Olde English Bulldogge
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| Olde English Bulldogge | ||
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[edit] History
The Olde English Bulldogge originated in England between 1600 and 1700. These were the early ancestors to many of the Bull breeds that exist today including the English Bulldog and the American Bulldog. They were bred to participate in blood sports like bull baiting. This sport, became quite popular in England through out the middle of the 18th Century. Bull baiting primarily consisted of staking out a bull and allowing several Bulldogges to attack it. A dog of great courage and agility was needed for bull baiting. This dog was of medium size; larger dogs were considered to be the result of mastiff crosses.
Around 1835, laws were passed in England prohibiting bull baiting and the Olde English Bulldogges main purpose of existence vanished. Within a decade the numbers of bulldogs declined drastically almost to extinction. Dog show fanciers eventually decided to reconstruct the breed, but wanted to tone down the aggressive temperament of the original Olde English Bulldogge. They crossed the remnants of the existing stock with the pug and over the years that followed they developed the modern English Bulldog. Unfortunately though, this modern dog is wrought with all kinds of genetic health problems.
The modern Olde English Bulldogge is a reconstruction of the original Olde Bulldogge of the 17th and 18th century. The Olde English Bulldogge was developed by David Leavitt, of Coatesville, Pennsylvania. Back in 1971. Mr. Leavitt used a line breeding scheme that was designed and developed by Ohio State University for breeding cattle. The goal was to recreate a specific breed of Bulldogge with the look, health and athleticism of the original bull baiting dogs, but without the extreme tenacity. The foundation crosses consisted of ½ English Bulldog, 1/6 Bullmastiff, 1/6 American Pit Bull Terrier, and 1/6 American Bulldog. After many carefully planned crosses, the Olde English Bulldogge emerged and began to breed true.
By 1985 three true lines had been developed, and the breed was deemed sound, stable, and well suited for modern life. In the early 1980's Ben and Karen Campetti from Sandisfield Massachusetts became deeply involved in breeding Olde English Bulldogges. At this time, the Campetti's began showing the breed in Mollosser shows. Through their efforts, the Olde English Bulldogge achieved much success in the Conformation ring, and spurred the interest of many rare breed fanciers. Due to this success, many breeders became interested in producing this dog. It was at this point that the Olde English Bulldogge Association (O.E.B.A.) was formed to maintain proper records and implement a breeder code of ethics and standards. Detailed records of the foundation stock had been maintained and this information was converted into the O.E.B.A. registry.
One unwelcome by-product of the Olde English Bulldogges’ success in the Conformation ring, obedience trials, and in therapy work, was a rise in the use of the dog in Personal Protection training. Most of this training was being conducted by people that were unqualified to do so. The popularity of this breed in PP work can only be attributed to the breed's excellent health, agility, temperament, and it's classification as a Working Breed, thus creating much controversy over the breed’s intended function. This controversy overwhelmed Mr. Leavitt and in 1995 he chose to abandon his work with the breed and pursue other interests. At this point, he turned the OEBA registry as well as his personal breeding stock over to Michael Walz of Working Dog Inc. Over time, the decision to turn over the registry turned out to be a bad one. Due to the inefficiency of the Registrar and the organization, Olde English Bulldogge owners and breeders could not get necessary information and registration papers. It is important to note that many fine examples of the Olde English Bulldogge were produced by Mike Walz.
These dogs were used very selectively in various combinations to obtain the desired physical and mental traits of the original Olde English Bulldogge. The result has been a good looking Bulldogge of great athletic ability that is much healthier and physically fit without most or all of the problems that plague today's modern English Bulldogs. The goal of all Olde English Bulldogge breeders should be to produce genetically healthier Bulldogges that are free breathers, free breeders, and free whelpers.
The Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club is recognized by the American Rare Breed Association as the Parent Club of the Olde English Bulldogge.
[edit] Miscellaneous
The breed is recognized by IOEBA (International Olde English Bulldogge Assoc.), CKC (Continental Kennel Club), OEBKC (Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club.)
[edit] Further reading
- McDonald, Joan. The Book of the Bulldog, Neptune, NJ: TFH Publications, ISBN 0-86622-027-5
- Jenkins, Robert. The Story of the Real Bulldog, Neptune, NJ: TFH Publications, ISBN 0-7938-0491-4
[edit] External links
Registries:
