American Bulldog Explained

American Bulldog
Also Known As:Southern White
White English
Old Southern White Bulldog
Hill Bulldog
Country Bulldog
English White Bulldog
Country:United States
Kc Name:UKC
Kc Std:https://www.ukcdogs.com/american-bulldog
Maleweight:34-
Femaleweight:27-[1]
Maleheight:50-
Femaleheight:51-
Coat:Short, harsh
Color:All white or white with patches of red or varying degrees of brown, brindle, or fawn.

The American bulldog is a large, muscular breed of mastiff-type dog.[2] Their ancestors were brought to the British North American colonies where they worked on small farms and ranches.

History

Dog breeds defined to any standard only came into being with the rise of kennel clubs and breed registries. This happened in the United States in 1884.[3] Before this, no records were kept and instead of breeds, there were informal landrace strains that initially depended on where a dog's parent or master originated.

Dogs resembling bulldogs in England were first mentioned by the ancient Romans as "pugnaces Britanniae."[4] The vocabulary used to describe dogs has changed over time, but these are believed to be the ancestors of the alaunt and the later bulldog.[5] [6] Dogs had been used since the 13th century in bull-baiting, but the first known mention of bulldogs by name is not found until a seventeenth-century letter requesting them to be sent from London to St. Sebastian, Spain.[7] Different strains of English bulldogs were developed for cattle-droving, bull-baiting, farm dogs, and butcher's dogs.[8] [9] They found their way to the North American British colonies as working dogs, where smaller farm and ranch owners used them for many tasks, including farm guardians, stock dogs, and catch dogs. Cynographia Britannica defined the physical and behavioral characteristics of the bulldog in print in 1800.[10] In 1835, bull-baiting was banned in the United Kingdom and breeders there minimized the aggressive, athletic traits of the breed.[11] This ban was not in effect in the United States; however bull-baiting lost popularity as a form of entertainment, contributing to the rarity of the dogs.

Breeding decisions for the majority of these American dogs were based on temperament and work abilities as farm dogs instead of bloodline. Eventually, several separate dog strains of the bulldog-type were kept by ranchers as utilitarian dogs working to catch cattle and kill predatory wildlife that threatened farm property. Following World War II, this type of dog was on the verge of extinction. The few surviving dogs were kept primarily on farms in the southeastern US. John D. Johnson and Alan Scott are widely regarded as rescuing the landrace from extinction. Johnson scoured the backroads of the South, looking for the best specimens to revive it. During this time, the young Alan Scott became interested in Johnson's dogs and began to work with him on his revitalization project.[12] [13] [14] At some point, Scott began breeding bulldogs from working Southern farms with Johnson's lines, creating what is now known as the Standard or Scott-type American Bulldog. At another point, Johnson began crossing his original lines with an English bulldog from the northern UK that had maintained its pre-ban genetic athletic vigor, creating the Bully type American Bulldog, also known as the Johnson type or the Classic type. On January 1, 1999, the United Kennel Club first recognized the American Bulldog as a breed.[15] In November 2019, the breed was added to the American Kennel Club (AKC) Foundation Stock Service (FSS).[16]

The American Bully is an entirely separate breed that evolved from the American Pitbull Terrier mixed with the American Bulldog, English Bulldog, and Olde English Bulldogge. The United Kennel Club recognized it as such on July 15, 2013.[17]

Appearance

The American Bulldog is a stocky, well-built, strong-looking dog with a large head and a muscular build. The shoulders and chest tend to be the most muscular parts of the American Bulldog. Its coat is short and generally smooth, requiring little maintenance except a bath every few weeks. The breed is a light-to-moderate shedder. Colors, while historically predominantly white with patches of red, black, or brindle, have grown in recent years to include many color patterns, including black, red, brown, fawn, and all shades of brindle. Black pigmentation on the nose and eye rims is traditionally preferred, with only some pink allowed. Eye color is usually brown, but heterochromia also occurs, although this is also considered a cosmetic fault. American Bulldogs are known to drool more than other breeds of dogs. The Bully type is generally a larger, heavier dog with a shorter muzzle, but the muzzle should never be so short that it causes difficulty with breathing. Standard types are generally more athletic, with longer muzzles and a more square head. Many modern American Bulldogs are a combination of the two types, usually termed "hybrid". In general, American Bulldogs weigh between NaNkg (-2,147,483,648lb) and are NaNcm (-2,147,483,648inches) at the withers, but have been known to greatly exceed these dimensions, especially in the "out of standard" nonworking stock.

