Princess Anne’s bull terrier is in trouble again. It bit two children a while back, attacked the queen’s Corgi, and bit a maid. The princess should have socialized her dogs or had servants do it, I suppose.

Interesting side note: Some American Bulldog purists claim that the American Pit Bull Terrier (aka pit bull) is a cross between an American Bulldog and a Bull Terrier. They claim that the bull terrier was originally bred as a dog fighting dog. However, it lacked gameness (tolerance to pain) and the American Bulldog (then the English Bulldog until it was bred to be the absolute abomination of nature it is today) was added to the bloodline to make it tougher. Some argue that this is why the American Pit Bull Terrier is known for dog aggression.

The American Bulldog is actually descended from the English isles. It was a farm dog used for catching and holding cattle and pigs; and a bating animal until that practice was banned. Some were brought to the New World by immigrants to be farm dogs.

The British began breeding the dog (crossing it with Pugs and other smaller bulldogs) as a pet once the ban on bating and dog fighting made the sports illegal. The result is that horribly disfigured, prone to breathing problems, unable to give live birth, and short-lived little hobbit the British seem to be proud of today.

The English farm dog was thought extinct until some were found in Georgia (actually, the American Bulldog is what the Georgia Bulldog college teams are named after – it irks me to see them parade that little freak around) by John Johnson after returning from WW2. Johnson used the small breeding stock to attempt to save the breed. He bred the dogs with various mastiffs, pit bulls and other dogs with the goal of maintaining the appearance. Johnson bulldogs are large and powerful.

The other type of American Bulldog, the Scott type named after another breeder, is smaller than the Johnson but more athletic. Also known as the Performance American Bulldog, this is the type that I have. They look like very large pit bulls.

There is, of course, major disagreement as to which (Johnson or Scott) dog is (or is more closely similar to) the original bulldog. Depending upon which pictures of the old dogs you see, the case is arguable either way. Regardless, both are fine breeds with great physical ability and unwavering love for their masters.

Also, these bloodlines are in some way shared with Boxers, Mastiffs, Rottweiler, Bull Mastiff, Boston Terriers, American Staffordshire Terrier, and many other breeds of dog.

And yes I’m aware my side note is longer than the original reason for the post. What was I talking about?

Posted in uncategorized on December 31st, 2003 by SayUncle | RSS 2.0 |