Origins of the English Bulldog

Jennifer Heiner-Pisano lives in the New York metropolitan area and works for a prominent New Jersey running company. Among her various pursuits and hobbies, Jennifer Heiner-Pisano is an animal rescue volunteer and the owner of an English bulldog.

Some historians date the canine ancestors of the modern English bulldog back to the ancient Romans. At the time, “broad-mouth” working dogs identified as Alaunt dogs accompanied soldiers into battle. Surviving records describe an Alaunt variety commonly known as the “bulldog Alaunt” as generally heavyset with a wide jaw of considerable strength.

Experts suspect that this line of dog ultimately made its way to the British Isles, where breeders began to raise them to engage in “bullbaiting,” a controversial sport that pitted multiple dogs against a bull in a violent battle. References to bullbaiting appear as early as 1209, and shipping records of the “bulldogs” used in this blood sport appeared as early as 1631. Historians can trace a direct line from these dogs and the modern bulldog as defined by the American Kennel Club.