The history of the English Bulldog is unfortunately a violent one. This breed was created, sometime in the 1500s or 1600s, specifically for the purpose of bull-baiting, a cruel so-called “sport” that pitted a dog against a bull for a fight to the death. The original Bulldog must have been ferocious, powerful and courageous. Attention to conformation, temperament, beauty or symmetry of form was not valued. Instead, they must have been bred to be savage, vicious and almost immune to pain. The Bulldog’s unusual extremely undershot jaw stems from those awful days, as it enabled him to grab a bull and clamp down, and hang on until the end. It was not a good time for the human-canine relationship. Dog fighting in underground “pits” became popular as bull-baiting’s popularity waned.

In 1885, bull and dog fighting became illegal in England. Despite the fact that this could have led to the disappearance of the Bulldog, a number of fanciers attempted to preserve this fine breed, to retain its good qualities without promoting its bad ones. Within a few generations, the English Bulldog became one of the finest physical and temperamental specimens among canines, with its original viciousness completely gone. This is the English Bulldog of today, who is docile and adaptive. He can live anywhere, loves children, is easy to care for and is affectionate and loyal. The Bulldog is probably one of the gentlest breeds in America today