What can I say about her to allow you to understand just how sweet and precious she really is?? Her name is Angel and she was called this very appropriate name because she behaves like one most of the time ~ and other times she is an angel with black wings ~ not really bad but full of mischief, fun and hyperactivity. Actually she thinks she is a person who just happens to wear a fur coat.
She has one really endearing habit that we have not yet managed to capture on film but we are trying ~ she will sometimes lay on her back and 'suck her thumb' that is put her paw in her mouth and just hold it there as she lays upside down. lol
Angel will sit staring fixedly at her 'treat bin' as if willing the treats to come out OR at the tap as if hoping to encourage it to give her some water while attempting to maintain an air of dignity and fixation. I say 'attempting' because her balance becomes seriously risky as her back paws and leg slowly slide out sideways but she seems oblivious to this occurrence as she continues to stare fixedly at what she wants. For those of us watching it becomes increasingly funny because she does not twitch a muscle but just 'lets it slide' and we wonder just how far she will let herself go before even attempting to stop it.
When drinking water in front of you. you will notice the dainty lift of a front paw as it barely touches the floor and the delicate bend in the first joint of the leg ~ this offers little support for her as she delicately drinks her water but it is most funny to watch as once again her balance seems to be in question. For us these occurrences are strange, cute and funny as our male dogs never did these things.
Someone has come to the house? Oh boy ~ let's greet them with dancing paws that prance quickly up and down, a hippy, hoppy sideways movement that involves the whole body moving forward but from the side ~ combined with the thunking of jaws and head into walls and the sound of a boney tail whacking off the wall ~ ouch!! That's gotta hurt.
You've been down to the laundry room or are coming upstairs? Well this is the perfect time to greet you with a paw as you get to the top ~ you older folks deserve a reward just for making it up those stairs. Congratulations ~ give me five.
I think a bit of her heritage includes a cat somewhere ~ she has too many cat like ways.
Unlike our males who would only give you a cursory sniff to see where you have been ~ she likes to get right in there and give you a thorough inspection after you have been out for a while.
If Angel cuddles next to you in bed, she will worm her way upwards towards your pillow with little shifting movements and wriggles ~ all of which bring her ever closer to placing her head on the pillow. Once having achieved her goal, she lets out a long shuddering sigh of contentment. Sometimes she will even try to get under the blankets when it is cold outside and if anyone should leave their spot for a few minutes in the middle of the night ~ don't worry, she'll keep it warm by laying on the sheets and blankets but if you want it back when you return she is reluctant to move.
Someone's at the door and your're asleep? Well she won't really bark but instead will only make a couple of little, short, half barking sounds that sound hilarious ~ like she is trying to tell you without telling you.
When out walking in the neighbourhood and she meets another dog she will often dance on the spot as she greets them. If the other dog should growl or bark at her she will simply offer it a paw as if saying 'hello' and 'give me five'. If this does not work she will then proceed to run her paw over her face and ear as if to say 'gosh, shut up already', and if the dog still continues Angel will lay down on the ground and roll on her back, all the while pawing her face and nose, then she will rub all around on the ground upside down.
For those dogs that are also friendly there is the usual paw greeting and then the fun begins. She'll ignore the small male poodle who humps on her legs as she dances out of its grasp ~ one leg at a time. She'll allow the small wire-haired terrier to jump up on her chest and look in her face. She'll run and frolic with the other Staffordshire, the Rottweiler or the Golden Retriever as they play games of tag. Bijon-Fres or Golden Retriever got her bone? No problem, she'll just get another, or take theirs. She is unconcerned with fighting over food or who the boss is ~ don't other dogs know that a dog's life involves fun?? "Dogs just wanna have fu-un, oh dogs just wanna have fun!", that's her song.
Angel just loves it when Quincy comes over but is too intimidated by all 6 lbs of Quincy fluff to get too close to her. She will try and lick and play with her but Quincy will have none of it. Quincy is too much to boss to play so instead she will growl at Angel causing her to leave the area and then when Angel is not looking she will skirt around her to take her bones then head back to her place and eat them. Angel doesn't care and will try and play but Quincy wants no part of it and tells her so. Run away? You betcha! She isn't taking any chances in case that little ball of fur stands up on her hind legs to hit her again ... fastest paws you ever saw and I think they are supposed to be karate moves - no wonder Angel stays clear. [Quincy looks much like the black poodle on the side here except she is a Bijon-Frise Poodle mix. Her pictures are in this album too.]
Angel rarely ever barks, usually it is only if someone comes after dark and then only a bark or two to let us know someone is there. The only time I have ever heard her growl is when she is laying down in front of half opened blinds and she cannot see what is moving outside. If the blinds are open and she can see ~ no problem, but a half glimpsed movement of unknown origin is something else.
Angel has a treat ball that she gently rolls around the house hitting with her nose, she ignores those treats she doesn't like as much while eating only those she considers to be extra good at the time.
This is my loveable dog, the American Staffordshire Terrier. For those of you who are dog illiterate you might refer to her as a 'dreaded pitbull' although she is not one. Many uneducated people group her breed in with the more commonly referred to 'pitbulls'. Does my dog look like it belongs in a pit? Do I sound like the kind of cruel, vicious, dysfunctional and uncaring person who would put an animal into a pit? I should hope not.
We are very protective of her and take precautions that she does not get hurt by other people's dogs. Our Angel is very affectionate and loving ~ her one draw back is that she is too affectionate and likes to get close to people. She tries to achieve closeness by jumping on them which is a real no-no and we are working on the problem.
Angel is just that, an 'angel'. Every inch a little female, very full of life, ever inquisitive, full of fun & energy, and really just a little person in a fur coat.
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LITTLE MISS PERSONALITY
