Phil Drabble

STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER
By PHIL DRABBLE.

Like most of the worthwhile things in life, a good Stafford is not attained without effort on the part of his owner. If he is thoroughly trained and well exercised, no dog could possibly be a more delightful companion. On the other hand, an untrained, under-
exercised Stafford can do more mischief in a few moments than any dog I know.

This is easily understood when it is realised that Staffords have been bred for more than a century for the sole purpose of dog-fighting. When bull-baiting finally ceased, about 1835, the men who worshipped at the shrine of the Game Dog transferred their devotion from the bull-ring to the dog pit. Dog-fighting had long been very popular and bulldogs had been crossed with various terriers to produce the combination of dauntless courage with agility and endurance which was even more necessary in the pit than the ring. At first, the resulting crossbreds, which must have been anything but uniform, were called "bull-and-terriers" and, as the best of them were used for breeding, a new breed was gradually evolved which became known as 'bull terriers." Some of these bull terriers took after their bulldog ancestors and were quite heavy "cloddy" dogs of up to 50 lbs in weight. Others, which took after the terriers, were only between 10 and 20 lbs. There was no "type", as the term is understood by modern dog-breeders. Men did not care what they looked like so long as they would fight; and, if they would not fight, they went in the water-butt no matter how good looking they were.

Between 1860 and 1870 these bull terriers were split into two camps. James Hinks, of Birmingham, who had always loved a game dog, produced a white strain which he registered at the Kennel Club as "English Bull Terriers". It is believed that they were produced by crossing the original bull terriers with Dalmatians, and much of their gameness was quickly sacrificed for looks, which was the only commodity paying dividends in the show ring. The original breed, which was still unspoilt by crossing with dogs which had not been bred for gameness, was now barred from the official title of Bull Terrier and it gradually became known as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier to distinguish it from the newer breed. The reason that Staffordshire was used as the qualifying term, to distinguish between the old and the new, was that the colliers and ironworkers of Staffordshire were so attached to dog-fighting that the sport became practically localised in the Midlands.

Half a century went by without the popularity of dog fighting waning, despite spasmodic brushes with the police. Nothing had been done to standardise any type, for courage and physical fitness were still the only things which mattered. Any dog which proved unusually successful in the pit was certain to be used as a sire irrespective of his looks and there was still a wide variation of types which have since become curiously localised. In the Walsall district it is common to find dogs of 34-38 lbs which are tall enough to convey a suggestion of whippet in their ancestry. My own theory of this is that a faint cross of bull terrier was sometimes used to impart endurance to whippets and it is possible that the offspring of one of these crosses displayed sufficient aptitude for fighting to have been crossed back to bull terriers, for agility in the pit is as necessary as courage. Only a few miles from Walsall, in the Darlaston district, the Staffords obviously favour their terrier forbears. They are much "finer" in the muzzle and obviously "terrier faced." They are smaller altogether and lighter boned, turning the scale at from 25-38 lbs, and occasionally] even lighter. The Darlaston men say all the others "must have been crossed with mastiff" and that "theirs" are the only real Staffords.

To confound them both, there is a third type to be found in the Cradley Heath area a few miles to the west. This time it is obvious that some members in the pedigree had more than a nodding acquaintance with a bulldog. Short, thick muzzle and broad skull, tremendous spring of ribs and breadth of chest, muscles which seem to be symbolic of power, everything combines to convey an impression of doggedness. This time agility has been sacrificed for strength and yet there is an unmistakable resemblance between all three types. The expression of the face is the same and the way the tail is carried drooping like a pump handle; the characteristic high-pitched staccato bark and the mincing springy walk, which emphasises the constant craving for action. Who can say that one type is "right" and the others "wrong"? Who can say that this dog is a "real" Stafford and that is not? Until very recent years, nobody minded very much so long as each was willing to give a good account in the pit. But that is changing now.

