Centuries ago, the bulldog was known as a butcher’s dog. They were used for guarding and managing Oxen. This noble profession gave way to the use of the dog in the especially brutal and cruel bloodsport known as bull baiting. Bull baiting involved tethering a bull and sending a bulldog to attack and overpower it. Thankfully, the Humane Act was passed in 1835, outlawing the “sport”. Pit fighting became popular at this point. Being larger and not as nimble, the bulldog was not the dog of choice for this new “sport”. Ultimately, the extremely tenacious bulldog became less and less relevant, and found itself out of a job. Dog show fanciers began a program of outcrossing in order to create a gentler, shorter, squattier version of the bulldog. Over time they succeeded in creating the modern day English Bulldog. Unfortunately, the English Bulldog, while more appealing to show judges, was, and still is, riddled with serious health issues and genetic defects.

Being disgusted with the health and condition of the modern day bulldog, David Leavitt of Spring Grove Pa. began creating the Olde English Bulldogge in 1971. His goal was to create a healthy, athletic bulldog, that was considered capable, but without the extreme tenacity of it’s ancestors. The dog was to have a loving disposition, but still protect it’s family if called upon. This goal was achieved by using a line breeding scheme that was developed by Ohio State University for use with cattle. The original foundation stock consisted of ½ English Bulldog, 1/6 American Bulldog, 1/6 American Pitbull Terrier, and 1/6 Bullmastiff. After many carefully planned crosses the Olde English Bulldogge emerged and began breeding true. By 1985 three true lines had been developed and the breed was considered sound, stable and well suited for modern life.

There are plenty of breeders advertising their dogs as Olde English Bulldogges. Many of these breeders have tried to reinvent the wheel so to speak. They continue to breed back to the English Bulldog. They will also cross English Bulldogs to Pitbulls or Mastiffs and call them Olde English Bulldogges. In order to be considered a true Olde English Bulldogge, the bloodlines of a particular animal must be traceable back to the original foundation stock of the early 1970’s with NO unapproved outcrosses present in the lines