Investigation into the parent dog history starts during the 19th Century in the English town of Staffordshire, where many breeders were crossing the Bulldog and various Terriers to produce a very muscular active dog they called the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. This breed was imported to the United States of America, where the breeders increased its weight which gave it a more powerful head. This led to a split in the breed, with the name American Staffordshire being given to the American breed. When dog fighting sports were banned in the 1900s, it resulted in two strains of the dogs being developed- a show strain called the American Staffordshire, and the non-show strain labeled the Pit Bull Terrier. The American Staffordshire Terrier was recognised by the American Kennel Club in 1936, and its talents include companion, watchdog, police work, and agility skills. The French Terrier on the other hand originated in Nottingham City in England during the 19th Century. The craftspeople of the Lace Makers Guild bred them down from the English Bulldog, they wanted a lapdog and companion and they achieved just that. Most lace makers went to France to escape the industrial revolution, and they took their little dogs with them. The French people fell in love with this sturdy little dog, and they named it the French Bulldog. When the dog returned to grace the dog shows in England, their name was hotly debated by British Breeders as it was a British dog, but the name ‘French’ stuck and remains to this day.
