Bull baiting is a popular bloody animal sport during 1800s England and this is a game where in vicious dogs are used to attack and kill bulls, bears and other raging animals. This event made popular the once remarkable fighter dog but now extinct Old English Bulldog. This dog was highly praised for its superior strength and power and it is the forerunner of some of the world’s leading companion dogs today such as the Pit Bull, Boxer and more.
The bull baiting recreation was attended by almost all citizens of the kingdom including the royals, nobles, and commoners. Famed locations for this gruesome activity were the Westminster Pit, Old Conduit Fields and Bear Garden. At the turn of the century, however, the glory days of this past time came to an end with the approval of Cruelty to Animals Act 1835 which ordered the prohibition of bull baiting.
With the prohibition of bull baiting, so did the drop of Old English Bulldog breeding. Breeders knew that there wouldnt be any need for an aggressive and fearless dog and so they started to crossbreed the Old English Bulldog with other breeds in order to develop a much amiable companion dog. Today, the traces left by the once popular bull baiting dog are only seen in some of the world’s popular house pets.
The origin of the Old English Bulldog is said to be the Mastiff, a warrior dog, or Alaunt, bred with other ancient dog breeds. The physical attributes of the Old English Bulldog that was heavily noted were its tight-clenching bite and powerful body. The last of this breed was depicted in a painting and they were the pets of a Hamilton Duke and were named Child, Wasp and Billy.
Although now extinct, breeders still attempted to revive the line of this once great and powerful breed. That’s why in 1971, a man named David Leavitt using Dr. Fechimer’s cattle line breeding scheme, recreated the Old English Bulldog which turned out to be successful. This newly revived breed is now called the Olde English Bulldogge.
This resurrected breed possesses the same appearance, stamina, strength and health of the Old English Bulldog, however, it is gentler and is more probable to be a companion. This breed is said to be composed of 1/6 Bullmastiff, 1/6 American Pit Bull Terrier, 1/2 Bulldog and 1/6 American Bulldog. The Olde English Bulldogge may be the recreation of the an extinct breed but it possesses, in no means, the original genetics of the Old English Bulldog as it is forever lost in history.
The Olde English Bulldogge is very quick and strong, amiable and affectionate. It has a tendency to be wary and aggressive towards a same sex dog and so sometimes fights will occur. To prevent this, thorough socialization and obedience training is necessary in order for this dog to become accustomed to the sight of other creatures.
Just like the Old English Bulldog, this re-created breed is highly energetic and thus needs regular intense activities in order to shed off its excessive energy. Aside from being gentler, the new characteristics of this dog are its bigger size and heavier weight. These would have not been helpful in the dog ring since it has to duck from the bull’s horn and avoid being tossed away like a little creature.
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