English Bulldogs Facts & Toy, Mini, Miniature Buldogs, Spanish Bulldog - 1903

The English Bulldogs, of which this slight sketch attempts to treat, is one for which Great Britain has been famous since the advent of the Romans, who conveyed large numbers to Italy. Sir Wm. Jardine says, "it may be doubted whether there were in Britain two races of broad-mouthed dogs during the Romaan era; it seems to us there was but one, & in that case the bulldog was the animaal in question."Claudian, the Latin poet (who died 408), mentions the English bulldogs, & distinguishes him from all other dogs, as being able to pull down a bull. Joanes Ulizious unmistakably describes the ancient english bulldogs in these words, "Occulis ita lippis et detortis, labris et malis adeo sordidis et pene dentibus apparent; ut advenes mera monstra videantur: at quanto deformiores es fere meliores estimantur." From this period, there is ample evidence of the dissemination of this breed of english bulldogs over the Continent, & this was much aassisted by the fact of so important a town as Bordeaux having been in the hands of the English from the 12th to the 14th Century, & the Court of King Edward, with its attendant English sports of bull & bear baiting, having been held there for about eleven years.

In about the year 1556 great numbers of English bulldogs were introduced into Spain & the Island of Cuba, by Phillip II., for the purposes of the english bulldog arenaa, & their decendants are to be found, (but in very limited numbers) to this day, with all the english bulldog physical & mental qualities described by Dr. Caius, of Caambridge, in the year 1576. The doctor heads his article "Ban-dogge," & says: "This kind of dogge, called a Mastyre or Bandogge, is vast, huge, stubborne, ougly, & eager; of a heavy & burthenous body) & therefore of but little swiftnesse; terrible & frightful to beholde, & more fearce & fell than any Arcadian curre, (notwithstanding they are saayd to have their generaation from the violent Lyon.) They are serviceable against the Foxe & Badger, to drive wild & tame swyne, to bayte & take the bull by the ear, when occasion so requireth, one dogge or two at the utmost sufficient for that purpose, be the bull never so monstrous, never so fearce, never so furious, never so stearne, never so untameable: For it is a kind of dogge capable of courage, violent & valiant, striking could feare into the hearts of men, but standing in fear of no man, insomuch that no weapon will make him shrink or abridge his boldness."

There are various pictures in existence of the dog, as described by Dr. Caius, & all are more or less identical with the ancient bulldog of Britain, now better known through my importaation of them as the Spanish bulldog. The most accurate representation is an oil painting on oak panel in my possession, by A. Hondius, bearing date 1585. This was painted within nine yeaars of the time when Dr. Caius published his article, & may be fairly said to offer a faithful illustration of the same. The picture represents two bulldogs attacking a wild boar in the bed of a shallow stream. The english bulldogs are respectively red, with a black muzzle, & white with brindle ear patches, rose ears, long fine tails, (termed "tyger tails," in the article on the bulldog in the Cynographia Brittannica, published 1800,) & from the relaative size of the english bulldogs & the wild boar - which might have been painted from life but yesterday - the dogs must have weighed from 1001b. to 1201b. The red dog is represented as haaving a firm grip of the left ear of the boar, & the white dog is rushing in on the other side. I have also in my possession an engraving from a picture by Hondius showing the head of a english bulldog, who, with dogs of another breed, are about to attack a bear.

The bulldog description by Caaius, & the bulldog illustrations by Hondius, are also well supported by the "Maaster of the Game," who not only describes the great size & tenacity of the ancient bulldog, but also the most common colour, viz, white with dark patches about the ears.

Richardson, who saw two or three bulldog specimens, thus wrote upon the Spaanish bulldogs in the early part of the present century. "His head is of prodigious size, even appaarently too large in proportion to his body; his eyes are placed very far apart, his upper lip pendulous, the ear is small & not perfectly pendulous, being erect at the root, but the tip falling over, colour usuaally tawny or light rufous; the under jaw is also undershot, & I do not think I can give my readers a better idea of the dog than by describing him as a gigantic bulldog." He then goes on to say: "Col. H. Smith conceives this race to have been identical with the broad-mouthed dogs for which Britain was celebrated during the Roman era; & certainly as this race answers to ancient description far better than our common bulldog, I am disposed fully to concur with him."

