THE
OLDE BOSTON BULLDOG By
Neil Rutan
The
Olde Boston Bulldog, in the world we live in today, is
probably one of the few
animals still bred to be, as it was always bred to be
a tough, hard, game, little varmint dog, that still loves
its family.
There are some American (Pit Bull)
Terriers still bred as they once were, some American Bulldogs,
some Border
Collies, some Greyhounds, some
Jack Russell’s, some field dogs, hounds
of various kinds, bird dogs, and
retrievers; hut not all.
Boston Bulldog is bred to be as it always
was, tough and healthy. Still a hard working bulldog.
Which would you want
protecting your child? Let's keep
the working breeds working!
I
have heard of the Boston Bulldog! What
is the difference between the
Boston Bulldog and the Boston terrier?
My
grandfather use to own a Boston
Bulldog; it was tough and healthy.
Wendel.
a fawn Boston Bulldog 37 pounds, a son
of Alamo and a great all around family pet.
There will always be people who breed for nothing but
the appearance of the breed, thus the cost of sacrificing
the health of the breed. All things being as they should
be; such as food, care, and love,
I’ll take breeding. Every time a dog
that has been bred from parents that were
hard varmint hunting dogs. That came
from parents that were proven working
dogs; I would certainly pick to be
the protector of my child against a rabid fox, raccoon,
or groundhog. The Boston terrier is the counterpart to
the Boston Bulldog. The Boston terrier is bred
for show and only show. The
Midnight,
a 36 pound female with great determination,
one fantastic looking bulldog.
Here
at the National Dog Registry we
register several different working
breeds of dogs; unfortunately almost all the
true working breeds have become rare
(other than hounds). Show dogs have
taken over the limelight in America
and many of the working breeds
are slowly being bred for looks and not for their ability.
The
Boston Bulldog or Olde Boston Bulldog (a more modern name),
is a true
working dog, bred to take out
varmints, hunt groundhog, catch
Raccoons (on the ground), kill snakes, stand between your
child and the animal
that threatens your child, regardless
of the danger or peril to its own life. If for
no other reason, a dog that
will and can save a child's life is worth
preserving.
Belle
a daughter of Alamo an exciting bitch that had
unrenounced determination.
What
is the Boston Bulldog? Twenty-five
to forty-five pounds of bulldog. Many years ago, in the
Boston Massachusetts
area, some people decided
to breed a smaller fighting dog: Hall's Max, Ravenroyd
Rockefeller, Goode's
Buster, Weinef s Bessie, Alamo, Bixby's Tony Boy, all
names that
prelude the modern day Boston Bulldog.
Ralph, a merit registered Olde Boston Bulldog
|
Speculation,
a 37 pound female, many people think she is a male with
her masculine build.
In
1812 G.T. Stubbs painted a Boston
Bulldog that looked just like the Boston
Bulldogs of today. Many people feel the
original Boston Bulldog is simply a (Pit)
Bull bred to be somewhat smaller than most of its counterparts.
The term (Pit) is not lost on this old breed; for there
is no doubt that this breed was bred to fight, as is the
American (Pit) Bull
Terrier.
This
is Tootie, a 35 pound female, great small
varmint dog.
Unfortunately, for the Boston Bulldog, almost as soon as the breed was
developed:
there were people that decided this breed too, should
be shown, hence the Boston terrier of today.
No one would doubt the modern day Boston terrier
has an influx of French
Bulldog blood. There is no doubt that like any
breed, the Boston Bulldog
has had other blood introduced into
it over the years. I think it is likely that modern day
Boston terrier blood has, from time to time, been
put into it as well
as modern day American (Pit) Bull
Terrier blood.
There are few people breeding the Boston Bulldog.
Let's for a moment take a good look at the Boston Bulldog. Just what should
he look like? He should look like a bulldog!
You say that leaves a wide opening for many different looks. It does.
However, a bulldog can have many
different looks. The Boston Bulldog can have many different looks.
Let me tell you about a few different bulldogs that don't always have the same look. Old breeders
just call these breeds:
bulldogs.
