FACT: The modern Bulldog was NOT created by crossing Bulldogs with Pugs. It NEVER happened. Ever. Recent genetic testing by the American Kennel Club has PROVEN that this is a stupid myth. Period. Besides, the Bulldog existed 300 YEARS before the Pug was brought to the UK.

FACT: Bullbaiting was NEVER “…a violent and barbaric killing game between a dog and a bull.” The dog did NOT kill the bull. EVER. Can you imagine a dog capable of killing a 2000 lb bull???!!

FACT: The actual origin of the Bulldog is ancient. While some disagreement exists about whether their ancestors came from Rome or were already in place in Britain, the fact remains that they were simply a farm dog. In a land that had no cowboys, catching hogs and cattle was a chore for the family “catch dog.” Over centuries, short-muzzled, muscular, fearless dogs were bred that would catch and hold unruly livestock until the farmer could throw a rope around it to control it. Damaging valuable livestock was TOTALLY unacceptable, so these dogs were bred to hold, not crush. Most of the time, a bull would simply freeze when a catch dog grabbed him. Occasionally, there would be a fight between bull and bulldog, which amused some sick-minded individuals, and THAT is the origin of Bull-baiting.

FACT: When bull-baiting was rightfully abolished, the breed almost went extinct. Some dedicated and tireless individuals banded together to save the breed, but unfortunately the dogs became highly inbred. Bulldogs are among the MOST INBRED of all dog breeds, with the genetic equivalent of only 10 to 12 individuals represented across the entire breed! Modern breeders who “line-breed,” (which is a silly euphemism for inbreeding) do NOTHING to preserve genetic diversity and therefore the overall health of the breed. FOR EXAMPLE: The familiar ‘screw-tail’ so admired in purebred Bulldogs, is the result of intense inbreeding causing the gene for SPINA BIFIDA, and HEMI VERTEBRAE to become so entrenched in the gene pool that it is now impossible to produce a purebred Bulldog with a normal, pump-handle tail. In other words, a screw-tail is HIGHLY undesirable, and should have immediately been eliminated from this noble breed.

FACT: Breeders of modern bulldogs have rendered a once capable, athletic breed a characature of itself. Modern Bulldogs that win grand championships are bred promiscuously, yet are frequently incapable of going up or down a flight of stairs. They snore even when awake because their brachycephalic anatomy forces their soft palate into their nasopharyngeal area, causing them to live their ENTIRE LIVES IN RESPIRATORY DISTRESS! No wonder the average life span of a purebred Bulldog is only 7 years!

In closing, yes, Bulldogs are beautiful inside, but along with their wonderful temperments goes a truly horrendous plethora of health and genetic defects, the likes of which should make any animal lover blanch. Once a noble, courageous and fearless athlete, the modern Bulldog is a mass of problems. They are now couch-potatoes that constantly wheeze and gasp. It is a shame; a real shame.