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WELCOME TO FENLAND BULLDOGS, WE'RE LOCATED IN THE EAST OF ENGLAND, IN THE HEART OF THE LINCOLNSHIRE FENS. FOR THOSE WHO KNOW LITTLE ABOUT THE OLDE TYME BULLDOG BREED, SOME WOULD CALL THEM A RECREATION OF THE BULLDOG FROM THE 1800'S, A DOG WHICH UNTIL THE MID 1800'S WAS AN ANIMAL OF ATHLETICISM, HEALTH AND VIGOUR, WHICH OVER THE CENTURY, THROUGH THE ABOLISHMENT OF BULLBAITING IN 1835, GRADUALLY BECAME SMALLER AND MORE EXTREME. THE SHOW FRATERNITY BEGAN TO EXAGERATE THE FEATURES THAT ONCE HELPED THE BULLDOG, IN 50 YRS THESE FEATURES WERE TURNED AGAINST IT. MOST NOTABLY, THE SHORT MUZZLE, ONCE HELPED THE BULLDOG BREATH MORE EASILY WHILST STILL HOLDING ONTO THE BULL. THROUGH SELECTIVE BREEDING AND THE INFUSION OF PUG BLOOD, THE MUZZLE WAS SHORTENED UNTIL THERE WAS NO MUZZLE LEFT TO SHORTEN, WHICH LEFT THE BULLDOG WITH SERIOUS BREATHING DIFFICULTIES. THE EXCELLENT BONE AND STURDY THICK SET STRUCTURE OF THE ORIGINAL BULLDOG WAS SO, TO WITHSTAND THE ROUGH AND TUMBLE OF THE BULLBAIT, WHILST STILL FAST AND NIMBLE ENOUGH TO ESCAPE THE BULLS HORNS. IF WE STEP FORWARD IN TIME 100YRS, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT FASHION HAS DICTATED THAT THESE ATTRIBUTES HAVE TURNED AGAINST HIM, TO MAKE HIS SKULL SO BIG AND THE FRAME OF THE DOG SMALL THAT ALMOST ALL MODERN BULLDOGS ARE BORN BY CAESARIAN AND SKELETAL DEFECTS AND SKIN AND EYE PROBLEMS ARE COMMON PLACE.
THE FIRST MAN WHO FELT AN INJUSTICE IN WHAT THE BULLDOG HAD BECOME, AND FELT HE SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT WAS CLIFFORD DERWENT, AN ELECTED MEMBER OF THE KENNEL CLUB AND WAR VETERAN. HE SOUGHT BY CROSSING THE MODERN ENGLISH BULLDOG WITH A LEGGY STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER, WITH AN AIM TO CREATE SOMETHING MORE LIKE "ROSA", THE BITCH FROM WHICH THE STANDARD WAS SET IN THE 1820'S. DERWENT REALIZED HIS DREAM THROUGH THESE BREEDINGS AND HAD CREATED WHAT HE CALLED THE REGENCY BULLDOG. HE PRODUCED STRONG, CLEAN BREATHING BULLDOGS BUT WOULD NEVER DO WELL IN THE SHOW RING. THE BULLDOG WORLD OSTRASIZED DERWENT, AND THE KENNEL CLUB REFUSED TO BACK HIS BID FOR SEPERATE REGISTRATION OF HIS DOGS AS REGENCY BULLDOGS. AFTER A WHILE HE GAVE UP.
IN THE EARLY 1970'S IN PENNSYLVANIA USA, DAVID LEAVITT HAD FELT THE SAME INJUSTICE THAT DERWENT HAD FELT ABOUT THE MODERN BULLDOG AND TOOK UP A LARGE BREEDING PROGRAM TO CREATE A HEALTHY, ATHLETIC BULLDOG, MORE AKIN TO THE BULLDOG OF OLD. LEAVITT ACHIEVED HIS GOAL BY USING MODERN ENGLISH BULLDOG, PITBULL AND BULLMASTIFF. LEAVITT NOT QUITE ARRIVING AT HIS VISION, CONTACTED THE WELL KNOWN AMERICAN BULLDOG BREEDER JOHN D. JOHNSON. IT WAS THE MEETING OF THESE 2 MEN THAT WOULD DECIDE THE FATE NOT ONLY FOR LEAVITTS PROGRAM BUT MORE NOTABLY, THE CREATION OF THE MODERN BULLY, JOHNSON AMERICAN BULLDOG. JOHNSON LEASED 2 AB BITCHES TO LEAVITT, KINGS LADY GRACE AND SUGAR DOLL(GEORGIA GIRL). THROUGH BREEDING THESE BITCHES WITH AN AKC ENGLISH BULLDOG BY THE NAME OF WESTCHAMPS HIGH HOPES AND AN ENGLISH BULLDOG, PITBULL, BULLMASTIFF HYBRID, LEAVITT GREW CLOSER TO HIS VISION AND JOHNSON RECEIVED 2 OF THESE HYBRIDS, SUGAR DOLL 3 AND BULLMEADS QUEEN, WHICH HE USED IN HIS AMERICAN BULLDOG LINE WHICH HELPED GIVE RISE TO THE BIG, BULLY AB'S WE SEE TODAY. BUT THATS A WHOLE OTHER STORY.