I. American Bulldog
One of the best things about the American Bulldog is
the fact it has had many different looks: from Johnson Bloodlines to
past Johnson Bloodlines. Old Scott blood
to modern day Scott blood, Painter
dogs old to new. Cross many
of these dogs together and the look
is even more varied. (As a footnote
a strict standard has been
drawn up for these dogs. Hopefully no one will breed to this standard.) American Pit Bull Terrier If you have ever read
any of the books written
on The (Pit) Bull terrier, by Richard
Stratton, then you have seen the pictures and you know
that many of the (Pit) Bulls have totally different
looks. This does not mean their heritage is in question, in any way. (This does not apply
the American Staffordshire
terrier. This
breed branched off from the
true (Pit) Bull terrier and is now, in my
opinion and many others a completely different breed.)
The true American (Pit) Bull terrier is bred for fighting. This does not make this dog a bad family dog. Being bred to fight does not make a dog
people aggressive. Lack of training,
lack of control, fear by-owner,
and actually training a dog to
attack people: these are the things
that make the American (Pit) Bull terrier people aggressive.
Big Ben of Belle a 34 pound Boston Bulldog male, he says
“You talkin to me?"
So a Boston Bulldog should look like a bulldog! Not like a poodle, a hound,
or a German shepherd. When you look at one you will probably say "Look at that
Squeaker a 36 pound Boston Bulldog with a lot of grit.
little bulldog." Some Boston Bulldogs
like pictured on this page, at a glance, look similar to Boston terriers, except larger and more capable.
You must remember breeding for looks are the reason that show type Bulldogs
and Boston terriers have trouble whelping. If you are lucky enough to
own a Boston Bulldog, then I can say with confidence as
of 1995 your dog
should be healthy.
Boston Bulldogs look like Boston Bulldogs. They have a varied look they
look like little bulldogs. Much more important, how do
they act? They act
like bulldogs, real bulldogs; hard intelligent family pets.
One of the main questions that people ask is about the standard for the Boston
Bulldog. The standard is very simple they should weigh between 25 to 45 pounds and look
like little bulldogs. Behind this standard is their pedigree.
If you start breeding for undershot or not undershot, short tail or not short
tail, you are going to start breeding dogs together that have these attributes.
There are many things that could be put in a standard. We will just touch on
these two. So if you have two litters of puppies that
are not related, and one
puppy in each litter have a short tail and an undershot bite, one puppy is a male and one puppy is
a female, and you breed these two puppies together when
they grow up and most of their puppies have a short tail
and an undershot bite.
What we have forgotten when we do this is, this is a dog that is not bred lo stand
still and do nothing. This is a dog that is bred to save
your child's life, to
take on something of equal size or larger and not stop until it is finished one way or the
other. If the dog you breed for the short tail or undershot bite
does not have all the courage it should have and the other dog may be does not
have all the courage it should have, you will loose some courage. Multiply this
desire for appearance and you will loose a lot of courage.
This is Alamo, a 29 pound Olde Boston Bulldog
that is in the pedigree of many Olde Boston Bulldogs today
So our standard is simple 25 to 45
pounds. So if you breed a couple of dogs that are 25 pounds and you get some 20 pound puppies, we would
Amber, a 38 pound female
Olde Boston Bulldog out of Ralph. |
throw this dog out. No we don’t. What
we do is, love this dog. We may not breed the parents again. If this dog weighs 20 pounds and is courageous and you want to breed it, you breed it to a dog that is courageous but a little larger, say 30 pounds or 35 pounds. The same goes if you get a dog
that's weight exceeds
the 45 pound standard. However, if you by some chance
get a dog that has a health problem, do not
breed it. Do not
breed a dog that does not
have the courage it should have. The
true standard is in the heart; not something
you can see
by just looking.
This is not to say that individual breeders; by breeding to the same line
of dogs for years will not get a certain
look, they will. For instance there was a dog named Striker N.D.R. III, he was
a
small black brindle and white dog he sired lots of puppies; at least 90 per
cent or more of his puppies had the same look.
Alamo was a red brindle dog with white, 90 per cent of his puppies came
out red or brown brindle. If one of his puppies were crossed
back to a grandson or granddaughter of his or
niece or nephew, the puppies normally came out with that coloration, as with Striker N.D.R. III. If his
offspring's were line
bred they normally came out close
to the color of Striker N.D.R. III. However
the color of these dogs in no way affected their ability
to perform.
It looks like a mutt to me! Has a Boston terrier breeder ever seen that
dog? Maybe it is mixed with something. People who say
they don't breed for looks in one breed often do and
do not realize it.
Perhaps they like one look better than another look. So they breed dogs together often that have the same look.
People which hunt or use their dogs to work with, normally breed those
dogs together that have the highest degree of
gameness. If the dogs they breed have the
same coat, or size it is not by design. If they both have
great courage and
go after the target; that is by design.
