Old English Bulldog

The Old English bulldog is an extinct breed of bulldog that existed in 18th century. The old English bulldogs were used in a sport called bull baiting. Bull baiting was a very popular sport in England and was exhibited at particular locations all over the England. The Old English bulldog was a specialized breed for this sport.

The old English bulldogs were fearless and very confident and possessed great strength. The old English bulldog was compact, broad and muscular, weighing approximately 45 pounds. Their average height was near about 15 inches. The head was big and round, and the muzzle was short. The ears were small, chest was wide and body was round. The legs were very strong and muscular. This breed was characterized by the projected under jaw, giving it a vice like strong grip. The construction of nose was well suited for bull baiting. It was deeply set, enabling the bulldog to get sufficient air, when it gripped the bull.

In bull baiting, bull was fastened to a pillar through the collar in his neck, restricted his movement to a particular area. The old English bulldogs aim was to attack the bull on his face, pinning and holding the bull’s nose as it was considered as the most sensitive part of the bull. The experienced fighting bulls used to lower their head in the direction of attacking bulldog and toss the bulldog in the air with their horns. In return, the old bulldogs tried to stay closer to the ground, when they went towards the bull. All This resulted in the specialized breed of old English bulldog, which have become extinct now.

Since, the old English bulldogs were bred to hold on to a bull’s nose during the bull baiting, they had a tendency to strike at the face. The bite of old English bulldog was famous. They were very aggressive, were notorious to attack other animals particularly cats and sometimes kill them.

The Old English bulldogs are considered to be derived from ancient war dogs, like the old Mastiff or Aunt. Even old prints confirm this origin. But some disagree with this concept and according to them, the origin of this specialized breed in not clear.

The bull baiting was a heated discussion at that time and was being opposed by many animal lovers. Many Bulldogs were killed during the bull baiting sport and many were injured and ended up breaking their limbs. Initially, a bill was issued to abolish the bull-baiting, but that didn’t stop it. After passage of a law of the Cruelty to Animals act 1835 in England, bull baiting became illegal. Subsequently, the breeders lost interest to perpetuate the Old English bulldog and slowly they became extinct.