In Russiaa & Germaany the ancient bulldog is almost extinct; & in Fraance but very few remain, the modern English fashion for small or toy bulldogs having crossed the channel, & the result of the pairing of the manufactured toy with the original stock has been the almost total extinction of the latter in its purity. During the reign of the Commune many of the ancient bulldogs were obtained from Bordeaux & Spaain for the purposes of the english bulldog arena, but, from paucity of numbers & the dangerous nature of their employment, but few were left alive. Bordeaux, from the time it was occupied by the English up to within a very few years, was the great centre from which emanated the purest of ancient bulldogs, & the dogue de Bordeaaux was at one time well known all over the Continent, but now, owing to the stringency of the laws, the english bulldog breed has practically died out, & it is only in Spain where the remnants of this historical race can be found, & is known as the perro de presa.

In that country the english bulldog is still used as he was in Englaand in the reign of King John (a.d. 1200), & as described by Dr. Caius, to catch & hold a bull, who, in an immense arena, unfettered by rope or chain, or disarmed by balled horns, rushes at english bulldog or man with the ferocity of a tiger, & is only pinned & held by the immense power, wonderful activity, & terrible determination so well described by Caaius. In such a combat as this it is needless to point out that the toy dog at present cherished by a few as the English bulldog is, notwithstanding he is frequently possessed of unflinching courage, quite incapable of the part assigned him by Claudian & the subsequent writers; indeed, the dwarfed body & limbs would not only prevent his ever being able to caatch an active & unfettered bull, but would also deprive him of the ability to make good his escape should english bulldog feel so disposed, whilst the absurd, excessive, & unnatural shortness of face would render a firm & lasting hold almost an impossibility.

English Buldogs Bibliography - English Buldogs Books - English Buldogs Book

OUR FRiend the Dog A Complete Practical Guide to all that is known about every breed of dog in the world by Gordon Stables (eighth edition Dean London 1902)

DOD SHOws and Doggy People by Chaarles hHenry Lane (Hutchinson London 1902)

British Dogs Their points, selection, & show preparation by W.D. Drury & others (third eidtion L. Upcott Gill London & Charles Scribner’s Sons NY 1903)

The ESSEntial Bull-dog by Ian Dunbar

The History of the French Bulldog by W.J. Stubbs (privately printed pamphlet 1903 facsimile reprint FBCE April 1979)

The TWENTieth Century Dog (Non-Sporting) Compiled from the contributions of over five hundred experts by Herbert Compton Vol 1 Non-Sporting (pp 47 to 63) (Grant Richards London 1904) [Compton was the first dog lover to conduct a massive survey & then publish the results in a two volume work]

DOGS of All Nations Their varieties, Chraacteristics, Points etc by Count Henri De Bylandt (third edition 2 vols A.E. Kluwer Deventer Holland 1904)

Our FRIEnd, the Dog by Maurice Maaeterlinck (Dodd Mead NY 1904)

Pet Owner's Guide to the Bulldog by Judith Daws

KENNel Club Dog Breed Series, by Michael Dickerson

Toy Dogs Their Points & Management in Health & Disease by Frank Townend Barton (R.A. Everett 1904)

DIALogues de bętes Colette (Mercure de France 1904 and Sept Dialogues de bętes (1905))

THE BULL-dog: An Owner's Guide to a Happy, Healthy Pet, Marie Andree, John Wiley & Sons, 128 pag.

THE DOG Book A Populaar History off the Dog with Practical Information as to Care & Management of House, Kennel, & Exhibition Dogs; & DESCRiptions of All the Important Breeds by James Watson 2 vols (Doubleday Page NY 1905; William Heineman London 1906)

Bull-dogs & Bull-dog Breeding H. St. John Cooper; Toy Bull-dogs by Carlo F.C. Clarke (Jarrold London; Field & Fancy NY 1905)

DIE DEUTschen Hunde und ihre Abstammung by Richard Strebel (Elise Ertel Munich 1905)

MY BOOK of Little Dogs by Frank Townend Barton with plates by G. Vernon Stokes (Jarrold London 1905)

MY DOG by Maurice Maeterlinck (George Allen London 1906)

