In 1914, anti-German sentiment in parts of America was strong, and for a kid with a German last name, it was tough. Tougher still when his dog walked with a limp provoking other kids to make fun of the pair. “Ted” felt like an outsider in his own home town of Springfield, and his only real friend and ally was his dog, “Rex.”
We all remember our childhood dogs, and maybe Ted had “Rex” in mind when, as an adult, he wrote, “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,”under the name, Dr. Seuss. It was, after all, the Grinch’s dog, “Max,” who demonstrates loyalty to his master. “Rex,” by the way, was a “bully” terrier, the pair seen in the above image. From the Ken Foster book, “I’m a Good Dog.”
Image: AI generated by DALL·E
Rex was a Boston Terrier, the most popular and common purebred of the early 1900s. This photo is from 1914. Seuss was 10 years old and the dog is described as a “Boston Bulldog”. It is NOT a pit bull.
Never said Rex was a Pit Bull, Wendy, only that he was a “bully,” which as a Boston Bulldog, it would have qualified at the time.