Species History
Bulldogs of today are quite different than their ancient ancesters. The first Bulldogs were quite aggressive and ferocious. In fact, the term "Bulldog" was used to describe any dog that was considered vicious enough to require being chained up, but mostly those dogs which were bred to fight bulls and sometimes bears. The breed we now know as English Bulldog (or Bulldog as they are properly recognized by the AKC) was designed specifically for this job. It was bred from several different pure-breeds including Mastiffs and an ancient breed the Alaunt. Bullbaiting and bearbaiting were very popular so-called 'sports' and were the Bulldogs' prime reason to exist. The object was for the Bulldog to attack the bull by biting its' nose and not giving up nor letting go no matter how injured the dog became from the bulls' attempts to defend itself. It was not to let go until the bull fell. Bulldogs were recorded to have kept their grip even though their intestines would be hanging out of a wound in its' abdomen! Some dogs would ofcourse bleed to death in the battle. Any Bulldog that attacked a part of the bull other than its' nose was not considered to be a pure-bred. Thru selective breeding, the perfect 'bull fighting' dog breed was created with characteristics of strength, tenacity, and powerful jaws. By the way, their short, stalky frames and wrinkles aren't part of their characteristics merely by chance but results of careful and selective breeding all for the sole purpose to aid the dog in the battle. For example, its' under-shot jaw was bred in to ensure the dog could get a firm grip on the bulls' nose. The nose is set back in the skull so the dog could breathe well while hanging on to the nose. The wrinkles around the face were bred in to allow for the bulls' blood to run off of the dogs' face to aid his vision during the attack. The short legs allowed the dog to be able to pounce on the bull from a low position. Bull and bear baiting popularity soared from the 1200s into the 1500s. All classes of people would attend the events. Even Queen Elizabeth hosted parties that centered around these barbaric and cruel contests. Bullbaiting was permitted in nearly every town in England. People would bet money on which animal they thought would win. Thankfully, these horrific contests were out-lawed by the British Parliament in 1835. The number of Bulldogs deminished since their original purpose was now illeagal. Lucky for us that some true Bulldog lovers wanted to keep the breed going to have as companions, but they had to find a way to get the viciousness out of the breed. So they began crossing these fighting Bulldogs with more even-tempered, gentle breeds to create the sweet, calm and friendly Bulldogs we know and love today.
Source: http://www.thebulldogexchange.com/bulldog_history.html