In 1935 it occurred to a band of owners that, as the police had become so extra-ordinarily fussy about dog-fighting since the Great War, it might be a good idea to arrange dog-shows as an alternative attraction. Accordingly, a schedule was drawn up to depict a scale of points for judging and the Kennel Club obliged by "recognising" the breed as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

It was natural that the men who drew up the scale of points should model their ideal from their own particular strains, which happened to be the "bulldoggy" type in favour in the Cradley Heath district. The result has been very far-reaching. Due to the publicity acquired from organised dog shows the popularity of Staffords has soared and their market value has been inflated in the same ratio. This attracted a new type of owner who is interested more in the value than the gameness of the breed, and who is loud in his assertion that the show type is "right" and that the show enthusiasts will "standardise" the breed and eradicate all which do not conform to the standard.

I feel very sorry about all this for I think it is a great pity to try to "breed out" all the types which do not conform to such an arbitrary standard. Fighting was the original purpose of the breed, yet all which do not waddle round the show ring without any display of fire are penalised. I have heard long arguments about which type is best for the pit. Some like the "reachey" dog, like the Walsall breed, because he can "fight down" on his adversary. Some like the stocky Cradley type because they are hard to knock off their feet. Some like the little terrier-like dogs which are so nippy and can do such damage by shaking. In the pit one triumphs today and another tomorrow. Despite the fact that failures were not given the opportunity to perpetuate their like, there were many good dogs of each type that there could have been nothing to choose for prowess. Yet the money to be by made by selling "pedigree" dogs is inducing owners not only to "standardise" to an arbitrary type but to exaggerate the points of that type, so that it appears more powerful by being thicker and lower to ground and bigger in skull than was any dog which fought in the pit.

This extraordinary variation in type of Staffords is by no means confined to physical appearance. All good Staffords are game, but some are essentially boisterous and rough while others are equally docile and gentle, both characteristics being passed on through strains as definitely as physical appearance. Two very famous dogs, which I happen to have known very well, exhibited these tendencies to a marked degree--Ch. Gentleman Jim and Great Bomber. Jim was all that his name implies, and generally speaking his offspring are tractable, intelligent and easily trained. Bomber on the other hand just could not keep still, was overflowing with boisterous friendliness and extremely headstrong. His type need an exceptionally firm (and occasionally heavy!) hand to control, whereas it is easy to hurt the gentler type's feelings and make them deeply offended with a few harsh words.

No dogs are physically tougher than Staffords, for they seem almost impervious to pain. I have seen my own bitch, which is "broken" to ferrets, go into the ferret pen to see what she can scrounge. One of the ferrets "pinned" her through the lip and hung on, which must have been pretty painful. Yet she didn't get annoyed or make any fuss but calmly came to find me to have it throttled off. It is this indifference to pain which makes them such peerless fighting dogs. Almost any dog will fight if he is winning, but it takes an exceptional dog to fight a long losing battle and then go back for more, when he has the chance not to; yet a good Stafford will go back so long as he can crawl across. Despite this the breed is not naturally pugnacious, and it is unusual for a Stafford to begin his first fight. He is either "set on" by someone or attacked and fights back in self defense. But once he (or she, for bitches will fight) has tried fighting there is nothing they would rather do. And that is why I advise no one but a real enthusiast to embark upon the ownership of one of these dogs. The man who wants a dog for a household pet, but who expects it to run loose and look after itself will soon regret his choice. I have known them run loose in the streets and play with other dogs for two or three years. But sooner or later they either get hurt playing or mixed up in someone else's quarrel and suddenly realise what fun they have missed. From that time forth they need no second invitation and they fight to kill. Neither water nor any of the usual remedies will part them and I have seen a dog fighting a collie twice his size in a canal, where the owner of the collie had thrown them to part them. But the terrier could not loose and they both very nearly drowned before we could get them out. And owners who are not enthusiastic are often averse to getting sufficiently mixed up in the bother to choke their dog off, which is the only effective way.

