The ancestry of the American Staffordshire Terrier and the importance of Charlie Lloyd’s Pilot

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Written by Wil de Veer

This article makes clear how great the influence of one historic ancestor has been on the development of the American Staffordshire Terrier. Since it is naturally impossible to name every single dog in the pedigree, the choice was made to focus on the winners of the Staffordshire Terrier Club of America National Specialty and the winners of the ASTCH Clubmatch.

For the American winners, only the males that achieved Best of Breed were examined, while for the ASTCH Clubmatch both males and females were included. In the case of the females, the paternal line was followed in order to demonstrate the importance of Lloyd’s Pilot there as well. This creates a clear picture of how often this influential ancestor reappears in leading show lines.

Historic image of Charlie’s Lloyd’s Pilot
Historic image of Charlie Lloyd’s Pilot, one of the most important ancestors behind many modern Am Staff lines.

Charlie Lloyd’s Pilot

The male Charlie Lloyd’s Pilot was bred by John Holden of Walsall, England, owner of the Red Lion Inn. Pilot was born in 1878 from the combination Small’s Billy x Darby’s Kit and weighed 12.25 kilograms. His owner was the Englishman “Cockney” Charlie Lloyd.

Lloyd’s Pilot became widely known because of a legendary fight in Louisville on October 19, 1881, where he defeated the famous Krieger’s Crib. The details of that fight are intentionally left out of this article. Both the author and the ASTCH explicitly distance themselves from the use of dogs, of any breed, for fighting. However, from a historical perspective, the origin of the breed cannot be discussed honestly without acknowledging that background, which is why Lloyd’s Pilot deserves attention in that context.

Some descendants of Lloyd’s Pilot include Feeley’s Old Jesse from the combination with Dailey’s Nettle, a name that later became important within the Sky King line. From the combination Lloyd’s Pilot x Lloyd’s Paddy came, among others, Mitchell’s Paddy and Thornton’s Pig.

Now, more than ninety years later, it is clear that the American Staffordshire Terrier has, since the 1930s, been developed solely as a show dog to be exhibited at shows organized under F.C.I. regulations.

Ancestors of Lloyd’s Pilot

When we look back at the ancestry of Lloyd’s Pilot, the following line appears:

  • Coopers Captain x unknown
  • Insley’s Bear Dog x unknown
  • Lane Billy x Parson’s Beauty
  • Billy’s Sire x Parson’s Beauty
  • Small’s Billy x Darby’s Kit
  • Lloyd’s Pilot

The importance of Lloyd’s Pilot for many generations of Am Staffs becomes especially clear when we look at the winners of the National Specialty in the United States from 1992 through 2019. Once again, only the sire lines of the winning males were examined.

Lloyd’s Pilot appears not only directly in the Sky King line, named after Ch. Ruffian Sky King of Har-Wyn, but also in the Texas Jack line, named after Ch. Humes Texas Jack, the Chango line, named after Ch. Ruffian Chango of Har-Wyn, and also in the Klink’s Blue line, named after Klink’s Blue.

Staffordshire Terrier Club of America National Specialty 1992–2019

Of the 22 males that won Best of Breed at the National Specialty in the period from 1992 through 2019, 13 can be traced through the sire back to Lloyd’s Pilot via the Sky King line, and 9 via the Texas Jack line. The six females that won the title were not included in this overview.

