TANGO'S TALE

When I bought "Tango" from KK Kennels in the early 1990's, there was no way that I would have expected to still have him with me nearly 16 years later, especially when you consider that most Bull Terrier breeds only have an average life span of maybe ten or twelve years. Okay, so he's not as fast or as lively as he was a few years ago, his hearing and his eyesight aren't 100%, but then, that's what growing older does to us all, isn't it. It is remarkable though, that he still looks forward to his three walks a day, feeds well and doesn't require any expensive or intrusive veterinary care to keep him going.

It really is a testament to the genetics and breeding of these dogs that they appear to be so incredibly robust and so difficult to "knock over", either through illness or injury. Whether or not KK bitches are equally rugged I wouldn't know, having never owned one, but seem to recall that KK's "Sky" was still around at a reasonably decent age, which suggests that the breeds longevity can equally apply to either sex. Personally, I can count on one hand the number of times "Tango" has been unwell during his life and none have been so serious as to require a visit to the vets. Even when he choked on some paper a few months ago and stopped breathing for a short time, we still managed to get him going again and he was back to his usual self within a few hours.

I've often tried to calculate the total mileage that "Tango" must have walked during his lifetime, based on the 4 walks a day he used to get in his younger days and the 3 walks that he still gets now. If you assume a daily average of around 4 or 5 miles a day, multiplied by 365 days a year and multiply that by the 16 years he's been around, that gives a total of something around 30,000 miles. And that figure doesn't include all the extra miles he will have covered with additional walks or just simply running around, being a dog.

Whether or not I've just been incredibly lucky with "Tango" and have been fortunate enough to own a dog that doesn't succumb too easily to common illness or injury, I couldn't really say. I do know however, that both "Tango's" sire and dam, KK's "Blue" & "Sky" lived to good ages, so maybe the breeds genetics have played a major part in my own dogs longevity? I also know, that throughout his life "Tango" has always had a regular diet, regular exercise and an absence of unnecessary veterinarian intervention. I believe that dogs are creatures of habit and if you can offer them a safe and secure environment which is governed by routine, then the dog will be far happier and contented.   

The other great positive feature of these dogs that I have noted appears to be their complete reliability and trustworthiness with people. Although it is true to say that they're probably not the "sharpest tool in the box", they do seem to demonstrate a natural and ready friendliness towards people, be they big or small, thin or fat, black or white, each and everyone of them can be made a fuss of. In my 16 year ownership of "Tango", he has never given me one instance of concern as to his reliability or his intentions towards an individual person and in my opinion has always been a perfect ambassador for his breed. 

In fact, the only person that "Tango" has ever taken offence with during his lifetime is me and that was when he was around 2 or 3 years of age, the canine equivalent of a human "teenager" and with an anti-authoritarian attitude to match. The very idea of trying to enforce your will on a 60lb growling Bull Terrier, who doesn't want to do what he's being told, is a highly interesting experience, that you can well understand why some people occasionally allow themselves to be intimidated by the dog and lose control of the situation.  

My own personal experience and knowledge of the breed runs totally counter to that which is often offered by elements of the UK media and at least one animal welfare organisation, (that would be the RSPCA), who would have us all believe that such dogs are little more than vicious and unthinking predators, that cannot be trusted around the general public and certainly should not be owned by them. Maybe these people, be they headline writers or RSPCA inspectors should spend a bit of time with these dogs, finding out about them and what makes them tick, before they go rushing off to condemn them so readily in print. The raids that took place in Merseyside earlier this year are indicative of the results that can occur from such ill thought out and dangerous journalism. My Freelance Rants page includes links to  2 articles relating to those particular events

It has been and continues to be a real pleasure to own "Tango" and it is a experience that I have never once regretted. The KK dogs are big, brash dogs that take a great deal of handling and exercise, but the companionship that they offer and the new people that you meet through owning such a striking dog is well worth the effort that you're required to invest in having one. If you are ever lucky enough to own one of these dogs, I can only hope you are fortunate enough to enjoy the same level of companionship and fun as I have over the past 16 years.

Phil Jones 

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