INTERESTING AND FUN FACTS ABOUT BULLDOG

These wrinkly-faced, medium-sized pooches that hail from the United Kingdom are one of the most popular canine breeds that are present today on this planet. Not only they are tremendously adored in their home country, but their demand is fairly high in several different parts of the world like the U.S., Canada, and even India as well. Bulldogs are exceptionally loving and friendly in nature and are immensely kind and faithful to their owners.

But they were not always like this and in the past, rather than being affectionate and gentle, these Bulldogs represented a picture of tenacity and belligerence. Below are some fascinating facts about Bulldogs that many of you will be surprised to read.

General Facts about Bulldogs

• Name:

  There was a very violent yet popular sport in the U.K. that lasted from 1206 to 1835 named Bull-baiting. In this sport (if you can call it that), canines that were specifically bred to participate would attempt to bite the nose of a bull that was tied to a pole. And taking inspiration from the name of this sport, these canines were named as Bulldogs. This was an extremely dangerous sport that led to several Bulldogs getting injured and many of them even lost their lives. Because of its ferocious nature, Bull-baiting was finally banned in several European countries in 1835.

• Popularity:

  While their past might not have been very pleasant, today the Bulldogs are only seen as companions and house pets. They are highly popular all over the world and they are currently placed at #05 spot in the list of most popular canine breeds which is created by AKC and features 190 distinct dog breeds.

Facts about Bulldog’s Body

• Face:

  The large numbers of wrinkles that are present on the face of this powerful canine served a deeper and ghastly purpose in the past. These face wrinkles were designed by the breeders to act as channels or pathways for moving the blood (that might come out during the sport of Bull-baiting) out of their eyes and down their faces.

• Jaw:

  Bulldogs’ jaws were also specifically designed to be useful for the violent sport. Bulldogs’ undershot jaw pushed the lower teeth up which resulted in a better grip for these canines.

• Loose skin:

  The loose skin that covers most of the Bulldog’s body helped these canines a lot in the past. It acted as a shield for them and protected their vital organs from the attack of the Bull.

• Small hind-legs:

  Shorter back legs allowed these dogs to be shaken by the bull without suffering any major spinal injuries.

So, it is clear that most of the body parts of this canine were specifically designed by the breeders so that it could effectively participate and fight in the gruesome sport of Bull-baiting. It's highly unfortunate for these pooches that they had to go through so much in the past and were only seen as Bull-baiting machines.

Historical Facts about Bulldogs

• Origin:

  Bulldogs are believed to be descendants of mastiff-type dogs. The old Bulldogs were extremely ferocious and courageous in nature, and that’s why they were heavily used for Bull-baiting. Because of their aggressiveness, Bulldogs were even banned in some parts of ancient Rome.

• Extinction:

  In 1835, when Bull-baiting got banned, the need for these strong canines reduced at an exponential rate. And, because of that, their numbers took a heavy hit and extinction was the only possible outcome. But, admirers and fans of this breed didn’t lose all hope and they started to breed these canines. They implemented selective breeding techniques and they bred those canines that were kinder and gentler than the others. And, because of this, the Bulldogs gradually developed into the canines that we know today. Their aggressive and ferocious traits were eliminated and they were replaced by more positive features like friendliness, warmth, and

• AKC Recognition:

  Bulldogs were officially recognized as a distinct by the American Kennel Club in 1890.

Temperamental Facts about Bulldogs

• Independent and Tenacious:

  The modern-day Bulldogs still possess some of the traits of the older version of this breed. These canines are highly tenacious and courageous by nature and are extremely self-sufficient as well. They tend to be more independent when compared to some other breeds and are known to solve a lot of their problems without using the help of their family members.

• A child’s best friend:

  Bulldogs are awesome with small kids. They happily tolerate the antics of a child and are fond of playing numerous games with them. Bulldogs also remain very kind, careful and conscious whenever they are around a small child.

Miscellaneous Facts about Bulldogs

• Presidents’ Pet:

  Both the 29^th and 30^th President of the United States, Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge (respectively), were known to be ardent admirers of this breed. Harding’s Bulldog was named Oh Boy, who also had the official title of “First Dog”, and Coolidge’s Bulldog was called as Boston Beans.

• Not meant for swimming:

  Unlike several other breeds, Bulldogs are not very good swimmers. Because of their short legs and dense body, they are unable to keep their large head above the surface of the water when they are put in a swimming pool.

• C-section:

  One more downside of Bulldog’s large head is that most of the Bulldog mom’s give birth to the puppies via a C-section. To avoid the risk of injury to the moms or a puppy getting stuck in the birth canal, a C-section is considered to be the safest way for a Bulldog to reproduce.

• Guinness World Record:

  A Bulldog named Otto set up a world record in 2015 for the longest human tunnel traveled through by a skateboarding dog. This pooch skateboarded under the legs of 30 people in Peru and became a Guinness World Record Holder.

• Celebrities’ Bulldogs:

  Several A-list celebrities are (or have been in the past) the proud owners of a Bulldog. These include Brad Pitt (Jacques), David Beckham (Coco), Shemar Moore (Shug and Moe), and Michael Phelps (Herman).