Best of Breed Males

  • 1992 – Ch. Rowdytown’s Hardrock Café* – Sky King line
  • 1993 – Ch. Sindelar’s Sonny Boy of Tara – Sky King line
  • 1994 – Ch. Willynwood Redneck – Sky King line
  • 1996 – Ch. Sultan’s Wild Card – Sky King line
  • 1997 – Ch. Sindelar’s Talk O’ The Town Big Mac – Sky King line
  • 1998 – Ch. Sultan’s Wild Card – Sky King line
  • 1999 – Ch. Dauntless Hyperion’s Diamond – Sky King line
  • 2001 – Ch. De Paco XZ Gold Number – Texas Jack line
  • 2002 – Ch. Gold Rush Sergeant Striker – Texas Jack line
  • 2003 – Ch. Keystone Here’s Looking at You – Texas Jack line
  • 2004 – Ch. Keystone Here’s Looking at You – Texas Jack line
  • 2005 – Ch. Keystone Here’s Looking at You – Texas Jack line
  • 2007 – Ch. Castle Rocks CA Blue Stars – Texas Jack line
  • 2008 – Ch. Mystics Dragonheart – Sky King line
  • 2010 – Ch. Alpines Highwayman – Texas Jack line
  • 2011 – Ch. Alpines Highwayman – Texas Jack line
  • 2012 – Ch. Lobotown Puppy – Sky King line
  • 2015 – Ch. Alpine’s CatCh. Me If You Can – Texas Jack line
  • 2016 – Ch. Cimars Stainless Steel – Sky King line
  • 2017 – Ch. Roadhouse Life of the Party – Sky King line
  • 2018 – Ch. Roadhouse Life of the Party – Sky King line
  • 2019 – Ch. Alpine Living on the Road – Sky King line

* Title removed, no replacement appointed.

ASTCH Clubmatch 1992–2019 – Best of Breed Males

Of the 13 males that won Best of Breed at the breed club’s Clubmatch between 1992 and 2019, 11 can be traced through the sire back to Lloyd’s Pilot via the Sky King line, while 2 go via the Chango line. That Chango line also ultimately leads back into the Sky King line and therefore to Lloyd’s Pilot.

  • 1993 – Ch. Barberycoast Maritime Edition. Sire is Ch. Touch O'Class QED and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Tryarr Diamondback Redbolt in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 1994 – Ch. Amstock Rechy. Sire is Ch. Skrams Chasqui Mountain Lion and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. White Rock Jet Bomber in the Chango line and from there via Tudor’s Black Jack into the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 1995 – Ch. Woods EZ Diamondback Dragon. Sire is Woods EZ Forest Pendragon and through him the pedigree enters the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 1996 – Ch. Rounder’s Riddick Bowe. Sire is Tonkawa Big Tex in the Chango line and through him the pedigree reaches Tudor’s Black Jack in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 1998 – Ch. Woods EZ Diamondback Dragon. Sky King line, leading back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 1999 – Ch. Flamewoods Rainbow Dragon. Sire is Ch. WoodForest EZ Chances 'R' and through him the pedigree enters the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2000 – Ch. Parastone’s Millenium Dragon. Sire is FlameWood’s Rainbow Dragon and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Woods EZ Challenger Chance in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2001 – Ch. Flamewoods Rainbow Dragon. Sky King line, leading back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2003 – Ch. White Rock Chasskras El Diego. Sire is Ch. White Rock’s Gem Dandy and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Tryarr Diamondback Redbolt in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2010 – Ch. Parastone’s Don’t Pull The Trigger. Sire is Parastone’s Don’t Panic and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Woods EZ Challenger Chance in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2012 – Ch. Parastone’s Jimmy Junior. Sire is Ch. Parastone’s Don’t Pull The Trigger and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Woods EZ Challenger Chance in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2014 – Staff O’Class Heavenly Hoodlums. Sire is Ch. Hades De Cans Juansa and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Tryarr Diamondback Redbolt in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2016 – Ch. Stocky Rascals Only One Reason. Sire is Ch. Zico King of Ring’s and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Tryarr Diamondback Redbolt in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
Retouched portrait of Charlie’s Lloyd’s Pilot
Lloyd’s Pilot remains a recurring name in the background of many influential show lines.

ASTCH Clubmatch 1992–2019 – Best of Breed Females

If we look at the 15 females that won Best of Breed at the breed club’s Clubmatch between 1992 and 2019 and follow their paternal line, we see that they all ultimately trace back to Lloyd’s Pilot. Sometimes this happens through the Chango line or through the Texas Jack line, but those lines also ultimately return to the Sky King line and from there to Lloyd’s Pilot.

