06/06/2021
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Baiting Dog Types in the UK...
From the early to mid 1800s....
What creatures that, so fierce and bold...That springs, and scorns to loose his hold. His teeth, like saw-hooks, meet! The bleeding victim roars aloud, While Savage yells convulse the crowd.. Who shout on shout repeat. It is the bull-dog, matchless, brave, Like Britons on the swelling wave, Amidst the battle's flood. It is the bull-dog, dauntless hound, That pins the mourner to the ground, His nostrils dropping blood. The stake-bound captive snorts and groan's, While pain and torture rack his bones, Gored both without and in; One desperate act of strength he tries, And high in the air the bull-dog flies, yet toss'd to fight again. He falls-and scarcely feels the earth, Ere innate courage shows it's worth, His eye-balls flashing fire! Again he dares his l***y foe- Again aloft is doom'd to go- Falls - struggles - and expires.
P.Egan (the elder) 1825.....
The Baiting dogs of old had to be fearful strong and determined. All of the examples in the photos here show baiting dogs of the same type around the same time... Baiting type dogs with powerful heads on top of strong bodies good strong muzzles with length big wide open large nostrils good bone with fire in there eyes.....Bulls bears and loins baits were pasts times of the lower class by the late 1700s early 1800s fastly becoming out of favor with the upper classes....the sport of dog fighting was becoming more and more popular in the big cities less room needed for that so called Sport, ( it was not so on show kept for the ones in the know) with many public House having dog and c**k fighting pits at the back....
Dogs from these types would of been crossed with the game terrier types baiting dog types had, had there day in the UK.
The bull and terriers crosses was making a name for themselves in the pit contests...
Battling it out with each other, with the smaller type of bull-dog cross terriers being bred for the sport of the rat pits. Being timed to see how many rats that they could kill in a set time.....
The baiting dogs of old as a type was still kept by a few hardened fans and with the new dog shows starting around the middle of the 1800s it became a show dog being bred for it's looks, to a standard for points. Until we have that poor little dog that suffers so the KC show Bulldog....
The original bulldog club was set on up to stop the blood of the Spainsh bull-dog getting in and to keep the British bull-dog pure but it did not stop the blood of the pug from getting in to the breed, up on till the mid 1870s the ideal bulldog was rosa from the famous crib and rosa painting a very sporting looking bitch. By the early 1900s the British bull-dog the old famous baiting dog was on it's knee's as a breed......
M Harris....