About me

Hi, my name is Ivor, I am the proud owner of CromCruaich Kennel in Ireland.

It is a family run kennel with the highest standards & this is our story so far.

We are located in Clara, Co. Offaly, Rep.of Ireland. 

I have throughout my life always been around dogs, mostly pet and hunting dogs. I have always preferred a medium short haired dog with good athletic capabilities.

In November 2008 I made a difficult decision to give my first American Pit Bull Terrier “Conan” to my friend after his dog “Zeus” (Conan’s sire) suddenly passed away from cancer. It was a difficult time for all of us. Zeus was a fine example of the breed and is to this day, sadly missed.

It was at that time that I decided to look into importing either an American Pit Bull Terrier or an American Staffordshire Terrier. On investigation I realised that there would be some difficulty in sourcing a good quality U.K.C. APBT within Europe from a reputable breeder. There was also the possibility of difficulty in importing an APBT into Ireland, as it would have to be flown into Ireland & at the time the breed was and still is illegal to own in many countries in Europe, coupled with the difficulty in finding an airline that would agree to carry the dog in question.

This led me to investigate further the possibility of purchasing and importing an American Staffordshire Terrier from a European country. I was delighted to find that American Staffordshire Terriers are legal in most European countries and that there were and still are a good number of very reputable breeders and AmStaff kennels in Europe.

My next course of action was to look closely at a number of kennels in Europe, to look at the quality of the dogs and the number of achievements they have gained. I selected a small number of AmStaff kennels to e-mail an inquiry about upcoming litters and the possibility of purchasing a pup. The most impressive kennel that I contacted at the time was “of Fianna Kennel” in Hungary. In March 2009 I was delighted to receive an e-mail from Beatrix, from of Fianna Kennel. Beatrix informed me that Norbert was in the U.S. at the time and that he would correspond with me further when he got home. I was delighted when Norbert contacted me with the news that at that time they did not have any puppies available, but a close friend of Norbert and Beatrix had puppies available. Norbert and Beatrix contacted their friends Viktoria and Zoltan, who had a new litter of AmStaff puppies available. Norbert kindly arranged for correspondence between Viki and I.

Within a week of receiving my first e-mail from Beatrix, I was choosing my first AmStaff puppy “Antonia Stars of Dante” from Viki and Zoli of “Stars of Dante Kennel”. Viki kindly agreed to kennel Antonia in her home for me until Antonia’s passport was ready. I have read mixed reviews at the time about the quarantine facilities in Ireland and did not want to put a pet in those facilities. I was delighted and am forever grateful to Viki and Zoli for taking great care of Antonia until her E.U. pet passport was ready and she was eligible for entry into Ireland. A good friend of Norbert’s and Viki’s , “Martí” agreed to accompany Antonia on her long journey to France, where we collected her, as I could not arrange flights into Ireland from Hungary in the winter months. Antonia then made the last part of her journey into Ireland by ferry.

I would like to say a special thanks to Norbert and Beatrix from “of Fianna Kennel”, Viki and Zoli from “Stars of Dante Kennel” and Martí , for all their help and friendship along the way. We would not have Antonia today if it were not for all their help and assistance.

Antonia is our first AmStaff , she is from excellent bloodlines & is a beautiful example of the breed. She has wonderful movement and has a beautiful head and physical structure. She is as the breed standard describes, graceful and agile, and keenly alert of her surroundings. Antonia is very friendly and loves people and children, and she is also very tolerant of other animals including cats. Antonia is very playful and loves attention and affection. She is truly a joy to own and is a huge part of our family.

We hope to build a prestigious American Staffordshire Kennel here in Ireland. Antonia Stars of Dante is a wonderful example of the breed and I am delighted that she is the first dog to base CromCruaich Kennels on.

It is the goal of CromCruaich Kennels to breed sound dogs of both body and mind, to contribute to the preservation of the American Staffordshire Terrier through responsible breeding and ownership of the breed.

There will occasionally be puppies available for sale. The majority will be of a very high show standard, but there may also be puppies available for pet and hobby homes. Pups will be made available to responsible people only, and all potential homes will be vetted first. All puppies from CromCruaich Kennels will be I.K.C. registered.

CromCruaich Kennel is an I.K.C. and F.C.I. registered kennel.

CromCruaich Kennel is the second registered American Staffordshire Terrier Kennel in Ireland.

Antonia Stars of Dante is I.K.C. registered and is fully health tested.

In Antonia’s bloodline there are many International Champions, European Champions, U.S.A. and World Champions, and here at CromCruaich Kennel we hope to produce many future champions.

I would like to also mention the issue of cropped ears and docking tails.

The cropping of ears and docking of tails and any procedure which is considered the mutilation of animals is illegal in Ireland. At present in many European countries, dogs with cropped ears can only be shown at international shows.

Antonia’s ears were cropped in Hungary, where the procedure is legal and is only carried out by a certified vet.

It is illegal to crop ears in Ireland. Any dog found to have it’s ears cropped illegally will not be eligible to enter any I.K.C. or F.C.I. related show. The owner of said dog may also be liable for prosecution.

I hope you enjoy viewing our website, please feel free to sign the guest book and contact me with any inquiries you may have.