My best friend

Today I'd like to talk about my best friend - she is 6 years old and her name is Vanda.  She is an American Staffordshire Terrier, a breed considered to be one of a fighting type but never in my life have I met a sweeter and more loving creature.  When I still lived in Russia, my daughter brought her home when she was a little puppy and she immediately started chewing everyone's shoes and marking her territory.  But the little thing had so much personality and was so affectionate that it was hard to be mad at her.  She turned out to be very smart and was quickly house trained.  Later, when I brought her here to US with me, she again adapted quickly, became bi-lingual, and can respond now to many commands in both Russian and English.

What always amazed me is a stark difference between her gentle, loving, and cheerful personality and reputation her breed has.  Her early ancestors came from England, where they were used for guarding and dog fighting. The breed is a mix between the bulldog and the terrier and was known for its ability to fight.  Maybe it is true with the other dogs, though she is usually pays very little attention to the other dogs when we walk, but I never saw her showing anything but love to any human even to complete strangers.

She recently got very sick, started loosing weight, and lost desire to even get up and walk with was very unusual.  We took her to a hospital and the doctor found that she had a life threatening uterus infection.  They had to do a surgery and remove the uterus.  It was sad. We were hoping for her to have children and some point but it will be impossible now.  We are still very glad that she was saved and is now back to being a happy and playful herself.