Dossier No. 08 · England, 13th c. (later refined as a companion)
English Bulldog
Townhouses and apartments where a calm, watchful presence is preferred.
- Stature
- Medium
- Coat
- Smooth — brindle, white, fawn, or piebald
- Temperament
- Stoic, comedic, unshakably loyal
- Origin
- England, 13th c. (later refined as a companion)
I
History
Bred in 13th-century England for the gruesome sport of bull-baiting, the breed was abruptly orphaned in 1835 when blood sports were outlawed. Devotees spent the following decades transforming a working brawler into the stoic, comedic companion that became a Victorian icon and, eventually, the mascot of Oxford and the Royal Marines.
II
Personality
Stoic, droll, and quietly affectionate. They are not athletes — they are statesmen. Most decisions are made slowly, with consideration, from a recumbent position. They snore with great commitment.
III
To Live With One
Townhouses, apartments, and air-conditioned drawing rooms. They cannot tolerate heat and should never be over-exerted. In return: a calm, watchful presence, comic timing, and a snoring that becomes, in time, indistinguishable from contentment itself.
IV
Notable Companions
Winston Churchill's pugnacious determination earned him the nickname 'British Bulldog,' and the association has never left the breed — though the Prime Minister himself kept poodles. In the modern era, Adam Sandler and David Beckham have both been devoted to the breed, drawn, one suspects, to its loyal, unflappable good humour.