Anyone who is willing to take the necessary pains to train and exercise a potential handful of trouble will be amply rewarded by finding it far less onerous than he thought. He will get devotion undreamed of in lesser breeds-and "Stafford men" regard all other breeds as curs. He will get a dog which is a peerless companion for children, though it will be necessary to watch that he doesn't "help" too vigorously if his young master has a quarrel with a playmate. He will have a dog which is unbeatable on rats and will be game to have a go at any other quarry his master selects. Some Staffords have made very fine gun dogs but, oddly enough, a high proportion are gun-shy, though often not initially. My own bitch for instance, came shooting quite happily at the beginning of her first season. She gradually took a dislike to the gun and it almost seemed as if it wasn't the bang to which she objected but that she came to realise that something got killed when it went off and that my marksmanship wasn't so hot. Similarly many Staffords make fine water-dogs and I have seen them matched to beat spaniels and retrievers over a distance, but it is necessary to introduce them to water gradually and in warm weather, or they often will not take to it at all.

In a word, the Stafford is a dog of very exceptional character. Take great pains to develop it and direct it into useful channels and there is no breed in the world as good. Let it grow haphazard without training or care and you will have a villain whose only aim in life is to fight. "And to keep a fighting dog", they say, "you have to be a fighting man."

STAFFORDS AND BAITING SPORTS
By PHIL DRABBLE


For centuries the men who frequented bull rings and bear pits had enjoyed watching two dogs fight, but it was only with the abolition of bull baiting that dogs were bred and trained specifically for the sport.

It had been found that bulldogs were the only dogs which possessed the requisite courage for the dog-pit but that they lacked the necessary agility. Various bulldog crosses were tried, mainly with terriers, until eventually a specific breed of bull terriers was produced which was fast, strong and utterly game.

From that time dog-fighting increased in popularity. It was spectacular and as searching a test of gameness and capacity to give and take punishment as ever a bull bait was. There was little initial interference from the law, since it was possible to fight two dogs in any hollow or shed without attracting much attention, for fighting dogs fight silently. They were easy to get away afterwards, as they could always be carried in a sack if their condition was likely to draw suspicion. And dog-fighting had the advantage over bull- or bear-baiting in that at least both animals wanted to fight instead of the victim having to be fastened with a rope or chain with no chance of escape.

Early fighting dogs were of all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours since their breeding was very promiscuous. By about 1860 they more or less fell into one of two groups, from one of which the English Bull Terrier was developed and from the other the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Both breeds were initially very game, since nobody would keep a bull terrier which was not, but men soon bred the English variety for show, and looks were "improved" at the expense of courage. The Staffordshire bull terrier continued to be bred for the pit and, though not very standardised even yet (despite being shown for more than ten years) there is no living breed so game.

There is nothing very complicated in the rules of dog-fighting. The important thing is not so much to kill the other dog as to be game enough to try.

In days when the sport was still legal and at the height of its popularity, between 1820 and 1830, dog-fights were a regular part of the sport at such famous centres of attraction to "the fancy" as the Westminster Pit. The arena here was used indiscriminately for dog-fights, rat-killing contests, cock fights and various freak contests between dog and raccoon or even monkey.




Construction of a pit. The sides can be either plywood or boards, and the substrate can be covered with either a tarpaulin or carpet. (Diagram by Richard Anderson.) Supplied by Paul Skelton from a scan of the diagram from the book " " by s s.



