One evening at the end of winter 1995, whilst I was
walking the streets of Brescia,s historical centre with my
girlfriend, I saw a small dog with a very powerful head. I
remarked to Paola that I would approach the owner and ask
him some questions about his dog. It was around 11pm and the
dog, seeing me approach his owner, moved to stand in front
of his owner ready to protect him from me, without snarling
but seeming rather to study me carefully. The owner, Hans,
spoke to the dog, telling him it was all okay, and he made
him sit down.
The name of this incredible Staffordhire Bull terrier
was Bella. She lived 24 hours of every day at her owners
side. Hans was a fluteplaying vagabond who slept in a
cardboard box under the arches of a famous square each time
he visited Brescia. I was amazed by the bond that existed
between them, they seemed to be two bodies sharing a common
soul, no leash was needed to keep Bella close by her owner.
She would do anything that Hans commanded, indeed I was left
speechless when he said to Bella “Come on Bella, open your
mouth and show us how black your palate is”. Despite the
fact that we talked in english as Hans knew little italian,
thanks to my meeting with Hans and Bella I fell in love with
the Stafford breed.
I saw the Special Bull type Terrier at my first show
in march 1998. A dog called Minnie the Moocher, owned by
Danielato Marco and bred by Renato Paco Zanoia won best of
breed for the American Staffordshire Terrier. She was the
grandmother of my own dog.
That day I bought a video cassette and book on the
breed and from here began my great passion for the American
Staffordshire Terrier. I carried on reading many other
books, I was a frequent spectator at the shows and tried to
gain as much knowledge as possible to enable me to satisfy
my passion and choose the best dog not only so that I could
participate in a dog is a living being, it becomes part of a
family and their lives for many years, so I wanted to make
the best possible choice in terms of both character and
looks.
In a dog show I met Marco Danielato, and I learnt
immediately that I bought from him my dog.
Forthwith I learnt that he has a great passion, he is
a plainspoken man, he wasn’t an enchanter like the other
breeders that I met, he wasn’t a hawker, he was the only man
near the Am Staff ring that said to me that he isn’t the
onlyone to have beautiful dog…
I called him may times and I went to his house many
times after to caught Dorian, he learnt to me to “See” the
dog, to learn the defaults and the characteristic.
I’m recognizant to Marco e Giuliana, they are
outstanding people, they are ever available to give me some
councils, and they helped me in everything. I called them
every day when I carried at home the puppy…but above all
they given to me “Otello” (Dorian), my best friend.