10 Undeniable Reasons to Love, Not Hate, The American Staffordshire Pit Bull Terrier

There is so much negative reporting in the media against Pit Bulls and Amstaffs that these wonderful dogs definitely suffer from a public image problem. The American Staffordshire Terrier and its close cousin, the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), are truly amazing animals that deserve respect, love, and admiration from a public that often fears and villifies them unfairly.  I offer you 10 undeniable reasons to love, not hate, the American Staffordshire Pit Bull Terrier.

Wikipedia says Amstaffs are, "generally courageous, tenacious, friendly, extremely attentive, and extraordinarily devoted." I agree and here are 10 other great reasons to love these animals.

1. Pound for pound, the one of the most athletic breeds for overall strength, speed and agility.
2. Selectively protective. Amstaffs will recognize the difference between an un-wanted intruder and a friendly visitor by looking toward his master to pick up on how he should react to a new person.
3. Smart. These dogs respond well to training as early as 8 months old. Sooner is better than later to start training an Amstaff.
   
4. They turn heads. Amstaffs are one of those breeds that just command attention. They radiate strength, poise, and power. Just take a look at some of the pictures of Neo here.
   
5. Energetic and playful. If you like a dog that you can take long walks, runs, or bike rides with, Amstaffs love, and need, lots of exercise.
6. Unfair news reports. Rarely, if ever, do you hear about an attack by a Rottweiler, wolf-hybrid, or a Chow, but statistically, these breeds rank the same as pit bulls, in terms of the number of bites and attacks. But because of their athletic abilities, pit bulls and Amstaffs are the preferred breeds of illegal dog fighters. So when a dog-fighting ring is busted, these great dogs get put in the negative spotlight. By the way, German Shepherds rank #1 in terms of annual dog bites reported. Nothing against German Shepherds, but you never hear about them in negative news reports.
   
7. Therapy Dogs International uses Amstaffs and APBT's for therapy for hospice, nursing home, and hospital patients, as well as other institutions. Aggressive and dangerous dogs? Tell that to the extremely ill patients that they help.
   
8. Amstaffs are entertainers. Did you enjoy watching the Little Rascals when you were a child? Remember their dog, Petey? Guess what...Petey was an Amstaff.
9. War hero. Sgt. Stubby, an Amstaff, is the most decorated war dog in American History with several awards. In WW I, he served in 17 battles, was injured twice, saved his entire company from a gas attack, and even exposed a German spy. I'm not making this up. It's historical fact.

10. They are great with children. Amstaffs can tell which children can play rough, and which ones need to be handled gently. My son Vic, at 18 months, used to crawl all over Neo, pull his ears and bite him on the nose with no reaction from the dog whatsoever. He'd just lay there until Vic was finished torturing him.