No Easy Task

Consider that the Bulldog’s original job was no easy task: to bait, throw and pin the bull. Although this custom offends us today, it evolved because early British fanciers and butchers thought the process served to “tenderize” the animal’s meat before slaughter, according to Enno Meyer in The Bulldog. Evidently, the practice dated back centuries and gave rise to the blood sport that was enjoyed even by British royalty before it was outlawed in 1855.

Following the demise of bull-baiting, the breed became an endangered species, only to be saved a few decades later by the advent of dog shows. We are fortunate that those show-dog fanciers of the late 19th century dedicated themselves to preserving the breed in its original form, the form that suited the function of bull-baiting. Because of them, we are able to see the Bulldog as it appeared in its historical context: a pugilistic-looking dog built low to the ground with a configuration able to absorb the punishment inflicted by an angry bull. For as the tenacious dog clamped its correctly shaped and powerful jaws onto the muzzle or nose of the beleaguered bull, the dog’s body was subjected to tremendous trauma as the mighty animal struggled to free itself. The proper Bulldog front-end assembly, which encased the correct rib cage, was all-important to the survival of the dog as it was banged back and forth by the bull.

Because the bull threatens with its head in a low position, the dog must be low enough to get under the bull and escape its horns, and agile enough to spring and grab the bull as it passes over. Just as dangerous as that first stage is the process of hanging on while the bull shakes back and forth with crushing force. Fortunately, the Bulldog’s structure helps to protect it from being injured. The body “slung” between the legs is able to swing back and forth as it “rolls with the punches.” cushioned by the tremendous muscling and body texture of the entire front assembly. Without this well-engineered shockabsorbing system, no dog could be safe from the rage of the bull.

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