We will begin part II of the history of the Bull Terrier with excerpts from the book “Bull Terriers ,V.C Hollander” and some excerpts from “True history of the Dogo Argentino” (by Augustin Nores-Martinez, Clarin Journal, 1978).
But how does the Dogo Argentino fit into the history of the Bull Terrier? Because the Bull Terrier had a determining role to play in the creation of the Dogo Argentino. For those who may not know this, let me note that it is a recently created breed aimed on creating a big - game mastif hound. Specifically for pack hunting boars. A smart , strong, very courageous dog with very good stamina.
In my opinion one of the best and strongest breeds created during the last century.
On this part of the article we are going to refer to traits that tend to disappear from the Bull Terrier breed. Traits like courage, agility, athletic performance and more.
The reason these traits tend to disappear is because breeders breed exclusively for looks and show titles. Of course we should breed according to the Breed Standards but that should not be the only criterion for breeding. We do not want to find ourselves in the unpleasant state of many other breeds; with dogs of perfect morphology but with way below average temperament; dogs that have nothing in common with their ancestors in terms of temperament, bred for reasons that have nothing to do with the reasons they were created and bred in the first place.
Here are some excerpts from Αugustin Nores-Martinez's book about the creation of the Dogo Argentino. As you will read, the Bull Terrier not only contributed to the creation of the Dogo Argentino but also to the creation of the Viejo Perro de Pelea Cordobés (Old Cordoba Fighting Dog).
''I can still remember as if it had happened yesterday, and more than 50 years have gone by, the day my brother Antonio told me about his idea, and his intention of using the dog known as 'Viejo Perro de Pelea Cordobés' (Old Cordoba Fighting Dog) as a basis for it. This dog was a descendant of Spanish mastiffs brought to America by the colonists, crossbred with Bull Terriers and other fighting breeds for the sole purpose of dog fighting. The idea was to use the extraordinary courage and fighting spirit of these dogs as a basis, adding other breeds which could give them height, sense of smell, speed, hunting instinct, and above all take away from them that 'fighting among themselves' instinct which made them useless for pack hunting.
We wanted them to be friendly and capable of living freely within families and in farmlands; to maintain the bravery of the primitive breed but focused on a useful cause: big-game hunting as a sport and as a means of controlling predatory species.
This book, which contains the step by step, true story of the development of the breed, and the glossary of the standard, is dedicated to all the good faith enthusiasts and judges who want to know how the Dogo Argentino should be.
For the others, those who crossbreed Dogos with Bull Terriers to make them smaller and fighters between themselves, this book is not intended, but I can offer a piece of advice: Dedicate yourselves to the breeding of the Bull Terrier in any of its two varieties, white and colored Bull Terrier or Staffordshire Terrier, breeds which were created for the pit (very noble and courageous ones, by the way), so you can satisfy your low instincts that way, if that is what you want, but, for goodness sake, do not destroy a breed which was created, after many sacrifices, with the purpose of being useful to man!
BREEDS THAT TOOK PART OF THE FORMATION OF THE DOGO ARGENTINO
Then my brother decided on the Great Dane (or German Dogue), for his great size; the Pointer, for his nose; the English Bulldog and the Bull Terrier for their courage and jaw;
BULL TERRIER, BOXER, MASTIFF AND BULLDOG
Those were the breeds that had shaped the Old Cordoba Fighting Dog.
"When we started the mix to shape the new dog these three breeds, Boxer, Bull Terrier and Bulldog, were pretty common in Cordoba, and it was easy for us to get some pure specimens to put inside the test tube. I remember one Bull Terrier, called Centauro, whom the Major Sebastián Baltazarre had brought from La Plata. As he had to travel to Uruguay in 1930 for political reasons, his wife gave me the dog, who stayed definitively in our hands. He serviced several bitches in our kennel.
Mrs. Fanny Howard Baltazarre always kept in touch with us by mail, since she loved that dog very much. Centauro had an athletic build, and he was much taller than the Bull Terriers we see today.
My brother managed to get another Bull Terrier we called Donkey, whose pedigree name was Don Quijote de La Mancha; we used him in different times for stud services in our kennel. There was also some blood infusion from a deaf Bull Terrier, whom we used due to his extraordinary bravery, but the disastrous consequences of this troubled us for many years."
