English Mastiff Guarding the cottage....
The Pit Bulldog
"Another line drawing from 1887 shows 'John Bull,' the English version of America's
'Uncle Sam,' with his companion - and the symbol of England as well - the Pit
Bulldog. This dog, too, shows long straight legs and a normal muzzle. This type
of working Bulldog had survived for centuries as a butcher's dog, guardian, and
baiting animal. This Bulldog survives today in the strains of the Pit Bull and Staffordshire dogs. Some of the larger strains of Pit Bull Terrier have recently been inbred to create a breed called the American Bulldog, which is reputed to be a direct descendant of the working Bulldog, but which is in fact larger and heavier in build than ever was the true working Bulldog." Colby's Book of the APBT, Louis Colby, 1997.
Actually, Bulldogs and Mastiffs were and still are the same type "Working Dog," which came in great variation of sizes....
"It has already been stated that in the New World the Spaniards have a
number of wild and ferocious dogs which they have trained especially to kill
people and to tear them to bits. It is not difficult to discover who are the
real Christians and who are not when one learns that, to feed these dogs, they
ensure that whenever they travel they always have a ready supply of natives, chained and herded like so many calves on the hoof. These they kill and butcher
as the need arises."
A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Bartolome de las Casas, 1542
Butcher's Dogs were used to Herd/Guard cattle and man in warfare....
"During the European Renaissance, the Great Butcher Dog was common. This more placid mastiff helped drive cattle to market, guarding the livestock as well as the owners, and often carrying the sales money home around his neck!" The Atlas of Dog Breeds of the World
The larger Mastiff type (Spanish and English crosses) were known as the Spanish Bulldogs.....(aka Shepherd's Mastiffs)....
"The Corsican and Spanish bulldogs closely resemble the English breed, but are larger. A Spanish bulldog, which we had very recently an opportunity of examining, was certainly the most powerfully formed dog we have ever seen. In statue It was between the English bulldog and mastiff, but more massive build, with thick muscular limbs, tremendous breadth of chest, and an awful head. It was very gentle, excepting when urged to make an attack, when its ferocity knew no bounds." The History of the Dog by WCL Martin, 1845
These were imported mainly by way of Cuba, who supplied the forts and settlements of Spanish Florida (South USA)....
"Col. H. Smith in Naturalists Library, states that he was informed in the West Indies by some cattle dealers, who cultivated the breed, that the Cuban mastiff was introduced from England about 1560, and that they were first kept at a monastry in the ancient capital of St. Jago, acording to accounts recieved from a priest by the cattle dealers who informed Col. H. Smith." The History of the Mastiff, Wynn, 1886
'Uncle Sam,' with his companion - and the symbol of England as well - the Pit
Bulldog. This dog, too, shows long straight legs and a normal muzzle. This type
of working Bulldog had survived for centuries as a butcher's dog, guardian, and
baiting animal. This Bulldog survives today in the strains of the Pit Bull and Staffordshire dogs. Some of the larger strains of Pit Bull Terrier have recently been inbred to create a breed called the American Bulldog, which is reputed to be a direct descendant of the working Bulldog, but which is in fact larger and heavier in build than ever was the true working Bulldog." Colby's Book of the APBT, Louis Colby, 1997.
Actually, Bulldogs and Mastiffs were and still are the same type "Working Dog," which came in great variation of sizes....
"It has already been stated that in the New World the Spaniards have a
number of wild and ferocious dogs which they have trained especially to kill
people and to tear them to bits. It is not difficult to discover who are the
real Christians and who are not when one learns that, to feed these dogs, they
ensure that whenever they travel they always have a ready supply of natives, chained and herded like so many calves on the hoof. These they kill and butcher
as the need arises."
A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, Bartolome de las Casas, 1542
Butcher's Dogs were used to Herd/Guard cattle and man in warfare....
"During the European Renaissance, the Great Butcher Dog was common. This more placid mastiff helped drive cattle to market, guarding the livestock as well as the owners, and often carrying the sales money home around his neck!" The Atlas of Dog Breeds of the World
The larger Mastiff type (Spanish and English crosses) were known as the Spanish Bulldogs.....(aka Shepherd's Mastiffs)....
"The Corsican and Spanish bulldogs closely resemble the English breed, but are larger. A Spanish bulldog, which we had very recently an opportunity of examining, was certainly the most powerfully formed dog we have ever seen. In statue It was between the English bulldog and mastiff, but more massive build, with thick muscular limbs, tremendous breadth of chest, and an awful head. It was very gentle, excepting when urged to make an attack, when its ferocity knew no bounds." The History of the Dog by WCL Martin, 1845
These were imported mainly by way of Cuba, who supplied the forts and settlements of Spanish Florida (South USA)....
"Col. H. Smith in Naturalists Library, states that he was informed in the West Indies by some cattle dealers, who cultivated the breed, that the Cuban mastiff was introduced from England about 1560, and that they were first kept at a monastry in the ancient capital of St. Jago, acording to accounts recieved from a priest by the cattle dealers who informed Col. H. Smith." The History of the Mastiff, Wynn, 1886
In pockets of South USA, these larger white Bulldogs (Mastiffs) are known as White English...
"There they served as guards for the farm, and were used in gathering cattle and hogs, which ranged in the woods in a semi-wild state. These dogs were known at that time as "White English," in reference to their origin." Billy Hines
"There they served as guards for the farm, and were used in gathering cattle and hogs, which ranged in the woods in a semi-wild state. These dogs were known at that time as "White English," in reference to their origin." Billy Hines