Almost 40 years with the American Staffordshire Terrier
As a young kid, I wake up early. The house is still quiet. I hear our dog downstairs. Grandy. Our first American Staffordshire Terrier.
I get up, go to the bathroom, take a shower and start another day. Nothing special. At least, that’s what I thought at the time…
I had absolutely no idea what had just begun. No idea that this dog, this breed, this world, would become such an enormous part of my life.
Almost 40 years later, I am standing in that same bathroom. The same early morning silence. It’s 5:30 in the morning. I’m having a shave, knowing that in just a few hours I will be taking an exam.
My God, how nervous I am.
Not because I don’t know my stuff. Not because I have doubts. American Staffordshire Terriers have been part of my life, in one way or another, for almost 40 years.
But still… the nerves are there.
Because this is not just another exam. This is something very personal.
It’s one of the few things my parents, my dad, never got the chance to do. And somehow, this one little thing remained. Unfinished. Outstanding. For Dad, and perhaps, without even realizing it, for me too.
Standing there that morning, looking into the mirror, I thought:
What is this madness, this hobby?! Complete madness!
And then you realize…
It was never madness at all.
It was a gift.
A gift that gave me a lifetime of memories. From Grandy, back in August 1987, to standing in that bathroom at 5:30 in the morning in August 2026.
Almost forty years of memories compressed into one single moment.
And then…
I DID IT!
I successfully passed my breed examination for the American Staffordshire Terrier, officially becoming an FCI breed judge for the breed that has been such an important part of my life.
Even writing these words feels strange.
Because this was never simply about becoming a judge. It was something that had been waiting quietly in the background for many, many years.
From those early days with Grandy to breeding American Staffordshire Terriers under the Old Hickory and Hickory Junior kennel names, and now becoming an FCI judge of this wonderful breed.
Quite a journey.
And yet, at that very moment, my thoughts were somewhere else.
I wish you could have been there.
I wish I could have called you afterwards.
I wish I could have heard what you would have said.
Although…
I think I know.
Thank you, Dad.
Sven van Slijpe
Old Hickory / Hickory Junior
FCI Judge – American Staffordshire Terrier
