We confess to having a soft spot for Bull Terriers in both the standard and miniature sizes seen today, but did you know that back in the day, the Bull Terrier also came in a toy size?
As cute as some may think this sounds, the toy version of the breed fell out of favor for reasons hinted at by something written by Lady Evelyn Ewart. The article appeared in Robert Leighton’s “The New Book of the Dog” published in 1911:
“The most valuable Toy Bull-Terriers are small and very light in weight, and these small dogs usually have ‘apple heads.’ Pony Queen, the former property of Sir Raymond Tyrwhitt Wilson weighed under 3 lbs., but the breed remains ‘toy’ up to 15 lbs. When you get a dog with a long wedge-shaped head, the latter in competition with small ‘apple-headed’ dogs always takes the prize, and a slightly contradictory state of affairs arises from the fact that the small dog with an imperfectly shaped head will sell for more money than a dog with a perfectly shaped head with is larger.”
Interestingly, Lady Evelyn Ewart owned Tiny Mite, a Toy Bull Terrier she owned around 1907.
Toy Bull Terriers from “Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia” 1910-1912.
A dim viewpoint wasn’t just her opinion.In A Miniature Bull Terrier History by Charles Allenden published by the Miniature Bull Terrier Club Of England, he wrote:
“Most of the old ratting prints of this time feature a small dog of the bull terrier type, which are reported to have weighed between 9 and 12 lbs. Some breeders tried to miniaturise the breed further to produce a Toy Bull Terrier. Pony Queen, owned by Sir Raymond Tyriott Wilson, has been recorded as under 3 1bs in weight when fully grown. However, these Toy types were generally not typical of the breed, having apple heads and pop-eyes, characteristics typically associated with the dwarfing of a breed.”
This particular dog comes from a book by W.E. Mason, “Dogs of All Nations”
This wasn’t a fad of the day. Almost fifty years before Ewart wrote her words, Toy Bull Terriers were listed (for the first time) at the Great International Dog Show 1863. It had a brief time of favor in America and by 1914 the Miniature Variety was defined as weighing twelve pounds. In 1916, the AKC ruled that Winner’s Classes would no longer be provided until its numbers increased. Evidently, it didn’t. In 1918, the Kennel Club of England disavowed the toy size, and six years later in 1922, Toy Bull Terriers were exhibited at Westminster for the last time.
We tap into our “inner child” to conclude with a sneer.
Our sneer is leveled at the authors of articles that complain today’s purebred dog is an abomination, an unsound update of breeds that were far healthier before breeders got their hands on them. They use archival photographs to prove their point.
Bad idea.
Where they see dogs that look different than they do today, we see broken down pasterns, lousy toplines, poor angulation, and hips that hint at a dog that didn’t know a day without pain. Older is not always better, and the illustrations we’ve shared earlier prove it.
We choose to conclude with images of lovely Miniature Bull Terriers, dogs who underscore that today’s breeder has improved upon earlier versions. Take a breath, be in awe, and enjoy.
Photo by Danielle Spady
Photo by Karen Livingston
Photo by Heather Riegraf of GrCHB Aldridge It’s a Dundeel
And since Halloween is upon us….. Photo by Courtenay Morgan of “Custard”
Our appreciation to the owners who have graciously allowed us to share their photos. Our top photo appears courtesy of Karen Livingston