HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF THE BULLDOG Paleonthologists have located ancestors of the dog about 55 million years ago. The climate, objectives,geography and environmental conditions influenced their evolution. Dogs have evolved to give place to several branches of evolutionary development. The paleonthological branches commonly recognized where the ones of the giant " bear-dogs" , dogs similar to a hyena who lived in North America, the " dingos", wolf-like dogs from the south of Asia and Australia, the Arctic Pariahs of Asia Minor and Japan and the dogs of the Basenji type from Africa. They evolved from these branches and gave birth, through selective breeding with concrete purposes, to present day dogs. Though the origin of the Bulldog as we know it today is not precisely known, it is believed that the Bulldog and the Mastiff evolved from the Ancient Alaunt, a breed from the molosoid type used to catch unruly oxen and hunt wild pigs. Its seems that the word " bulldog" was used for the first time in a description written in 1598 about a bull-baiting tournament . But it is thought that the Bulldog was a well known breed in England long before this date. The " Bandogs", " Bonddoggess" and " Bolddoggess" are mentioned several times in English literature since 1200, when the " sport" of bull and bear baiting became popular in England. Anyway, there is a reference to the " English Dogs" that attacked bulls in the year 365 AD. These dogs were raised and trained to bite and not to loosen the nose, ears and neck of the bulls. The objective of dog baiting was that the Bulldog graspped the nose of the bull and remained hanging, without letting the bull loose. These dogs would bite the bull even after their entrails had been torn out, and many times bled to death due to the injuries received. If the dog attacked the legs of the bull and no its nose, made the breed look impure. Litters of only 6 months old were subject to hard testsof this kind to prove the purity of the breed. Among the enthusiasts of bull and bear baiting it was possible to find different kinds of people. In 1559, Queen Elizabeth I was known to be an enthusiast fan, and many times she became the organizer of these social events with such a barbarous " sport" as main attraction. In those times, in almost every English village there was a special place for bull fighting ( the social center of the village ) and fortunes were spent on bets. Bull baiting had been one of the favourite pastimes for the Romans, Egyptians and the Greek. Consequently, these dogs were selectively bred for their strength, courage and tenacity. In 1835, bull baiting was prohibited by the English Parliament. After this, the number of pure bred Bulldogs diminished partly due to the incresing popularity of a new " sport" : dog fighting which replaced bull baiting as a public form of entertainment in England at the end of the XIX century. Breeders started to cross the Bulldog with terrier-like breeds to develop a more agile dog. Around 1840, the Bulldog of that time was also crossed with smaller dogs,more docile and with a more Carline appearance to give birth to a dog more appropiate for homes. So, the Bulldog changed from a " sports" dog to a kinder companion, and their existance was preserved by those who were keen of the breed in England and France and became a pet. Ironically, and due to its temeperament and nature extraordinarily quiet, kind and sweet, the present day Bulldog is quite different from the fierce dog it comes from.

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