X-Pertise American Staffordshire Terriers, bred by Peggy Doster

I had grown up in a home where Boxers were always a part of our lives. When I moved away from my parents, I remained dogless for many years. Finally, I moved into the city and decided I would like to have a companion dog that I could count on to protect me should the need arise. I looked through the classified ads of the local newspaper and found an ad for American Staffordshire Terrier. At that time, I had never heard of the American Staffordshire Terrier. Having no better resource available, I went to a set of encyclopedias and looked up the breed. It was described as a dog that would do well in a city apartment and was easy to maintain. I made arrangements to look at the litter. My mother and my brother went to look at the litter with me.I was very impressed by the sire and dam, as well as the large litter of puppies. They were powerful and yet good natured dogs. There was one male in that litter. He claimed me immediately. My mother and brother were taken by a mischievous female.

Being the ultimate consumer, I had made appointments to look at a couple of other breeds on that same day. I dutifully went to look at the other litters, but I couldn't get the picture of that handsome fawn brindle boy out of my mind. I made another appointment to see the litter again. This time my father went with me. He, too, was immediately attracted to that same male puppy. I decided, on the spot, to place a deposit on that boy.
After I went home, I called the breeder, Dennis Brinkworth of Buffalo, NY and told him I had decided to take both puppies. The black brindle female was to be a gift to my parents.

When the puppies came of age, I went to pick them up. I placed them in a laundry basket and took them both to my parents' home. I had covered the basket with a blanket and no one could see that there were two puppies in there. Once the whole family gathered in the kitchen, I uncovered the basket to reveal the two pups. I picked up the female puppy and handed her to my dad. I told him that she was a gift to show my appreciation for all that he had done for me over the years. How could he refuse her? They became fast friends and she traveled everwhere with him for many years to come. The puppies were named Max and Shaina. This is the story of how I acquired my first American Staffordshire Terriers.

That litter of puppies was of the X-Pert line. It would not be until several years later, that I would learn the importance of this bloodline. As it turns out, the breeder of the dam of my puppies was John McCarthy of Buffalo,NY. Breeder of the top producing X-Pert stud dog, Ch Sligo McCarthy.

I took my puppies to puppy obedience classes and was encouraged to enter a match. I entered Max in both obedience and conformation. Neither he nor I had any experience in showing in conformation. However, the judge loved Max and he was best terrier of the match that day. Since it had never been my intention to compete with Max, he was never shown again or bred. He was, however, the best dog I have ever owned. He captured my heart and soul.

As I was walking Max down the street one day, a man who was driving by, pulled his van to the curb, leaped out and shouted. "That is an American Staffordhire Terrier!" I was surprised to hear him say that, because even then, I had become accustomed to hearing the usual, "Hey Lady, is that a Pitbull?" He didn't stop there. Next he said, "That is an X-pert dog. He looks just like X-Pert Brindle Tiger!" He went on to introduce himself as Tom Leatherbarrow. Tom was a friend of John McCarthy and showed X-Pert dogs. As time went by, I attended some local dog shows. I met John McCarthy, himself. He was a pleasant gentleman and I only wish I had gotten to know him better.

The years went by, and my Max crossed the rainbow bridge. I missed him terribly. I knew I must have another American Staffordshire Terrier. I knew I wanted a dog only from the X-Pert line. I didn't know where to find one. One day a friend called to tell me she had seen am AmStaff pup in her obedience class. She made inquiries and found out that the pup had come from Edward and Nancy Beers in Pompey, NY. I wrote them a long letter, offering references and a promise to be the best puppy owner they would ever meet. In the meantime, I tracked down the Ormsbys of X-pert Kennels in Hornell, NY. I called and Cliff answered the telephone. I asked him about a puppy, but he said he wasn't breeding anymore. Then, I asked him if he knew Nancy Beers. In his understated way, Cliff told me that she had good pups. Being hard of hearing, he then handed the telephone to Alberta Ormsby who answered the rest of my questions. Little did I know how our relationship would blossom in a few years.

Arrangements were made to visit X-Pert Beers Cherry Valley Kennels to see their current litter in August of 1991. Nan and Ed Beers sat me down at their kitchen table and began to educate me about the X-Pert line. They showed me photographs, news articles and more. They took me out to the kennels and introduced me to all their dogs. Finally, I got to see the litter of pups that were waiting in their large exercise pen. There were so many! It was hard to decide. How could I ever replace my beloved Max I was there four hours. Nan and Ed have teased me about it ever since. Finally, I selected my new puppy. That summer, I brought home the foundation stud dog for X-pertise Kennels, X-pert Beers Hurri Kaine Bob.

It was not my intention to show or breed. I only wanted a companion to fill the large paw prints of my Max. As it turns out, Nan called me regularly to ask questions, such as, "Where does Kaine sleep? " I sheepishly answered, "With me." Now that I am a breeder myself, I know Nan was delighted to hear that. During one of those calls, Nan told me she thought Kaine was one of the better pups she had produced. I began to feel obligated to do the right thing. Kaine and I started to attend matches, which led us to handling classes and eventually showing him to his championship in both the United States and Canada.

Nan, Ed and I became good friends. They immersed me in the history of the X-Pert line. They were instrumental in arranging my first meeting with Cliff Ormsby and then with Alberta, not too long afterward. I decided the time had come for me to make a formal commitment to the X-Pert line and I told Nan and Ed I was interested in acquiring my foundation bitch. We discussed it at length. I told them I thought I needed a bitch that was outcrossed in order to fully compliment what Kaine had to offer to the line. Nan and Ed gave it serious consideration. One day ,I received a call telling me they had decided to breed their
Ch X-Pert Beers' Power Pac's Image to a bitch owned by Gary Donovan and Debra Champion, Willynwood Roxie Marie. When the time was right, I went to meet Roxie and her litter. I went with the intention of looking for a black brindle bitch and found, instead, Country Haven Redsky at Dawn, a red brindle. Skye is also and American and Canadian Champion. Kaine and Skye produced their first litter in 1996.

Peggy Doster