Boston Bulldogs are not for everyone. You might think that this is a strange statement to make by someone that loves
these dogs. The reason we make this statement is because
we do love
these dogs.
Boston Bulldogs are high drive dogs, they love children and make great house
pets. They are bred to do a job that
requires high drive. You might
have your Boston Bulldog from puppy to
adult and not see this. It all depends on
the environment your dog grows up in.
If you live in town in a house where there are no other animals, you may never see
this courage, however in the world we live in today, this is not
likely.
If you live on a farm where there are lots of animals, you will without doubt
see your Boston Bulldog take a great interest in these other animals. If you
are not aware and keyed in to this you could learn the
hard way.
If you are a hunter and you have used your Boston to catch raccoons, groundhogs,
or other small game your dog will consider all animals from a hunting viewpoint. If you have socialized
your puppy with other animals,
you may never have a problem
with those small varmints, but animals they are
not accustomed to could present
a problem.
Every Boston Bulldog has its own personality, so no one can say for sure
how your Boston Bulldog will react in different situations.
Cotton
38 pound grandson of Alamo
Squeaker, a female Boston Bulldog grabbed a domestic hog
by the front
leg. Squeaker weighed 36 to 37 pounds. She came up under
the front leg after trying to come straight in
and getting shook by the hog she became aware of her mistake
and compensated
for it by changing her attack. Her attack was non stop.
There was no jumping
in and out and barking, there was no faking. This is how every
Boston Bulldog should catch a hog. Needless to say when Squeaker grabbed
the hog there was a lot of noise from the
hog and a lot of confusion. She had to
be taken off the hog. She had found the
sweet spot, where to grab, and was not about to stop on
her own.
This is just
a true example, but this should
give you an idea of what you have
when you own a Boston Bulldog. Be
prepared for different situations to confront
you and your Boston Bulldog. Have your Boston Bulldog
under control.
Interesting, how much the print from the 1800's looks like the picture
of Cotton in 1995.
We
will give you another example.
Years ago the old dog Alamo somehow got loose from where he was tied. His
owners were on vacation and a neighbor lady was taking
care of the
dogs. Alamo would not let her catch him. He knew the lady but had no intention of giving up his freedom.
Every day when she came to feed the dogs he was there,
ate his food but would remain just out of her reach. The
owners had not mowed the grass
before they left and with the rain the grass was growing
rapidly. A week
went by and the owners of Alamo came home. They tied Alamo back up,
because he loved them and came right up
to them. When the owner’s boys mowed
the grass the next day they were
greatly surprised. There were small varmints
every few yards down deep in the
grass, for you see Alamo was a determined hunter.
The occasional
Boston terrier that weighs
more than 25 pounds is a rare
thing. If you own a Boston terrier that
weighs more than 25
pounds, it does not
make your Boston Terrier a Boston Bulldog, it does however,
give you the chance
to merit register your Boston terrier as an Boston
Bulldog. Merit would
be indicated on your registration papers.
Confusing, you say! It can be, however let us either enlighten you or make you
more
confused. Looking at the picture of
Ralph, who was merit registered, started out as
a Boston terrier registered with a show organization.
Two 6 week old puppies |
Not many people can say about their breeds today that the dogs today are as healthy
and capable as they were at the onset of their breeding. The Boston
Bulldogs are
like they were at their onset,
not diminished by the show ring and the breeding for looks.
Some Boston terriers are the same size of the Boston Bulldogs, this is true; does
it make the Boston terrier and the Boston Bulldog
the same dog? No
Another Boston Bulldog of old
(Here is Ralph's
Story) Ralph's parents were bred somewhere in Kansas.
When Ralph was born his litter
registration papers were sent for and received, but not
as a Boston Bulldog, his litter was registered as Boston
terriers. Ralph reached the age he
needed to be sold (probably 8 to 12 weeks old).
Then Ralph was sent to a pet
store in another state.
It just so happened that a Boston Bulldog fancier and breeder walked in to the
pet store and saw Ralph for sale. What caught his attention was Ralph's
size, he asked the sales clerk if he could
take a closer look at Ralph.
At this point Ralph was 12 weeks old and weighed about 10 pounds. At 12 weeks old and 10 pounds he was already larger than most Boston
terriers. Also Ralph's nose was not so pushed
in that he could not breathe. The deal was made;
$500.00 was paid and
Ralph went home with the Boston Bulldog
man. All of Ralph's paperwork
was sent for including an extended
pedigree. This was the beginning
of the Boston Bulldog Ralph merit registered.