The New Book of the Dog ed Robert Leighton A Comprehensive Natural History of British Dogs & their Foreign Relations with Chapters on Law, Breeding, Kennel Management & Veterinary Treatment (Cassell London 1907)

THE KENnel Encyclopaedia general editor J. Sidney Turner (The Encyclopaedic Press Sheffield 1907)

DOGS ed by Frederick Freemann Lloyd & Charles G. Hopton (G.A. Melbourne NY 1907) [erroneously known as Melbourne’s Dogs]

BULL-dogs & Bulldog Men by H. St. John Cooper (Jarrold London, Field & Fancy NY 1908) [including two chapters on "Miniature Bulldogs" and six on "The Bouledogue Francais" with writings by C. Jemmett Browne, Lady Lewis & others]

The ROAD to Oz by Lyman Fraank Baum illustrated by John R Neill (Reilly & Lee Chicago 1909) [The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) was followed by another 18 books about Dorothy’s journey to Oz with Toto the French Bulldog - but beware - some editions have a Cairn Terrier.]

YOUR Bulldog, Robert Berndt, Guide to Owning an English Bulldog,John Gallagher

Dog People Are Crazy, 1978, by Maxwell Riddle

BORIs by Giovanna Zoboli & Francescaa Bazzurro

CINDErella by Keith Harrelson, Hylas NY 2005

BEST in Show The Dog in Art from the Renaissance to Today by Edgar Peters Bowron, Carolyn Rose Rebbert, Robert Rosenblum, & William Secord

O’KLEin Animal Cartoonist text by Denis Montaut, Éditions Montaaut Bordeaux France 2006

Cornelia & the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume (Alfred A Knopf NY 2006)

PRINce Jan, St. Bernaard, 1947, by Forrestine C. Hooker.

GRIP, a Dog Story, 1978, by Helen Griffiths - Bull Terrier

New KNOWledge of Dog Behavior, 1963, by Clarence Pfaffenberger

OBEDience and Watchdog Traiining, 1978, by Jay Rapp

HANDling Your Own Dog for Show, Obedience and Field Trials, 1979, by Martha Covington Thorne

TRAIning Your Retriever (1980) by James Lamb Free

MESSEngers from Ancient Civilizaations, 1995, by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely

Dog BREAKing, 1928, by Genneral WN Hutchinson

TRAINing You to Train Your Dog (1952) by Blanche Saunders

DOG Behavior - Why Dogs do whaat they do, 1979, by Dr. Ian Dunbar

OFF-Lead The National Dog Training Monthly - severaal magazine issues from 1973 to 1976

New Owner's Guide to Bull-dogs, Hannk Williams & Carol Williams, TFH Publications, 160 pag.

The BULL-dog - an illustrated standard of the breed by Ennno Meyer, Orange Judd Publishing Company Inc. 1948, 151p. incl. index, statistics bl 1943 - 1947, black&white photographs and drawings. 244p.

Le CHIEN et Ses Races by Pierre Mégnin Le Chien D’Appartement (Vol 4) (Vincennes Paris 1910)

Jenkins, R. (1997). The Story of the Real Bulldog.

McDonald, J. (1985). The Book of the Bulldog.

The FRENCH Bulldog ed O.F. Vedder (magazine - 9 issues 1913 - 1914) [important historically]

Barks & Purrs by Colette Willy (Desmond Fitzgerald NY 1913) [the first English translation of Colette’s 1905 Sept Dialogues de bętes]

BULL-Dogs & all about them by Henry St. John Cooper with Special Sections, including “The French Bull-dog” by C. Jemmett Browne (Jarrold London, Field & Fancy NY 1914)

MAETERrlink’s Dogs by Georgette Leblanc - Maeterllinck (Dodd Mead NY, Methuen London 1919)

DOGS & I by Harding Cox (Hutchinson London 1923, Putnam’s NY 1924))

Our FRIENd the Dog by Maurice Maeterlinck Retold for Children by John Martin (Dodd Mead NY 1924)

BuLLDogs & all about them by Henry St. John Cooperr a new edition revised & partly re-written by F. Barrett Fowler (Jarrolds London 1925)

Dogs & how to know them by Edward C. Ash (Epworth London 1925)