User:Veritas Aeterna/Draft American Staffordshire Terrier Corrections

The American Staffordshire Terrier, also known as the AmStaff is a medium-sized, short-coated American dog breed  recognized by the American Kennel Club, but not the United Kennel Club, which instead allows American Staffordshire Terriers to be registered under the American Pit Bull Terrier breed.

The height of an American Staffordshire Bull Terrier is 18 – tall and weighs between 40 –. The American Kennel Club (AKC) describes the breed as "confident, smart and good-natured". American Staffordshire Terriers are similar to American Pit Bull Terriers, though the American Pit Bull Terrier is not recognized by the American Kennel Club. The breed was accepted by the AKC in 1936. It should not be confused with the “Staffy” Staffordshire Bull Terrier of the United Kingdom.

History


Some varieties of bull-and-terrier from the British Isles began to find their way into America as early as 1850. Some dogs became very famous for their dog fighting skills. Already developed as an American dog, such dogs became a new breed, which was recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in February 1898 as the American Pit Bull Terrier. On June 10, 1936, about 50 UKC registered Pit Bull Terrier dogs were accepted for registration in the American Kennel Club (AKC) stud book with a new breed name and a new purpose, belonging to the AKC terrier group. The name Staffordshire Terrier was chosen, with the claim that the ancestors of the breed originally came from Staffordshire, England. The name of the breed was revised on January 1, 1969, to American Staffordshire Terrier to distinguish it from the British Staffordshire Bull Terrier, a separate breed from the Bull-type terrier group, recognized in England in 1935.

The AKC opened the AmStaff Stud Book to UKC dogs a few more times until the 1970s. Since then, only dogs with AKC registration were to be bred together, if the offspring was to be registered. This fact, along with the breed selection based entirely on conformation through decades, has transformed the American Staffordshire Terrier into a different breed, separated from the American Pit Bull Terrier.

The breed's popularity began to decline in the United States following World War II. In 2018, the American Kennel Club ranked the American Staffordshire Terrier as the 85th most popular purebred breed in the United States.

Temperament
According to the American Kennel Club, these dogs are "smart, confident, good-natured companions. Their courage is proverbial. A responsibly bred, well-socialized AmStaff is a loyal, trustworthy friend to the end." The Encyclopedia Britannica agrees that they are "often a people pleaser, affectionate and playful," while noting that "the American Staffordshire Terrier, like the American Pit Bull Terrier, is a controversial breed with respect to temperament" and "can be highly aggressive toward other dogs, and even those Staffies considered safe around people should be supervised around people and pets."

Dog Attacks and Human Fatalities
The American Pit Bull Terrier is banned in Australia but the American Staffordshire Terrior is not. In New South Wales (NSW), there have been repeated calls to ban American Staffordshire Terriers as they have been responsible for the majority of attacks, e.g., one report states: "The latest data from the NSW Office of Local Government reveals that the breed consistently tops the state for the highest number of dog attacks, with 881 attacks recorded between January 2020 and March 2021." A second report, about a year later, reported: "New local government data has revealed almost 5,000 dog attacks were reported across NSW in the last 12 months, with American Staffordshire terriers listed as the breed involved in the most incidents."

In multiple different countries, AmStaffs have been known to attack other dogs, babies, and even their owners:

In one well-known case, an Air Force veteran and his wife visiting friends were attacked in San Antonio in 2023, killing the 81 year-old man, and critically injuring his wife, and injuring first-responders.

In Australia, two separate attacks occurred on one day in 2021. In the first attack a 5-week old baby was killed while sleeping, while in the second attack, a few hours later, a woman walking her dog was attacked and both were seriously injured.

In Sweden in 2022, a woman in her 60s died after being attacked by her own Amstaff dog in a village in Robertsfors municipality.

Description
According to AKC's published breed standard which was approved June 10, 1936, the "American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. His courage is proverbial." His head should be medium in length with a broad skull, a distinct stop, and pronounced muscles in the cheek. The ears should be set high on their head and can be cropped or uncropped, but the latter is preferred. Height and weight should be in proportion. A height of about 18 to 19 in at shoulders for the male and 17 to 18 in for the female is to be considered preferable. The nose should always be black. Many coat colors are accepted. However, dogs with liver or black-and-tan coat, and dogs with more than 80% white are discouraged.

Health
Their life expectancy is generally 12–16 years with good care. The breed may be vulnerable to skin allergies, urinary tract infections (UTI), and autoimmune diseases. Spondylosis and osteoarthritis are common in older dogs. Other notable issues may include congenital heart disease, elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia, luxating patella, thyroid dysfunction, and cerebellar ataxia.

American Staffordshire Terrier pups should not be weaned before they are 8–10 weeks old.

Breed-specific legislation and restrictions
Worldwide, the American Staffordshire Terrier has often been included in breed bans that target pit bull–type dogs and/or fighting dog breeds. Such breed-specific legislation (BSL) may range from outright bans on possession to restrictions and conditions of ownership. Breed Specific Legislation has been enacted in various states in the United States, France, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and Turkey. . American Staffordshire Terriers are banned as a type of pit bull under the United Kingdom's Dangerous Dogs Act of 1991. The breed is also commonly listed on breed restriction lists for apartments and military housing in the United States.

Popularity
In 2017, the breed was the eighth most popular dog according to the Australian National Kennel Council. According to Société Centrale Canine, it is the sixth most popular dog in France. According to the American Kennel Club, it was the 85th most popular dog in 2020.