How did I end up with this dog the Staffordshire?
 
About 15 years ago I was at a dog show, and met  my first staffy.  I fell in love with the dog that I saw or the breed , I wasn't quite sure. 
 
Due to circumstances, I couldn't own one.  My mom was deathly allergic to both cats and dogs, and we have owned 2 standards poodles.  One dog has passed since and my mother has taken the other up north with her where she had retired.
 
I myself moved to Milton just over a year ago with my expecting wife and daughter.   Having dogs my whole life, and now not having a pet of any kind at the moment, the house was all too quite during the day. 
 
I started looking at Elk Hounds, and rather large dogs.  My wife, Denise,  was opposed to a beast becoming part of the family, especially one of that size. It wasn't long before I looked into the Staffordshire once again, and started wondering if this breed was for me.  After all it was a large dog in a small body.  I wanted the large dog and my wife wanted the small body.
 
After much thought, I decided to contact a number of breeders about Staffies.  I knew I wanted a pure bred dog with a history if it was going to be around my children.
 
I met Julie King by getting her number from a breeders web site online and met a number of her dogs.  Upon meeting her dogs, Lola and Zoe, I knew I wanted them.  Literally, I wanted Lola and Zoe.  Lola's temperament was incredible and Zoe's looks, as diva as a dog could get.
 
Time past and five weeks later we had Stella at home, an 8 week old pup from Zoe's litter.  Named after the recently deceased Marlon Brandos extraordinary roll in Street Car Named Desire.
By week nine, she had already learned basic commands, sit, down and of course "no".   She was enrolled in obedience school at 12 weeks and finished in a tie for first in her class.  The other golden lap that finished first was 6 months old.  It was then I realized how smart and willing to please Stella was. 
 
Since the arrival of Stella, living in a new area, she has been my daughters "first best friend" as they are inseparable when she is home from school.  She makes me smile every day when I get up in the morning and see her waiting a for me at the bottom of the stairs.  My wife's cousin, Brian came over for Christmas from Scotland, and he laughed aloud when he first saw Stella.  Knowing exactly what breed she was he quickly informed me, "arguably, its the only good breed left in England!!!"
 
At the time, I knew the Ontario government was looking into banning certain bull terrier breeds, but I had done my research on the breed.  I was sure the government  would too, and the Staffordshire would be exempted from this, I was sure of this at the time.  Unfortunately time has past and so did the vote for BSL, and I was wrong.  The Ontario Government had not done their research.
 
So I ask the same question I started out with, and that is "How did I end up with a Staffordshire?"  Well I look at it this way, in the relatively short window of time that I was looking to get a new dog, and the time that the bill that was passed banning these dogs, I acquired one. It was meant to be.   How did I end up with a Staffordshire?  I was lucky!!!

- Timothy Janicki