The first Bulldog registered in South Africa was named, “Billie.” The year? 1891. Even before that, however (in 1864, to be precise), the first Bulldog Club in England was formed with a very specific motto. Was that motto:
- “Promoting Better Pure Bred Bulldogs.”
- “Hold Fast.”
- “Together instead of against each other”
- “Motto Cede Nullis (“Yield To None”)
As it happens, the choices above were all someone’s Bulldog motto:
“Promoting Better Pure Bred Bulldogs” belonged to the Bulldog Club of Metropolitan Atlanta.
“Together instead of against each other” was the motto of the European Bulldog Club
“Motto Cede Nullis (“Yield To None”) belongs to the The Western Bulldogs, a professional Australian rules football club.
That leaves “Hold Fast” as the motto of England’s first Bulldog club. The club was founded in 1864 through the efforts of R.S. Rockstro. A member of the club, Samuel Wickens, wrote the first breed standard using the pseudonym Philo-Kuon. Some sources maintain that Wickens’ breed standard was the first Bulldog standard written in the world, but we’ll defer to breed experts on that score. Unfortunately, the club disbanded after only three years, but in 1875, another Bulldog club was founded that was incorporated in 1894. It was described as “the forerunner of all dog clubs in the world,” and one of its chief goals was to promote a moderately sized Bulldog, while discouraging the introduction of Spanish Bulldogs that often weighed more than 100 pounds. As far as we can tell, this breed club is still in existence.
Bulldog by Peter Clark
Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery
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