Mastini's Lord Horatio Nelson.
With a breeding program known to go back to the late 1980's, Steve Barnett of England, UK, set out to re-create his ideal
Bulldogge of old, utilising his earlier experiances of the various bulldog crosses he was involved in breeding, some of
which went into the foundation stock of the late Victorian Bulldog breeder Mr. Ken Mollett, whom originally set out to
produce a fitter Kennel Club Bulldog.
Steve Barnett's goal has always been to produce a National Bulldogge. A dog which is brought out into the show or
bull-ring with pride, to stand beside of your dog knowing that he is an athelet, capable of non stop energy,
worthy of the name gladiator, a true bulldog both in appearance and traditional bulldog tempermant, and not a nuisance around
animals and other dogs, but with a inbred fire if needed, or called upon, a dog that would grace
the arena of any show in any country any were in the world, and be gazed upon with true spirit and real national pride.
Not shown amongst the fruit and vegetables in a wheel barrow, like the KC dogs of today, Steve found his desired bulldogge's,
way back in history being bred strong in the early 16th century, bred for the Kings and Queens of the Tuder period as
the bear baiting dogs of old, the same dogs which were bred for the early barbaric sports of both bear baiting and bullbaiting.
Lenny and Bruiser
Picture taken with Wayne Humpheries, a good friend of the
Mastini Dogs. Wayne sadly passed away not long after this pic was taken.
During the Tuder period both these bloody sports were at a height of national past time's.
The normal person, although poverty stricken and hungry, seemed to always find the odd half penny to attend
the various bear pits that lined the south side of the Thames as early as 1506, mentioned by Shakespeare
and other known writers in their day. Henry the VIII (1509 -47) had a real strong liking and interest,
in the early bear pits and bullbaiting, appointing the first official master of the game. Documented in
history Queen Elizabeth had a facination for the sport of bull and bear baiting, and she also visited
Kenilworth Castle in 1575, then owned by the Earl of Leicester, where 13 bears were assembled for her amusement.
Although this was the height of the bull and bear baiting period in old England, a bill to end bull-baiting was
defeated as late in history as 1829 by forty -five votes, only to be abolished 6 years further on in 1835.
A royal sport that has been documented through out history for close on 400 years.......these early dogs were the back bone
to the know out of the shape of the Bulldog of today, the kind that won the hearts and minds of the early writers of the day,
that stamped the seal, that brought national pride to the words English Bulldogge.
Our goal has been to re-produce this early broad muzzled flat faced dog of old,
but to still keep the traditional shape and charector we have all come to love.
In doing this, Steve Barnett presents us with the Dorset Olde Tyme Bulldogge, the original English Bulldogge ,
our National breed, the better, fitter, Bulldogge.
The popularity of the Dorset Olde Tyme Bulldogge, along with the recognition and acceptance among Bulldoggers, is ever increasing.
Understandable, since the dogs speak for themselves.
Mastini's Lord Horatio Nelson.
