The Bulldog – A Historical Perspective – Part 2

BY AMY FERNANDEZ

Throughout most of history purebred dog development was comparable to a cottage industry. The specialized skills and cumulative knowledge gleaned from centuries of practical experience became valued like trade secrets and handed down through generations of families that derived a living perpetuating and refining various breeds and strains. For example, very big canine and human legacies were wrapped up in those famous Foxhound kennels like the Quorn. Regardless of the breed or circumstances, the universal agenda was getting it right (i.e. producing a topnotch, functional product). The parameters of that were clearly defined and never treated casually. It was a livelihood.

As it transitioned into a competitive sport/mainstream hobby during the nineteenth century, the obsession to create the perfect specimen remained as powerful as ever. Aside from that defining element, every aspect of dog breeding modality was dismantled and revised within Britain’s Bulldog subculture, which at the start of this transformative era was essentially a criminal enterprise. Barret-Fowler put it plainly in Bulldogs and All About Them saying, “…No doubt in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, the Bulldog was considered the associate of the lowest of the low, and it was not con- sidered respectable to have anything to do with such animals!…That he was a bad character was not his fault, but rather that of his old time master, who was even lower in the scale than he was.”

Obviously it was not the best time to be a Bulldog breeder. However, dedication to the breed never actually waned in the face of that entrenched prejudice. Paradoxically, as Victorian aversion to the breed became more overt, it inspired unprecedented determination to bite back. Anyone reading this publication fully understands that drive and devotion. That energy had fueled a millennium of purebred evolution. The ad hoc Bulldog coalition that coalesced around this cause got more than they bargained for when they tapped into it.

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=142267

Posted by Alex on Apr 28 2018. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.