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Crufts prompts museum's 'most important week'

Megan JonesWest Midlands
News imageBBC A close-up of a black Staffordshire bull terrier standing on a pavement. The dog is looking off to the left of the image, and has a faded pink collar. A person's foot can be seen in the shot behind the dog. They are standing next to what appears to be the doorway of a building.BBC
Zelda is one of five Staffordshire bull terriers owned by volunteer Gill McDermott

A museum and heritage centre dedicated to Staffordshire bull terriers is ready for its "most important week of the year".

The appointment-only Staffordshire Bull Terrier Heritage Centre, located in Wednesbury, promotes and champions the breed while showcasing memorabilia.

With Crufts under way, owners of the breed from around the world are already booked in for a visit.

"We've got people coming from Italy, Germany, and Spain, also from Devon," said volunteer Gill McDermott, who has five staffies.

"They want to know about the history, the blood lines, where this breed originated from, and meet the Black Country people, cause we are very friendly, they just want to talk about dogs."

The breed, first recognised by The Kennel Club in the 1930s, shares the same ancestry as the Bull Terrier.

McDermott said: "It's the nature I love, they're very playful, happy, healthy.

"They love lying in the sun, they love to be outside and be part of the family.

"You don't have to go to the vets every five minutes."

News imageA woman in a red fleece jacket and black trousers stands looking towards the camera and smiling. She has a black Staffordshire bull terrier on a leash which is standing at her feet. They are standing in front of the doorway to a building which is clad in corrugated metal. Next to them is a red, black and what sign that says The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Heritage Centre.
Gill McDermott said she loved the nature of the breed

In 2010, the Heritage Centre moved to Holyhead Road, where the permanent exhibition has been ever since.

The centre is made up of six rooms, including a library, and contains a wealth of staffie memorabilia including a 1950s black and white film that highlights the campaign to get the dogs registered from mongrel to pedigree.

There is one item McDermott loves the most: "We have a stained glass window that was given to us, it is about 3ft by 3ft of a white staffie with black ears."

News imageA light green wall is covered in paintings of Staffordshire bull terriers. In front of it is a statue of a black and white Staffordshire bull terrier on top of a dark brown cabinet. To the left is a doorway, through which can be seen a set of shelves lined with many books. On the right in another doorway
The museum has a library, as well as portraits and statues

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