Colby

This is Colby Shergold, Staffordshire Bull Terrier of some renown.

I’d like to introduce a friend of mine:

Lady Magpie has a boyfriend who owns a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, That’s him up there ( the Stafford I mean not the Boyfriend).

Well, every so often, usually a Wednesday afternoon, Lady Magpie and the boyfriend go out together and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is left with me. I suppose they see it as a sort of compensation.

Like all Staffords, Colby is a friendly chap. He is capable of smiling like a complete idiot and is equally capable of looking so down cast that everyone’s heart goes out to him. Before he came to live with the boyfriend Colby was in need of a lot of TLC. He had been badly abused and even today is still a bit nervous. However, he knows he is loved and is very loving in return.

Recently Staffords have had a bad press due to fact that there are people who use them for dog fighting and badger baiting. They are crossed with different breeds to increas their size and then can be trained to be agressive, not just towards other dogs but towards people too. The so  called Irish Stafford is a result of this breeding.

Staffords are all dog. Solidly built and muscled like no other dog. Their musculature is such that at the first sign of aggression from another dog  the muscles on their bodies tense to become almost impenetrable. This is a result of their development in the Black Country as family utility dogs. They were ratters and guard dogs and fighters and bull baiters.

The soppy, silly and friendly side of their nature comes from the years of development as a breed within the homes of their owners. This trait is what makes them desirable as pets for families. They love peole and adore children. On top of this they are very easily trained.  My father bred a few back in the 1950s and would only ever use a dog that had been bred in Staffordshire and the Black Country and when Jill, who had sat by my pram when I was a baby and not let anyone near, unless told to, died in 1956 he  gave up some of his holiday to go up to the Midlands to purchase her replacement, Chutney, who was my dog. That is funny as, like most dogs, Staffords only recognise one leader of the pack to whom they give ultimate loyalty and in our house that was my mother. Still, it was me that had to go to dog training classes with her.

To this day I cannot abide seeing an ill disciplined dog. Perhaps that is unfair as it is  rarely, if ever, the dog’s fault. The owners need to be trained. Bring back the dog license I say. And charge at least £100 per annum per dog.

Back to Colby. It’s always a pleasure to act as his host. he bounds into the house and stops dead if he catches sight of either of the cats. He’s scared of them!! Just as scared as they are of him. After sorting out the confrontation, usually by removing the cat(s) up stairs, not a comfortable experience. Have you ever tried picking up a cat that has everything extended that it is possible to extend? After all Hellos and I love yous  have been said by everyone, including Colby, then he goes in search of his toy.

Colby's toy...that's right a cricket ball...sitting in its usual place.

What is amazing is that this toy, much loved as you can see, is always kept in the same place at the top of the stairs and Colby can never find it first time around. There follows the ritual game of “Give it to me! I want it!”

” Grr! Noo !” the latter from Colby and always accompanied by that wonderful Stafford Smile and tail wagging. Later, after Lady Magpie and the Boyfriend have gone out the two of us sneak out for a walk. Yesterday I took him down the line on the train, where he made new human friends, to Chingford and introduced him to friends there. Even B… who obviously finds dogs difficult took to him and told him he could come back but please to leave The Dirty Dog at home next time. I think that was a reference to me….

A couple of times I noticed good looking young women approaching with broad smiles. Mmm!  They ignored me and made a fuss of Colby. I hesitated to translate what he was saying as “Love me, love the man I’ve got in tow.”

A good friend is Colby…

Oh by the way, I trust the boyfriend with Lady Magpie.. they only go off to a class together. No, not Dog Training.