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The Irish (Staffordshire) Bull Terrier is directly descended from the longer legged original Staffordshire Bull Terrier and is not an American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) as it contains no American Coon Hound or similar breeding. Because it closely resembles the infamous APBT, albeit smaller with a different head and shorter muscles, the media has been quick to unfairly vilify the breed. However, with the introduction of the much larger American Bulldog (AB) in Europe, the negative publicity has partially subsided. The dog is allegedly pound for pound the strongest canine species, followed closely by the APBT and then the AB. Sadly, the breed is favoured by the dog fighting fraternity due to a lack of fresh breeding to the APBT gene pool as a result of European wide bans. The majority of Kennel Clubs including the RSPCA have shunned the breed pushing it further underground rather than assisting with responsible breeding and ownership by the main stream public.
The Irish Bull Terrier normally stands between 16 to 19 inches at the shoulder (sometimes higher, if the Old English Bulldog gene reoccurs), but never with the brick shaped head of the APBT. It has no colour restrictions, weighing in the region of 60 pounds similar in size to its later counterpart the English Bull Terrier (EBT) bread by Hinks in the 1860s reference.