As the previous excerpt reads, The Bull Terrier was of the main breeds used to create the Dogo. Keep in mind, this is a breed created at the 1920's- 30's. The aforementioned gives us an idea of how respected for their temperament the Bull Terrier were. A trait nowhere to be found today, not promoted by breeders either.
In his book BULL TERRIERS , V.C Hollander refers to some of the Bull Terrier breed achievements.
'' World's records created by Bull Terriers
Jacko a Bull Terrier,kiled 25 rats in one minute and a thousand rats in less than 100 minutes.
A Bull Terrier belonging to a Mr.Clark ,of Bloomsbury ,killed nine baboons in a year in Africa.
A Bull Terrier belonging to a Major in Burma saved the lives of his children when out on a picnic by attacking a panther.The panther carried of the Bull Terrier who returned home 48 hours later and except for a large piece out of the back of her neck was none the worse for her adventure.
Pedigree and Performance of the Celebrated white dog ''TED'' Champion of England,1873-1877,at 18,5,19,19,5 and 20 lbs.weight.
Teddy was whelped on January 1st ,1871,was isred by Harry Lovesays champion 18,5 lbs white dog ''Billy'' out of his brindle and white bithch ''Nell''.Teddy was never defeated ,and beat the following dogs :
Mr.Hamlin's red dog ''Jimmy'' 18 min.
Mr.Arnold's brindle and white dog ''Ben'' 22 min.
Mr.Clarke's brindle dog ''Crib'' 25 min
Mr.Puzey's brindle dog ''Peter'' 23 min.
Mr.Hedley's red and white dog ''Joey'' 85 min.
Dr.Tibbs white and lemon bitch ''Flo'' 83 min.
Mr.Joyce's fallow dog ''Billy'' 40 min.
Dr.Tibb's white dog ''Johnny'' 245 min.
Mr.Jarvis white dog ''Peter'' 70 min.
Mr.Hamlin's brindle and white dog ''Crib'' 205 min (both 20 lbs)
This was Ted's last fight and took place on October 15th ,1877. ''
Courage, strength, agility and stamina are traits necessary for all the aforementioned achievements. We are clearly against dog fighting and likewise activities. Yet these dogs and their temperament remain admirable.
The dog attacked a panther and got away with only a few wounds. This shows the dog's courage and devotion, choosing to fight a much bigger animal in order to protect his family.
245 minutes of fight? Professional boxers fight in the ring for twenty three-minute rounds with intermissions. That dog was in there for four continuous hours. This shows unbelievable fortitude, tremendous stamina and a dog that will never quit.
Please note that this not about right or wrong. The described circumstances are wrong. What this is about is admiration for the character and strength of the dog.
" The beauty of the Bull Terrier is twofold. In rest he represents a symbol of strength and capacity. Secondly we admire his dynamics: the agility and dexterity of every movement from start to finish.''
What a beautiful description of the breed!! Phrases and words unfortunately no contemporary breeder ever uses.
''In Indonesia the Bull Terrier's gameness makes him extremely popular. He has provided his own meat-he follows his prey at first with nose to the ground and afterwards on account of his excellent vision with his eyes. He holds boars for times his own weight by the nose, till his owner finds and shoots the boars.''
Boar hunting is most demanding hunting and requires clever, strong and courageous dogs.
Before closing this second part of the History of the Bull Terrier , let me tell you there will soon be a Part III.
To avoid any misunderstanding, let me state that we love and admire the Bull Terrier the way they are. We breed with respect to the FCI breed standard as all breeders should ( no interest whatsoever on “bringing back” the old type Bull Terrier).
The history of the breed however should be taken into account for breeding. It is important that we breed with these criteria in mind: Health, temperament and history of the breed.
It is a MISTAKE to lose the traits of the breed that are still present in some Bull Terriers.
It is a mistake to promote an unhealthy stereotype of the Bull Terrier as a dog that cannot even get on the couch without help , a clumsy dog that cannot be trained.
Yes to preserving their funny side. Yes to following the breed standard. Yes to our dogs having good health and a good , enjoyable life.
NO to sacrificing all other positive traits of the breed to marketing. No to trying to weaken and deteriorate the breed to become more convenient and easier to handle by people who cannot handle a dog with strong temperament.
To be continued on Part III.
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