The Bull and Terrier

The Bull and Terrier is a cross between the Old English Bulldog and the various Terrier breeds of England that existed during the 18th and 19th century. The four Bull and Terrier breeds of today are - The American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the English Bull Terrier. I wish to clarify that Old Country Blood does not condone any blood sports involving any breed of dog however its impossible to fully tell the story of these four fantastic breeds without speaking about their bloody history. In 1835 all baiting sports were outlawed and therefore a new more discreet sport was required, from then on the main dog sport was pit fighting. The bulldog was unsuitable for dog fighting as it had been bred to grip and hold an animal and this meant that it would be an extremely boring spectacle and the spectators wanted action. They began to cross their bulldogs with the various game terriers of the 19th century to create a new breed of fighting dog that had all the best attributes of the Bulldog and the terriers. It was faster, more agile and could out perform any other breed of that time in the pit. Around 1860, the Bull and Terrier breed split into two branches, the pure white Bull Terrier created by James Hinks of Birmingham became a regular in the show ring whilst the other type would later become the Staffordshire Bull Terrier continued to be used in the Pits. The American Pit Bull Terrier descends from the various Bull and Terrier dogs taken to America by the many English and Irish families that migrated to America.