Health

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL) has been identified in some American Bulldogs.[18]

The American Bulldog is predisposed to the following dermatological conditions: allergic skin disease, ichthyosis, solar dermatosis, and squamous cell carcinoma.[19]

A review of patient records in the US from over 600 hospitals found the American Bulldog to be predisposed to juvenile-onset demodicosis with a 3.4 odds ratio.[20]

In popular culture

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Maggitti, Phil. Bulldogs. October 1, 2018. Barron's Educational Series. October 1, 2018. Google Books. 9780764196539.
  2. Web site: 2020-01-13 . American Bulldog Dog Breed Information . 2022-04-21 . American Kennel Club.
  3. Web site: 2019 . History of UKC . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20190324021702/https://www.ukcdogs.com/history . March 24, 2019 . November 10, 2023 . The United Kennel Club .
  4. Web site: Robitzski . Dan . September 25, 2017 . The (de-)evolution of the bulldog . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171129040121/https://scienceline.org/2017/09/de-evolution-bulldog/ . November 29, 2017 . November 11, 2023 . ScienceLine.
  5. Web site: Wynn . W. B. . January 16, 2007 . The History of the Mastiff Gathered from Sculpture, Pottery, Carvings, Paintings and Engravings. Melton Mobray . November 10, 2023 . The Internet Archive . William Loxley Marketplace . 45 . London.
  6. Book: Wynn, W. B. . The History of the Mastiff Gathered from Sculpture, Pottery, Carvings, Paintings and Engravings . William Loxley Marketplace . Melton Mobray . 43 . en . November 10, 2023.
  7. Web site: Jesse . George E. . 1866 . Researches into the History of the British Dog. Vol. II. . The Internet Archive . Robert Hardwicke . 306 . London.
  8. Web site: Merret . Christopher . 1666 . Pinax Rerum Naturalium Britannicarum, continens Vegetabilia, Animalia, et Fossilia . The Internet Archive . 169.
  9. Web site: Silver . Carly . October 4, 2023 . Bulldog History: A Wrinkle in Time . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221024142952/https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/bulldog-history-a-wrinkle-in-time/ . October 24, 2022 . November 11, 2023 . The American Kennel Club.
  10. Web site: Sydenham . Edwards . 1800 . Cynographia Britannica: consisting of coloured engravings of the various breeds of dogs existing in Great Britain, drawn from the life, with observations on their properties and uses . November 11, 2023 . The Internet Archive.
  11. Book: Morris, Desmond . Dogs: The Ultimate Dictionary of over 1,000 Breeds . Trafalgar Square Pub . 2002 . 978-1-57076-219-2 . Reprint . 342, 361-362 . English.
  12. Book: DK. The Dog Encyclopedia: The Definitive Visual Guide. October 17, 2013. Dorling Kindersley Limited. Google Books. 9781409350026.
  13. Book: Harris, David. The Bully Breeds. July 24, 2012. i5 Publishing. Google Books. 9781621870326.
  14. Book: Manfield, Mark. American Bulldog Bible And the American Bulldog: Your Perfect American Bulldog Guide Covers American Bulldog Puppies, Mini Bulldogs, American Bulldog Training, Johnson Bulldog, And More!. February 1, 2017. DYM Worldwide Publishers. Google Books. 9781911355458.
  15. Web site: 1999-01-01 . Breed Standards : American Bulldog . 2022-04-20 . United Kennel Club (UKC).
  16. Web site: November 11, 2019 . FSS News & Updates – American Kennel Club . November 15, 2019 . American Kennel Club.
  17. Web site: July 19, 2019 . American Bully . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180719054717/https://www.ukcdogs.com/american-bully . July 19, 2018 . November 11, 2023 . The United Kennel Club.
  18. Evans . Jason . Katz . Martin L. . Levesque . Donald . Shelton . G. Diane . de Lahunta . Alexander . O'Brien . Dennis . A Variant Form of Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis in American Bulldogs . Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine . 19 . 1 . 2005 . 0891-6640 . 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2005.tb02657.x . 44–51.
  19. Book: Hnilica, Keith A. . Patterson . Adam P. . Small Animal Dermatology . Saunders . St. Louis (Miss.) . 2016-09-19 . 978-0-323-37651-8 .
  20. Plant . Jon D. . Lund . Elizabeth M. . Yang . Mingyin . A case–control study of the risk factors for canine juvenile‐onset generalized demodicosis in the USA . Veterinary Dermatology . 22 . 1 . 2011 . 0959-4493 . 10.1111/j.1365-3164.2010.00922.x . 95–99.
  21. Web site: Brady . Erin . June 17, 2022 . Great Horror Movies Where The Dog Doesn't Die . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220618005624/https://www.slashfilm.com/900132/great-horror-movies-where-the-dog-doesnt-die/ . June 18, 2022 . November 11, 2023 . Slashfilm.
  22. Web site: Pevere . Geoff . May 2, 2014 . Nicolas Cage is ‘frightening and heartbreaking’ in Joe . https://web.archive.org/web/20231111223121/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/film-reviews/cage-is-frightening-and-heartbreaking-in-joe/article18374159/ . 11 Nov 2023 . November 11, 2023 . The Globe and Mail.
  23. Web site: Shambora . Jessica . December 2, 2009 . Zynga suddenly is everywhere. What gives? . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110607140113/http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2009/12/02/zynga-suddenly-is-everywhere-what-gives/ . June 7, 2011 . November 11, 2023 . Fortune.cnn.com.
  24. Web site: 2023 . Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210109113112/https://humanehollywood.org/production/homeward-bound-the-incredible-journey/ . January 9, 2021 . November 11, 2023 . Humane Hollywood (part of American Humane).
  25. Web site: Homeward Bound II: Lost In San Francisco (1996) . https://web.archive.org/web/20231111031009/https://humanehollywood.org/production/homeward-bound-ii-lost-in-san-francisco/ . November 11, 2023 . November 11, 2023 . Humane Hollywood (part of American Humane).

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