It seems like no matter which book you pick up, or what person you talk to, EVERYONE has a different "theory" as to how the APBT came to be. I recently read, as to the origin, that the ancient Greeks had huge ferocious dogs that they called "Mollossians", which historians believed originated in Asia. During the 6th century BC, Phoenician traders brought some of these Greek guard dogs to England. There, they flourished and became the ancestors of England's early Mastiff-type dogs. When the Romans invaded Britian, supposedly they were met on the beaches by Britian's fierce Mastiff-type war dogs, who were seen to have been fighting side by side with their owners. The Romans admired these traits and these fighting dogs so much, that they then, sent many of them home to Italy. These dogs were called"Pugnaces", or broad/wide mouthed dogs of Britian. Then, as the Roman Legions spread across Europe, so did these dogs. These "warrior dogs" also, it is believed were used in Roman circuses, where they were used to fight savage animals of other species, armed men, and, each other. At about 395 A.D., the Roman historian "Symmachus" wrote about several Irish Bulldogs who had participated in a circus event and left the crowd "stunned" due to their "savage fighting and brave attitiude", and termed these dogs to be "bulldogs" due to the fact that they were the same type dog that was used to fight bulls.
Supposedly, during 'ancient times', there were no "breeds" as we know them today, and the dogs were typically named for the work they did, i.e., in England, all guard dogs of massive size were considered mastiffs, and dogs that were quick, brave small and agile enough to enter a hole in the ground (terra) after wild game, inparticular, were called "terriers". Then, in 1692, a dictionary definition was given to different dogs based on their capibilities, where it was termed the "Bulldog" was also known as the gladiator.
A famous British historian, Jesse, (George R.), wrote that the bulldog was the result of selectively breeding Masstiffs to produce a smaller, more agile dog, that posessed a recessed nose=to enable him/her to be able to breathe more freely, while holding onto a bull, with a more pronounced, protruding jaw.
Tho, the dogs of long ago, it is said, differ greatly from the bulldogs of today, in that then, they were taller, more agile, with nearly straight, front legs and their muzzles were longer, and tails were said to be longer, as well.
In the 1800's when bear and bull baiting was popular, but was then halted when the Humane Act of 1835 came to be=making all blood sports illegal, the interest of dog fighting grew even more. It is here, some say, that bulldog breeders tried something"new" in the hopes that a faster, fiercer fighter would emerge, and the bulldog was crossed with the toughest, quickest and bravest terrier. Supposedly, this 'cross' was believed to enhance the fighting ability of the bulldog by reducing its size, while at the same time, maintaining its strength and increasing its speed and agility.
"Although some historians say the smooth-coated Black-and-Tan and the White English Terrier (now extinct) were most frequently crossed with Bulldogs, others say the Terriers were chosen ONLY on the basis of gameness and working ability, and that a variety of Terrier-like dogs were used".
I've read, that in 1881, 2 dogs: Lloyds' "Pilot" (owned by "Cockney Charlie" Lloyd) and "Crib", (owned by Louis Kreiger) were said to have weighed in under 28 pounds for the "big match". A BIG difference as compared to the dogs we have today, and a bigger question, as to why the size increase?
Again, many more theories: as the dogs traveled west, and due to their working demands of guarding homesteads, rounding up livestock, protecting the farm from predators, etc, that's where and why the size increased. But really, who knows? and all we can do is read many different points of view and speculate, guess and perhaps even assume a lil as well. and BTW, many of todays APBT owners can still trace their dogs' ancestors back to several strains of superior dogs who also arrived here during the 1800's, a few of which are: Corvino, Farmer, Colby, Gas House, Feeley, Farmer, Tudor from England and Noonan and Semmes form Ireland, to name a few.
So, is there one theory? Hell no, not by a l-o-n-g shot. There are many, i imagine! There are MANY, and for every 10 people you ask, i imagine there will be 10 more POV's. Who's right? Who's wrong? ...who knows, ...
Interesting thread. I find the history and the different view points very intriguing.
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