Early Boston Terriers, showing much influence from the Bull and Terriers.
The Olde Boston Bulldogge is the original Boston Bulldog, the breed which the Boston Terrier developed from,
therefore the early history of the Olde Boston Bulldogge is the same as for the Boston Terrier.
The story began with in the early 1870's, when Mr. Robert C. Hooper of Boston purchased a dog from Mr. William O'Brian, also
living in Boston. This dog became known as "Hooper's Judge", and it is supposed that this dog was imported, but nothing is known
about its breeding, thought he was undoubtedly og the half-bred bull and terrier type used for fighting.
"Hooper's Judge" was decribed as a dog well up on his legs, dark brindle, with a blazed face and weighting a little over
30 pounds (13,6 kg).
From "Hooper's Judge" and a bitch owned by Mr. Edward Burnett of Southboro, Mass, named "Gyp", which were of equally unknown pedigree
-but showing more bulldog, came the dog known as "Well's Eph", described as about 29 pounds (13,1 kg), dark brindle, evenly
marked with white on face and low on the legs, just like his mother.
"Well's Eph" was bred to a bitch named "Tobin's Kate", of unknown breeding, smaller than any of those already mentioned, her
weight being given as twenty pounds (9 kg). Like the others she was a brindle, the shade being a rich yellow or golden.
One of the results of this mating was "Bernard's Tom", who stands as the first pillar of the stud book in connection with
Boston Terriers.
Early Boston Terriers; Viking, Gordon Boy & Junior II.
These early dogs were not known as Boston Terriers, but as "Round-headed bull and terriers" & "American Bull Terrier, and
early in 1891 an application was recieved from the "American Bull Terrier Club" of Boston for membership in the American
Kennel Club and recognition of the breed they represented. However, suggestions were made that the club should be called
"Boston Terrier Club" to avoid conflict with the "Bull Terrier Club", but the American Kennel Club did not admit the Boston
applicants until 1893.
Early Boston Terrier.
Mr. Dwight Baldwin in his early history of the breed published in the Boston Terrier Club book mentions some other importations
which assisted in forming the breed. Among others a dog uf unknown parentage owned by Mr. Reed; about 12 pounds (5,5 kg), reddish
brindle and white, the Perry dog; only 6 pounds (2,8 kg), blue and white and imported from Scotland, the import from England
"Kellem' Brick"; black spotted, 18 pounds (8,2 kg) and a most determinded fighter, which also were said about "O'Brien's Ben";
a short backed white dog with brindle markings.
These later improtations were smaller than the "Hooper's Judge" style of dog and tended to lower the size, so that in the 1890
Boston classification there was a division by weight of under and over 20 pounds (9 kg) for dogs and 18 pounds (8,1 kg) for
bitches.
After this point there were now and then some infusion of Bulldog blood, even if it was not admitted by the breeders at that time.
Quite a number of the dogs registred up to 1898 showed bulldog lines, and in 1894 the Kennel Club canselled a registration
of a Boston Terrier which had a bulldog as a sire.
While the Boston Terrier were being refined, and eventually developed into a toy breed, the original
Boston Bulldog, the ones not refined enough and which did show to much bulldog influence, continued to be bred separated from
the Boston Terrier, and was kept more "bulldoggy" than its cousin. These dogs have been bred all the way up to modern time, until
the late Neil Rutan began to collect the remaning specimens and bred them, so we still can be able to see these original Boston Bulls.
Early Boston Terrier, "Lady Dimple".
Modern Olde Boston Bulldogge "Midnight".
