Old English Bulldog Information & Dog Breed Facts

Even a cursory look at English bulldog history reveals a compelling and frightening story. In the United States, the English bulldog is the sixth most popular dog breed, and it consistently ranks in the top ten in many parts of the United Kingdom.

However, the original English bulldog and the English bulldog we know today are two quite distinct animals. This issue is producing continual dispute amongst purebred purists and animal welfare specialists, as you can see in the following timeline of English bulldog history.

The first domesticated wolves, ancient forebears to our current canines, are thought to have arrived around 14,000 years ago during the Mesolithic period, according to scientists. The first mention of the modern bulldog can be found in accounts from the time of the ancient Romans (31 B.C. to 476 B, C.).These writings mention huge "broad-mouth" dogs who battled with great courage and valor alongside human warriors (Roman, Greek, and British). Historians believe these ancient dogs were Alaunt dogs, a type of working dog that was not a breed but rather a type of working dog. There were two Alaunt lines, one of which was described as having a heavier build and a wide, powerful jaw. This dog was called frequently "bulldog Alaunt" in the common language.

This ancient working dog lineage is most likely the one, from, where the English bulldog originates.

Bulldogs are thought to have been developed in 13th-century England, during King John's reign, for the "sport" of bullbaiting, in which a staked bull fought a pack of dogs while spectators bet on the outcome. The dogs used in this gruesome sport, who were the forerunners of today's Bulldog, were terrible brutes with gigantic jaws, astonishingly fearless, and seemingly painless.

In 1835, England abolished animal blood sports, which marked a turning point in Bulldog history. Bullbaiting gave birth to pit-dog fighting in cellars, and blood sports moved underground, literally. This illegal activity necessitated faster, more lively canines than the slow-moving Bulldogs of the early 1800s. Gamblers developed their ferocious four-legged gladiators by combining various terriers with Bulldogs, resulting in the Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and other bull-type terrier breeds that are still popular today.

Its recurrent appearances at dog shows had piqued the press's interest by 1875. The 'New Bulldog Club' was founded to encourage all breeders to participate in the development of a point system upon which a Breed Standard could be built. As a result, the exaggerated features that give the modern British Bulldog his distinct thuggish look became a symbol of British grit. As a result, the British Bulldog is regarded as the country's national dog for a long time. During WWII, for example, much was made of the similarities between the jowly, stubborn Bulldog and Winston Churchill, the jowly, tenacious Prime Minister.

As Vero Shaw B.A. in her book, "The Illustrated Book of the Dog “states: "... for no variety of canine species is so universally identified, both at home and abroad, with Great Britain as the subject of this present article. Bulldog pluck and endurance are qualifications eagerly cherished by Englishmen of all classes, and it would be manifestly unjust to deprive this dog (breed) of the title which has been so universally awarded him".

Bulldogs don’t only have symbolic values in the United Kingdom but also in the United States. The breed is the mascot of a variety of sports teams in America, including those representing Yale University. Handsome Dan, Yale's Bulldog mascot, is claimed to be the first animal mascot in all of athletics. Uga, another well-known Bulldog football mascot, watches the University of Georgia Bulldogs' exploits from the comfort of an air-conditioned doghouse on the sidelines. The Bulldog is also the wrinkly face of Mack Trucks and the United States Marine Corps.

The physical traits of the modern Bulldog, like those of any other pure breed, make them easily recognizable. Despite the fact that the reason for which he was raised has been illegal since 1835, a century later his physical characteristics were recognized by the icon of his time. It is critical that current society comprehends the historical significance of each and every characteristic that has been preserved by aficionados to create our present Bulldog.