IN THE 1980'S IN LONDON, ENGLAND KEN MOLLETT, WITHOUT KNOWING OF LEAVITTS EFFORTS, SET OUT TO CREATE WHAT HE WOULD CALL THE VICTORIAN BULLDOG, USING KC ENGLISH BULLDOG AND A NUMBER OF BULLBREEDS. HE ACHIEVED SUCCESS WITH HIS BREEDINGS AND THE VICTORIAN BULLDOG CONTINUES TO THIS DAY. TWO BREEDERS TO USE DOGS FROM THESE EARLY BREEDINGS, AMONG OTHER BULLBREEDS, WERE DAVID BROWN AND STEVE BARNETT WHO BOTH STILL CONTINUE TO THIS DAY WITH THERE OWN LINES.
THERE ARE MANY OTHER BREEDERS IN THE US THAT HAVE ACHIEVED SUCCESS WITH THERE LINES, SUCH AS GREG HERMES, WHO HAS HAD HIS LINE OF OLDE BULLDOGGE SINCE THE 1980'S. MANY BREEDERS HAVE USED GREGS STOCK IN THERE OWN LINES, LIKE CHAD JOLICEUR, WHO IS HONEST ABOUT USING HERMES STOCK, AMONG OTHER BREEDS, TO CREATE HIS OWN SUCCESSFUL LINE OF OLDE BULLDOGGE. ANOTHER BREEDER TO HAVE USED HERMES STOCK IS CARLOS WOODS, WHO ALSO USED A VARIETY OF BULL BREEDS TO CREATE HIS OWN SUCCESSFUL LINE.
MOST OLDE BULLDOGS ARE EITHER A MIXTURE OF THESE LINES OR SOMETIMES NON OF THE ABOVE. I'VE USED SOME OF THE BEST OLDE TYME BULLDOG STOCK FROM AROUND BRITAIN IN AN EFFORT TO PRODUCE HEALTHY, ACTIVE OTB'S, WITH STRIKING LOOKS AND SOUND TEMPERAMENTS. HERE AT FENLAND BULLDOGS, WE'RE DEVOTED TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE OTB, AND THE VISION OF PRODUCING HEALTHY, ACTIVE BULLDOGS RESEMBLING THE BULLDOG OF OLD.
THE BULLDOG HAS BEEN OUT OF THE NATIONS REACH FOR SO LONG, NOT BEING A PRACTICAL DOG TOO BUY BECAUSE OF PRICE, AND THE PRACTICALITIES OF OWNING A DOG THAT IS OFTEN SO NEEDING, WITH MANY MODERN ENGLISH BULLDOGS UNABLE TO GO ON LONG WALKS ON A HOT SUMMERS DAY, OR IF BRED FROM GIVE BIRTH NATURALLY. THE OTB STILL HAS THE SAME LOVEABLE CHARACTER, BUT WITHOUT THE HEALTH PROBLEMS. THANKS TO THESE BREEDERS, AND FUTURE OTB OWNERS AND BREEDERS, A HEALTHY BULLDOG HAS COME HOME.
BY JOE HARGREAVES, THANKS FOR LISTENING.
SOME WELL KNOWN OLDE TYME BULLDOG SIRE'S, ALL TO BE FOUND IN THE PEDIGREE'S OF MY OWN DOG'S.
K9 CASTLES BOATSWAIN FABS BOB MARINMOR ARTFULDODGER
STOCKHOUSE ORIS STOCKHOUSE KING JIM OF FENLAND
GEORGIA BULLDOGS CAJUN
SOME OF THE PUPPIES PRODUCED BY FENLAND BULLDOGS. LINK:http://www.freewebs.com/fenlandbulldogs/produced.htm
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THE BRITISH OLDE TYME BULLDOG MESSAGE BOARD.
LINK:http://www.members7.boardhost.com/OLDETYMEBULLDOG/
THE ALL STRAIN MESSAGE BOARD.
A FAMILY BULLDOG
ALL OF OUR DOGS ARE FIRST AND FOREMOST FAMILY DOGS, THEY ALL THRIVE ON HUMAN COMPANY AND LOVE ATTENTION FROM EVERYONE ESPECIALLY THAT OF CHILDREN.
