale.

source: Wikipedia

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Moose

Moose was a Jack Russel Terrier who played Eddie, Martin Crane’s (John Mahoney)  dog on the hit TV sit-com Frasier.  Moose was born on 24 December 1990 in Florida. He was the youngest puppy in the litter, but also the largest.

Moose was too much of a handful for his original family who gave him to a manager of Birds and Animals Unlimited in Florida.  At the age of 2.5 years he was sent to Mathilde DeCagny, a trainer in Los Angeles.

After 6 months of training, this very intelligent Jack Russel won a role as Eddie on Frasier.

A running joke on the show was that Eddie use to stare at Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and thus freaked Frasier out. It is said that Moose received more fan-mail than any of the cast mates.

Apart from his role on Frasier, Moose also acted in commercials and in the movie My Dog Skip.

An autobiography was written of his life by Brian Hargrove, the life partner of David Hyde Pierce (Niles on Frasier).

After retiring, he spend the remaining 6.5 years of his life living with his trainer, her family, Enzo and Jill (another canine actor). He died of natural causes on June 22, 2006.

Enzo is Moose’s son and was born in 1995. After Moose retired, Enzo replaced him as Eddie on Frasier. While Moose was still on the show, Enzo acted as his stunt-double.

Jack Russel Terriers are highly intelligent and highly trainable little dogs. They require a lot of attention and exercise. Do not only get a Jackie because they look cute on TV. Before you buy a dog, make sure it’s the right dogs for you. Before you buy, consider adopting a dog.

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The term Schnauzer comes from “Schnauze,” the German word for snout, and is applicable because of the dog’s distinct beard.

The Miniature Schnauzer is one of the most popular dog breeds due to its size and temperament. They were developed in Germany around the late 1800s. Originally breeders wanted a miniature version of the popular Standard Schnauzer. They tried bringing the size down by crossbreeding the Standard Schnauzer with other breeds, such as the Affenpinscher, Poodle and Miniature Pinscher, These dogs where originally bred a “ratting” dogs to catch rodents. Thus they have very strong hunting instincts.

Schnauzers require very specific grooming and are very high maintenance. They are known for the distinctive beards, which give them a wise and noble appearance. They do not shed a lot of hair, which make them hypoallergenic and suitable to those with pet hair allergies.

Minis are about 30-36 cm in height. Males weigh about 5.4 -6.8 kg and females 5.0 to 5.9 kg. Their tails are usually docked as puppies and some dogs also have their ears cropped.

Their colours usually vary from black and silver, salt and pepper and pure black. There are also some white schnauzers though the breeding of white Schnauzers is controversial, as many associations won’t allow them in conformation competitions. There is rare cases of multi-coloured, chocolate- or liver coloured pups, but those colour variations are considered faults.

They are generally healthy dogs, but can be prone to diabetes, hyperlipidemia (which can lead to pancriatitis), bladder stones and eye problems. They can generally live up to 12-15 years.

They are highly intelligent, friendly, energetic and alert dogs that make good guard dogs. They will bark when they spot a possible intruder, but are not incessant barkers. They will bark at strangers but once they see their owner welcomes the visitor, they will stop perceiving the visitor as a threat and stop barking. They are not aggressive towards people, unless the pose a threat. They don’t really like to be picked up and are not lap dogs. They are very territorial so they do well in homes where they are the only pet, but they can learn to get along with other pets if they are properly socialized as puppies.

If you live in a complex or have a small yard, only want one pet and want a good (but not too noisy) guard dog, the Miniature Schnauzer is a ideal choice. They have a high cute factor and are highly trainable.

As always buying a dog is a serious choice. Before you start looking for dogs for sale first make sure that you have selected the right breed for you. Also give adopting a dog some thought.

See also: Standard Schnauzer

Source:  Wikipedia.

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