The pit itself was roughly 12-18 feet across, with a boarded surround about three feet high, over which the spectators could watch. Each dog was handled by his second and, after the preliminary formalities concerning the stakes had been completed, each dog was weighed in the pit. It is common for owners of bull terriers which develop a taste for fighting, to boast that their dogs will "kill anything" and that this dog or that "killed an Alsatian" (or something equally big) "in ten minutes." They would alter their tune if they met a real fighting terrier. So much does sheer weight count that matches were rarely made at more than a maximum excess of one pound over the stipulated weight. If a match were made to be fought at "38 lbs give or take a pound", a dog coming to the pit so much as a few ounces over 39 lbs would be disqualified and forfeit the stakes. And two good dogs would sometimes take as much as two hours to decide which was the better and rarely less than 25 or 30 minutes. However good a dog was known to be, nobody but a fool would match him against anything but a cur outside his weight class. And the and who kept fighting terriers considered all breeds to be curs which were not game in the pit.

There was often a good deal of trickery, of the lowest sort, employed to ensure a particular dog winning. He would be rubbed over with acid or pickle or pepper or anything to discourage his opponent from biting him. To avoid this a common butt of water was provided from which both dogs had to be washed, or sometimes milk was used to "kill" the acid. As an additional precaution, each setter was allowed to "taste" (or lick) his opponent's dog both before and after fighting to satisfy himself that nothing pernicious had been used.

When the preliminaries had been completed a coin was tossed to decide which dog should "scratch first * ". They were taken to opposite corners of the pit where each second held his dog between his knees so that the other dog got a fair unobstructed view of his opponent's head. On a word from the referee, the dog which had to "scratch" first was liberated and had to go across the pit to attack his opponent. A line was drawn cross the centre of the pit, which was known as the Scratch and the opposing dog could not be loosed until the attacker had crossed this line. When he had crossed the scratch the other setter could loose his dog when ever he liked and it was judgment here that won or lost many battles.


* Alternatively it was customary in some parts to commence by loosing both dogs simultaneously. The setters could not leave the pit until they commenced fighting, and the first to "fault" had to scratch next time when the battle continued as described above.


If a setter thought his opponent was not "fast" (or aggressive) he might risk holding his dog quite still and, if the other dog did not begin to fight him, he automatically lost the battle. But if his judgment had been wrong and the other dog did fight at once, the dog which had been held still, until his opponent caught hold of him where he wanted to, was at an obvious disadvantage. If, on the other hand, the setter thought his opponent was pretty fast, his obvious tactics were to loose his dog the moment the other dog crossed the scratch so that they could meet on equal terms. Sometimes a setter opposed to a fast dog would hold his till the last moment and slip him to one side, so that the other dog rushed harmlessly by. He then loosed him, in the hope that he could get a hold before his adversary had recovered his balance. This was an obvious case of "not showing his dog's head fair to scratch" and should have been penalised by the referee.

When both dogs commenced to fight, and not before, the setters could leave the pit and though they could encourage their own dogs they were forbidden to speak to their opponent's dog. Neither dog could be touched again until both stopped fighting, which would eventually happen when they were short of wind or otherwise exhausted. When this happened either setter would pick up his dog. If the opposing dog showed fight he was obliged to put it down again and allow them to continue. If he could get him away unmolested he could take him to his corner and the round had expired. One minute was allowed for sponging down and making ready for the next round, and the referee gave warning after 50 seconds so that both should be ready when the minute was up.

This time the dog who scratched first was held while his opponent came to the scratch and the battle went on again for no set time but until both dogs "faulted" again. Sometimes these rounds lasted for 20 minutes or more. Towards the end of a battle, when both dogs were becoming weak or, short of breath, there might only be a few minutes between scratches. A battle of an hour or more might have twenty scratches, or one dog might be killed in the first scratch. It was very like the old Prize Ring rules where men did not fight for a stipulated time but until one fell to the ground.
The battle was lost by the first dog to fail to come to scratch in his turn. It was not necessarily the dog which killed the other who won but the dog which proved most game. If a dog was killed in the pit the other had to stay at him for ten minutes at least and he could still not be handled by his setter till he faulted. Then he was taken to his corner. If it was the dead dog's turn to scratch the battle was automatically lost. If it was the live dog's turn and he did not scratch, he lost the battle although he had killed his opponent. Dog-fighting has become illegal since the days of the Westminster Pit and by the middle of last century it had to be carried on surreptitiously. It was very popular in London until the beginning of this century and a little has been carried on in the Midlands at intervals since then. Police interference has increased until al] organised dog-fighting in this country has now been stamped out, but game terriers are still bred and exported to America where the sport is still perfectly legal in some States.

