A Black Country Stafford
MALSTAFF DANNY BOY
Certain Stafford’s come to mind when looking back and Malstaff Danny Boy was one that I fondly remember.
I first heard about Malstaff’s Danny Boy from an old friend Harry Hards. Harry and I went to the same school, Chase Cross in Collier Row, Romford, Essex.
I introduced Harry to Stafford’s when I owned my first Staffordshire bitch ‘Bess’. He decided that he had to have one and later acquired a nice little white bitch from ‘Lunar Flash’ breeding. Later on he married ‘Christine’ a girl from Wednesbury in the Black Country and settled there, where he made contact with other Stafford fanciers.
One day he got in touch and invited me to take a look at a local Stafford he was very impressed with. This Stafford had just sired a litter of pups, which were about six weeks old. This would be 1980-81.
After arriving in Wednesbury we went to see this litter, which was bred by a Mr. Evans. It was a lively litter of typical brindle and white pups out of a nice bitch. I was now even more interested to see the sire, owned by Malcolm and Linda Allsopp, who I did not know at the time, but who would become good friends.
We called on the off chance, explaining that I had driven from Essex to see their Stafford. Linda was happy to invite us inside, where we were greeted in the hallway by their two lively black brindle bitches, one of them being ‘Sam’s Girl.’ We sat down in the lounge while Linda fetched ‘Danny Boy.’ I was excited to see this young Stafford that was making a name for himself and was not disappointed.
Linda opened the door to her lounge and in charged Danny Boy like a Spanish fighting Bull entering the Corrida! He looked like one too. He was a big, impressive black brindle power house, full of energy and you could see he was as pure as the day is long. A Black Country Stafford that more than lived up to my expectations.
He was only about two years old at the time and full of life, patrolling the house in perpetual motion. He couldn’t sit still. ‘Danny Boy’ would be classed as top size, about 18 inches at the shoulder. He was thick set, but athletically built with all the attributes you would expect - a big clean headed dog with a very typical expression and I was in no doubt all Stafford!
Malstaff Danny Boy also produced some top class Stafford’s - the much admired Dark Crystal of Malstaffs, Yankeestaff Fandango, Ghengis Arn and Lady Rebecca come to mind.
He was by Brindle Jake of Lenstaff out of Sam’s Girl. Some of the notable Stafford’s in his pedigree were Print of Wyncole, who influenced his size, Ch. Rapparee the Gladiator, Ch. Gwynford Drumbeat and Ch. Game Flash.
I wanted to record this as a memory of a great Stafford and a tribute to my friend Harry, a good man that loved the breed.
Thanks for the memories Harry.
1952-2023.
Certain Stafford’s come to mind when looking back and Malstaff Danny Boy was one that I fondly remember.
I first heard about Malstaff’s Danny Boy from an old friend Harry Hards. Harry and I went to the same school, Chase Cross in Collier Row, Romford, Essex.
I introduced Harry to Stafford’s when I owned my first Staffordshire bitch ‘Bess’. He decided that he had to have one and later acquired a nice little white bitch from ‘Lunar Flash’ breeding. Later on he married ‘Christine’ a girl from Wednesbury in the Black Country and settled there, where he made contact with other Stafford fanciers.
One day he got in touch and invited me to take a look at a local Stafford he was very impressed with. This Stafford had just sired a litter of pups, which were about six weeks old. This would be 1980-81.
After arriving in Wednesbury we went to see this litter, which was bred by a Mr. Evans. It was a lively litter of typical brindle and white pups out of a nice bitch. I was now even more interested to see the sire, owned by Malcolm and Linda Allsopp, who I did not know at the time, but who would become good friends.
We called on the off chance, explaining that I had driven from Essex to see their Stafford. Linda was happy to invite us inside, where we were greeted in the hallway by their two lively black brindle bitches, one of them being ‘Sam’s Girl.’ We sat down in the lounge while Linda fetched ‘Danny Boy.’ I was excited to see this young Stafford that was making a name for himself and was not disappointed.
Linda opened the door to her lounge and in charged Danny Boy like a Spanish fighting Bull entering the Corrida! He looked like one too. He was a big, impressive black brindle power house, full of energy and you could see he was as pure as the day is long. A Black Country Stafford that more than lived up to my expectations.
He was only about two years old at the time and full of life, patrolling the house in perpetual motion. He couldn’t sit still. ‘Danny Boy’ would be classed as top size, about 18 inches at the shoulder. He was thick set, but athletically built with all the attributes you would expect - a big clean headed dog with a very typical expression and I was in no doubt all Stafford!
Malstaff Danny Boy also produced some top class Stafford’s - the much admired Dark Crystal of Malstaffs, Yankeestaff Fandango, Ghengis Arn and Lady Rebecca come to mind.
He was by Brindle Jake of Lenstaff out of Sam’s Girl. Some of the notable Stafford’s in his pedigree were Print of Wyncole, who influenced his size, Ch. Rapparee the Gladiator, Ch. Gwynford Drumbeat and Ch. Game Flash.
I wanted to record this as a memory of a great Stafford and a tribute to my friend Harry, a good man that loved the breed.
Thanks for the memories Harry.
1952-2023.
