Bluelines Amstaff | American Staffordshire Terrier | Varese Italy

The origin of this wonderful breed is the same of the American Pitbull Terrier, wich not only is the "daddy" of the Amstaff (that's the abbreviation of American Staffordshire), but for a long long time it's actually been the same breed.It's a very odl story, starting from the so called "bull and terrier", mixes of dogs of the molossi kind and terrier dogs. Initally created in England for the "bull baiting" wich was a cruel fight between bulls and dogs.
(mind you, we talk about the 16th - 17th century...dogs were just dogs)

The brits in fact preferred dried and hard meat, that you could obtain only from a bull died during a fight due to the constant adrenaline rush in his body.

At the very beginning of 1800, the british authorities put an end to this "sport".
That's when the concept of love for animals took the place of what once was just a one way abuse.
At this point, though, we have to put ourselves in the shoes and mind of the people living in that period, mainly farmers, conducting a though life, oppressed and with not much to improve their social status.

For these people, without any doubt, the ability to own a dog able to take down a bull or a bear, represented a big image boost...especially if their dog was able to take down the ones of the local Sir's.
From this point of view, it is indeed a mankind fault if dogfights perpetrated trough the years.
On the other hand though, we should understand that this started in a very different time and age.
Owning a champion dog, at that time, was the only way to have some satisfaction and to walk tall.

tra animali, dichiarati fuorilegge, non sparirono affatto, ma si trasferirono semplicemente nella clandestinità; dall’altro lato, però, bisogna anche cercare di capire in quale substrato umano e culturale si sviluppò questo ignobile “sport”.
Avere un cane campione, per molti proprietari, rappresentava l’unico motivo di soddisfazione e di orgoglio in una vita fatta di stenti e di umiliazioni.
Fu soprattutto per questo che i combattimenti non finirono mai; ma siccome dovevano svolgersi in clandestinità, e siccome non era propriamente agevole “contrabbandare” tori e orsi (ammesso e non concesso che si avessero i soldi per comprarli), ecco che cominciò a That's why, altough it all continued in an illegal way, it's easy to understand that smuggling dogs and bears was a hard job.
That's why the fights dog vs. dog became more popular.
The fights were set up verywhere and especially in Ireland, the champions were as famous as nowaday's soccer players, and during the "main events" , whole towns disappeared to go see the match.
The authorities at that time were not so strict into applying the rules...more likely, they used to bet on the fights themselves.
When the first immigrants from england landed in America, many of them brought their dogs and the fights were exported aswell along with them.
Plus, in this new country it was still unknow, therefore: legal.
That's when the first breeders started calling them "American Pit Bull Terriers" due to the ability they had to declare and publicize what the dogs were capable of.

The pitmen, back then, used to train their dogs everyday.This didn't involved any kind of cruelty, it mas minly an athletic training comparable to the one of a sportsman (such as boxers and so on).The best dogs were obviously obtained by the constant selection of the bloodline, this was made possible by people with extreme knowledge of the scene.

Meanwhile, and it's important to point it out, the dogs were also selected based on their ability to socialize and to obey.
The pitmen had to be able to retreat his dog and recall him at any time, without the risk of not being listened to or bit.
That's why all the Terriers are historically the men's best friends.

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