My Puppy Diaries Instalment 1

Puppy Diary - Instalment 1
After the death of 16 year old Cleo, we went in search of a new member of the family - a Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy.

Hello everyone, my name is Caroline (aka Tat)

We owned a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Cleo, who we rescued from Wood Green Animal Shelter when she was one year old. She was about to be put to sleep so we took her sight unseen. I can honestly say we never regretted it for a moment as she turned out to be a loyal and loving member of our family.

Cleo passed away peacefully a few years ago at the grand old age of 16.



After Cleo's death, the house was so empty that we felt the need for someone else to love, so we decided to get a Stafford puppy. This was to be our first puppy and as we were then both in our 50's we felt it was the right time for a puppy as we could grow old and slow down together.

Mindful of the importance of finding a good and reputable breeder, we got in touch with the secretary of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier society and asked her to keep an eye open for a planned mating by breeders who do all the relevant health tests and raise the pups carefully in the home. We were prepared to wait for as long as it took for the right litter, but she got back to us within just a few days to tell us about a suitable litter of 2 week old puppies.

We phoned the breeder to ask lots of questions and, as is the way with any reputable breeder, we got asked lots back.... which is good. The next step was then to arrange a visit so that we could meet the breeder and view the pups and their mum in the home environment.

Choosing a puppy from a litter



There were four dogs and four bitches in total, which is quite a large litter for a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. We had decided already that we wanted a bitch and there were two left available from this litter, but they were too young at three weeks for us to make a decision. So we viewed again at five weeks to make our choice. There was really nothing to choose between the puppies; they were all well grown and plump, in a squirming heap of bodies, chewing at each other and their mum.

The breeder took them out of the whelping box and we watched them all play and interact for a while (a couple of hours actually), then decided on the quieter of the two pups available. We felt she might be more suitable for our lifestyle. We had two baby grandchildren in the family and Staffordshire Bull Terriers are well known for being brilliant with children.

We collected our pup, who we named "Tala", at seven weeks of age. We wanted her as early as possible so we could start socialising her.




Tala is now home with us, so the fun (and the hard work) will really begin. From an early age we will be looking at crate training, toilet training and of course she will need her vaccinations.

Check back soon for the 2nd instalment to find out how we get on.

Caroline and Tala

[Article and photos copyright of D for Dog, permission given]

Nice, and a lovely looking Pooch there. Look forward to hearing more.

Thanks Ains