It's been a while, but if you recall I wrote a piece on Bull Terriers last year. But I wanted to reintroduce you to the breed because I have something special to share with you all: I sketched a few images of my favorite dogs!
On display:
I'm thrilled to share my creations with you all, and I know that each and every one of you is missing a Bull Terrier t-shirt from your closet so you can shop all of the designs on my shop page! ; )
If you haven't met them yet, consider this your formal introduction, if you have met then this is just a blog post about more reasons to love them: the English Bull Terrier. The truths, lies, and drama about our favorite dog (yes, yours too after you finish reading this post).
The English Bull Terrier was originally bred in England in the early 1800's for blood sports such as bull fighting and dog fighting. Rumor has it they were not a very popular fight dog as the Bull Terrier's personality tends to be more playful and friendly than viscous and mean.
The history of dog fighting (or using any animals for violent entertainment) is tragic and speaks to the baser side of the human desire for violence and the abuse of animals for entertainment. Though dogfighting and animal abuse of all kinds still exist in the world, eventually organized sports like dog fighting were banned in England and the Bull Terrier was used as vermin control or "rat catchers".
Eventually, the Bull Terrier breed was recognized for their unique beauty and physic and was bred as show dogs. This led to Bull Terriers becoming household pets and the spread of their popularity outside of the United Kingdom.
The English Bull Terrier well known today is descendant of those first terriers bred in England. Easily recognizable by their "egg" shaped head, pointy ears, and exuberant personality, Bull Terriers are really special dogs that form close bonds with their family. Though each Bull Terrier is unique in its own way, there are some very recognizable qualities they all share:
They dance...
They are friends with everyone...
And they're extremely photogenic.
Bull Terriers have been a part of pop culture and branding since the 70' and 80' starting with "the Target dog" and Spuds MacKenzie. Recently, clothing designer Marc Jacobs' Bull Terrier Neville published his first book, a great step for Bull Terrier-kind.
This positive use of the Bull Terrier image is helping dispel the group-think that Bull Terriers are violent, dangerous dogs. By getting Bull Terriers paired with good families who will invest time to train them and love them, Bull Terriers might one day be removed from breed-specific ban lists throughout the world. A dog's behavior is only as good as his owner's training.
Thanks for reading.
Avigail
P.S.
If you are in Dallas, Texas and need help training your dog, Sarah Miller (@malkuth77) is a phenomenal friend, vet tech, and professional dog trainer!
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