It is natural that a sport demanding such gameness should produce some remarkable dogs. I saw a dog only last year which refused to mate a bitch which was dead hot in season. Every time he was loosed he went straight for her throat and we had to choke him off eight times before he eventually mated her and he even tried to worry her when he was knotted. No damage was done as it happened, since she was wearing her broad leather collar. Puppies will fight to kill at three months and bitches are as keen as dogs. Yet some strains are remarkably friendly to other dogs and will put up with unusual insults before being goaded into fighting when once they get a taste for it, they would rather fight than do anything in the world.


If sheer love of fighting is the prime necessity of the successful fighting dog, correct physique and complete physical fitness are almost equally important. A dog fights with his mouth, and the only places he can sweat are through his tongue and the pores of his feet. And no dog can do much damage with his tongue lolling out.


The first considerations in getting a dog fighting fit are therefore his wind and the removal of all surplus fat. He must be given constant hard exercise to get him muscled up and in dead hard condition, this can be best achieved by giving small quantities of highly nutritious food with an absence of starchy food during training.



The jelly from cows' feet and an adequate supply of fresh green I forms a good basis. Plenty of hard walking on a lead with a wide collar so that can lay himself down and pull helps to strengthen his back and loin muscles. old motor tyre or other piece of rubber hung up so that he can jump up, catch ~ and shake himself about on it is simply vital. The damage a fighting dog is not so much by the sheer force of his bite as by shaking when he has got h And his neck and back muscles are essential for this. Plenty of running jumping for a ball that bounces well strengthens all the muscles he uses in tu~ and twisting, and produces the required agility.

When he is thoroughly fit, the fighting dog is the very personification of energy. His coat glistens until it seems to exude good health. His eye is bright and there is a rippling mass of muscle from his cheeks, and down his neck and shoulder to his loins. He dances like a boxer in the ring and once he has tried fighting he will attack anything that moves, from a mouse to a mule. Although there is no definite type of fighting dog, the breed which was developed for this specific purpose was the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Many successful dogs were shipped to America, where they became known as "Pit Bull Terriers" and American periodicals devoted to dog-fighting and cockfighting regularly give round-by-round commentaries of the battles their dogs have, at what they call "Pit Bull Terrier Conventions".

Despite the illegality of the sport in this country it has always been carried on spasmodically to a small extent. Periodically the Press write of "orgies" of dog-fighting which are alleged to have been carried on for fabulous stakes, usually behind locked doors in the presence of beautiful women gambling away their fortunes or their honour on the gory result of some battle. In point of fact the reports are usually an elaboration woven round scraps of conversation overheard through the fumes of some bar-parlour.

The battle which may or may not have been described will have taken place in some cellar or pigsty or barn in the presence of from three to five men, all of whom are intimately known to each other. They never fight in the same' place twice. They rarely even keep the dogs they fight, usually collecting them for the occasion from the men who trained them and who will be busily engaged in securing a water-tight alibi elsewhere. And the whole proceedings will be notable more for their sordidness than glamour. Nobody but the people concerned know when or where the next "job" is coming off and the sum total of battles fought is very small, so that chances of detection are negligible.

The dogs themselves take to fighting like a spaniel to the gun and their absolute craziness to get at each other has to be seen to be believed. The men who watch them are of an equally unusual type. That they have little imagination goes without saying. But I find it surprising what a low percentage appear to have taken any purely sadistic delight. They almost worship the quality of aggressive gameness and they are usually as willing to fight each other as to watch their dogs.