With a breeding program known to go back to the late 1980's, Steve Barnett set out to re-create his ideal bulldogge of old, utilizing his earlier experiences of the various bulldog cross's he was involved in breeding; some of which went into the foundation stock of the late Victorian Bulldog breeder Mr. K Mollett, whom originally set out to produce a fitter kennel club bulldog.
Steve's goal (in his own words) has been
" To produce a national bulldogge, a dog which is brought out into the show or ring with pride, to stand besides your dog knowing that he is an athlete, capable of non-stop energy, worthy of the name gladiator, a true bulldog both in appearance and traditional bulldog temperament. Not a nuisance around animals and other dogs, but with a inbred fire if needed, or called upon, a dog that would grace the arena of any show in any country any were in the world, and be gazed upon with true spirit and real national pride, not shown amongst the fruit and veg in a wheel barrow like the kc dogs of today."
Steve found his desired Bulldogge's, way back in history being bred strong in the early 16th century; bred for the kings and queens of the Tudor period as the bear baiting dogs of old.The same dogs were bred for the early barbaric sports, of both bull and bear baiting.
During the Tudor period both these bloody sports were at a height of national past time's, the normal person although poverty stricken and hungry seemed to always find the odd half penny to attend the various bear pits that lined the south side of the Thames as early as 1506, mentioned by Shakespeare and other known writers in their day.
Henry the VIII (1509 -47) had a real strong liking and interest, in the early bear pits and bull baiting, appointing the first official master of the game, documented in history Queen Elizabeth also had a fascination for the sport of bull and bear baiting. She once visited Kenilworth Castle in 1575, then owned by the Earl of Leicester, where 13 bears were assembled for her amusement, although this was the height of the bull and bear baiting period in old England.
A bill to end bull-baiting was defeated as late in history as 1829 by forty -five vote's, only to be abolished 6 years further on in 1835.
A royal sport that has been documented through out history for close on 400 years, these early dogs were the back bone to the now out of shape bulldog of today, the kind that won the hearts and minds of the early writers of the day, that stamped the seal, that brought national pride to the words English bulldogge.
Our goal has been to re-produce this early broad muzzled flat faced dog of old, but to still keep the traditional shape and character we have all come to love. In doing this Steve Barnett presents us with the Dorset Olde Tyme Bulldogge, the "Original English Bulldogge", our national breed, the better, fitter, Bulldogge.