  • 1992 – Chasqui Peppermint Patty. Sire is Starhill’s Jedi White Rocky and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Logues White Rock Ox Bomber and then the Chango line, and via Tudor’s Black Jack into the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 1997 – Ch. Old Hickory Tosca. Sire is Ch. Tara’s Smooth Criminal and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Roadhouse’s El Toro Valiente in the Texas Jack line and then via X-Pert Brindle Biff into the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2002 – Ch. Challenger From The Naked Truth. Sire is Ch. Woods Forest E-Z Chances and through him the pedigree reaches Herrings Bullet in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2004 – Full Moon Bella Donna. Sire is Fullmoon Sonic Boom and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Ruffian Chango of Har-Wyn in the Chango line and from there via Tudor’s Black Jack into the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2005 – Ch. Parastone’s Ready Steady Go. Sire is Ch. FlameWood’s Rainbow Dragon and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Ruffian Skybolt of Har-Wyn in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2006 – Ch. Masterbolt Feels like Gold. Sire is Ch. Fraja EC Gold Standard and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Roadhouse’s El Toro Valiente in the Texas Jack line and then via X-Pert Brindle Biff into the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2007 – Parastone’s Creamy Cappuccino. Sire is Ch. Parastone’s Don’t Panic and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Woods EZ Challenger Chance and then Herrings Bullet in the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2008 – Ch. Parastone’s Little Bit of Spice. Sire is Ch. Parastone’s Don’t Panic.
  • 2009 – Ch. Great Am-Staff’s Good as Diamond. Sire is Mississippi Red Jocker III and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Ruffian Chango of Har-Wyn in the Chango line and from there via Tudor’s Black Jack into the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2011 – She’s My Dejavu From Cupido’s Dream. Sire is Cupido uit Engela’s Dromen and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. White Rock Jet Bomber in the Chango line and from there via Tudor’s Black Jack into the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2013 – Ch. Carmichael’s Sex Appeal. Sire is Ch. Staff’s I’m So Ruffian and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Tonkawa Big Tex in the Chango line and from there via Tudor’s Black Jack into the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2015 – Ch. Carmichael’s Sex Appeal. Sire is Ch. Staff’s I’m So Ruffian.
  • 2017 – Ch. Carmichael’s Liar Liar Pants on Fire. Sire is Ch. Benmars Ringmaster and through him the pedigree reaches Ch. Roadhouse’s El Toro Valiente in the Texas Jack line and then via X-Pert Brindle Biff into the Sky King line, which leads back to Lloyd’s Pilot.
  • 2018 – Ch. Carmichael’s Liar Liar Pants on Fire. Sire is Ch. Benmars Ringmaster.
  • 2019 – Ch. Carmichael’s Liar Liar Pants on Fire. Sire is Ch. Benmars Ringmaster.

Notes

Originally, this article was intended to cover only the winners of the previous 25 years, which is why the overview starts in 1992. In consultation with the board at the time, it was decided not to publish it then. Now that it was finally published in 2020, the later winners were added as well.

When looking at the statistics, it is striking that the ratio between males and females in the United States and in the Netherlands differs clearly. In the United States, 22 males became Best of Breed against 6 females, while in the Netherlands 15 females became Best of Breed against 13 males.

Anyone wishing to study the ancestry of the American Staffordshire Terrier and the lines in which these dogs occur in more depth can consult the monograph by Wil de Veer: The American Staffordshire Terrier in the Netherlands, Part 1 and 2. Of these, only part 2 is still available.

Thanks to Olaf Verhorevoort for additional information regarding the winners of the National Specialty.

Based on an article by Wil de Veer, published in the ASTCH club magazine (volume 35, issue 2, 2020), pages 10-13.

Read the original article (page 10, members only).