Like the American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the Bull Terrier was originally created to be a fighting dog by breeding the white English Terrier (now extinct) to the Bulldog. This produced the Bull-and-Terrier dog. Some Spanish Pointer was added to make the dog larger, and the result was the Bull Terrier.

Fortunately, dogfighting is illegal in our time, but the Bull Terrier is still valued—as a loyal and loving friend. Because they are so muscular, Bull Terriers need plenty of exercise to stay fit, and love nothing more than playing catch with a bouncy rubber ball. They make the most delightful of companions—in the city or country.

The Bullie has a distinctive face. From the side it looks like an egg. It is long, strong, and deep, curving downward from the top of the skull to the top of the nose. His forehead is flat between the ears. He has little black eyes and a black nose. In the white Bullie, there can be another color on the head.

Excerpts from the Standard

General Appearance: Strongly built, muscular, and active; full of fire, but with a sweet disposition and responsive to commands. (There is no size requirement for this breed, but males usually weigh 55-70 pounds; females 45-60 pounds.)

Fun Facts

Among Bull Terriers, white became the favorite color in the 1860s. Now the white Bull Terrier and the “colored” Bull Terrier (any color other than white) are two varieties within the breed.

Excerpted from The Complete Dog Book For Kids © 1996, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.