Purina

Other names/Nicknames:

• English Bull Terrier

Country/Date of origin:

• England
• Early 19th century

Height:

• No height is specified

Weight:

• No weight is specified

Personality:

• A real people lover.
• Loyal and faithful to family.
• Usually tolerant with strangers.
• Does not get along well with other dogs or cats.

History:

Bull Terriers were developed in 19th century England for a specific purpose—fighting.  It was created by crossing the Bulldog and various terriers, especially the now extinct White English Terrier.  What resulted was an agile, courageous dog that would stand up to anything.  When blood sports were finally outlawed, fanciers began to discover its other virtues.  The White Bull Terrier was the first variety.  Coloreds were produced by mating White Bull Terriers and Staffordshire Bull Terriers.  Colored and White Bull Terriers can be found in the same litter.

Body Type:

• The gladiator of the dog world—muscular, active, and agile.
• Whites and Colored share the same standard of excellence in every respect except color.
• Tail is carried horizontally and is not altered.
• Erect ears are not altered.

Coat:

• Short and flat against close fitting skin.
• Glossy and harsh to the touch.
• In the Colored variety, dogs can be any color other than white or any color with white markings.
• All other things being equal, a brindle is preferred.

Health and Wellness:

• Laryngeal paralysis.
• Mitral dysplasia.
• Congenital deafness.
• Polycystic kidney disease.
• Acrodermatitis.
• Atopy.
• Solar dermatitis.
• Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, actinic).
• Hemangioma (actinic).
• Hemangiosarcomas.
• Mast cell tumors.
• Mitral insufficiencies.

What you should know:

• The egghead of the dog world.
• The Bull Terrier’s Roman-nose profile have made it the darling of cartoonists.
• The symbol of macho, the Bull Terrier is well known as Spuds MacKenzie (the mascot of the Budweiser Beer) and the sidekick of General Patton in World War II.
• Noses of puppies are pink but will darken with age.
• Extremely clean in its personal habits.
• Not to be confused with more aggressive pit bulls.