The great Shady Lady hard at play with another Boston Bulldog.
As Ralph grew he was watched and monitored closely, he was encouraged
to pursue small game at an early age. He was weighed often;
at about 8
months old he weighed 25 pounds. Also at this age he would catch and kill rats. At this point an individual
registration form was sent in as well as a certified weight
and picture of Ralph.
Ralph was merit registered as a Boston Bulldog. This is important as to how
this was accomplished. First off: Note Ralph's
appearance, he certainly does not
look like a show winning Boston terrier. Ralph
topped out at about 35 pounds. Show dogs can not go above
25 pounds. Ralph's nose and muzzle are long enough
that he has no trouble with air intake. Ralph has the overall look of a small bulldog that is large enough to take care of business.
Most merit registered Boston Bulldogs are simply noticed someplace; they can
be anywhere and are probably in every state in the United States. Dogs that do not fit the size and standard of the show-dog are the dogs that are the most like the true Boston Bulldog.
Ralph is not as hardy as Boston
Bulldogs that are not merit registered. No Merit Registered
Boston is.
If you breed a merit registered Boston Bulldog to another merit registered
Boston Bulldog you will get merit registered puppies this
is not what is
wanted. We want strong hardy dogs
that do not have any of the health problems of the modern
day show dogs.
If you are going to be a breeder you
need to read this next section very
carefully. A merit registered Boston
Bulldog registration number will look
like this: 1995-MOOOOA
The M in this means merit
The A in this means Alpha
A number for a Boston Bulldog that is
not merit registered will look like this:
Cocoa,
an Olde Boston Bulldog, in California. |
By merit registering Boston Terriers that weigh 25 pounds
or more and have |
1995-0000
no blaring weakness" the Boston Bulldog gets new blood, the look does
not change and faults can be bred out.
If you breed a merit registered dog
1995-MOOOOA
to a non merit
registered dog
1994-0000
you get a registration number that looks
like this: 1995-0000A1 {not a real
number)
What this number shows you is that a
dog with this number is not merit
registered, but by having (A1) after the
number it still tells you what this
animal may have to offer you and your
breeding program.
Night Shadow,
36 pound female
If you want new blood in your dog an (A 1) dog will certainly give you that.
If you cross
a dog with the code (Al) after its registration number
to a dog that is not
merit registered (say 1993-0000) you will get puppies
that have an (A2)
after their registration number. It will
look like this (1995-0000 A2) All of this is technical:
however bear with us,
as we wade through this as this may-mean
more to you if you decide to become a breeder or
expand your breeding
program.
Ralph at 16 weeks old, when grown 35 pounds a
merit registered Olde Boston Bulldog.
If you cross an (A2) dog with a non
merit registered dog you will get an
(A3) dog. If you cross an (A3) dog with
a no merit registered dog you will get
an (A4) dog.
If you cross an (A4) dog
with a non merit registered dog you will
get an (A3) dog.
This has to stop somewhere!
If you cross an (A5) dog to a non merit
dog, you will get an non merit dog.
As we stated earlier no Boston Bulldog that is merit registered will not be
as hardy a dog as a dog that is not merit registered.
Why will merit registered not be as strong? Non merit Boston Bulldogs
are never bred for show, they are bred for their ability.
They go in and tangle with animals that are as large as
they are or larger. Their performance is their very
life!
A dog can trot and walk around a show ring forever and not be tested in its
physical endurance. True not everyone wants a dog with great physical
endurance, (I'm not sure why).
But everyone says they want a dog that is healthy. Dog’s that have greater
physical endurance should he healthier than dogs that have
less endurance.
Some people call every Boston terrier ad in the newspaper they see, in
hopes of
finding a dog that is worthy of being merit registered as a Boston Bulldog. Just
remember that Boston terriers, that
are merit registered still do not have the stamina of old
time non merit Boston
Bulldogs; hence the new registered
name or" the Boston Bulldog :
Olde Boston Bulldog
We should be breeding strictly for old time grit. If we decide to put merit
registered blood into our breeding program, put it in; then
the dogs that have a letter after their registration number
need to be bred to dogs that have no letter after their
registration number. In this way any weakness that might
come from the new blood will quickly be bred out.
Chester
36 pound male, son of Ralph |