Boston Terrier History

All of today’s dog breeds were bred for a certain reason or purpose. To understand your Boston Terrier’s traits and little quirks it is very helpful to understand the breed’s history.

The Boston Terrier stems from the cross of the Bulldog and the now extinct White English Terrier, and dates back to the 1870s.

In the time when the bloody gambling sport of bullbaiting had not yet been outlawed, Bull-and-Terrier type dogs, which were bred on the British Isles, were used as ferocious fighters. The dogs tried to latch onto the bull’s snout and suffocate their opponent in a brutal duel.

Boston Terrier History

The dog owners, however, had to be able to handle their dogs, and thus dogs were selectively bred for their friendliness towards humans. After bullbaiting had been outlawed in England in 1835, the Bulldog in its old form had outlived its usefulness and would have been forgotten, had enthusiastic breeders not seen the Bulldog’s potential and turned the ferocious fighter into a lovable companion dog.

Importing dogs to the US from Europe was common, and in 1870 William O’Brian imported a dog named Judge from England and brought him to Boston, where he was sold to Robert C. Hooper. Judge was imported as a fighting dog for pit fighting, which had replaced bullbaiting.

Little is known about Judge’s ancestry, however, it has been speculated that he was either a direct descendant of the old Bull-and-Terrier type dogs or a cross between the modern Bulldog and a White English Terrier. These terriers were bred in the 1860s for shows but within 30 years of their acceptance into the Kennel Club the breed fell into obscurity and is now extinct.

Judge was later bred to a white female dog, who belonged to Edward Burnett of Southboro. Because of the breed’s young age and small gene pool, later generations were significantly inbred and crossed with breeds such as the French Bulldog. These earlier forms of the Boston Terrier are known today as Olde Boston Bulldogge.

Boston Terriers (which were not known as such yet) quickly became popular, and so fanciers in the Boston area came together to form the American Bull Terrier Club. Because of the name’s similarity to other bull breeds, the breed had to be renamed. It was finally decided to name this new breed of dog the Boston Terrier.

Even though “terrier” is a part of its breed name, it is only a minor aspect of the Boston Terrier’s temperament. Much of its people-friendliness and gentle behavior stems from its Bulldog ancestors, who are still know today for their amazingly loving character.

Other names for this breed include Boston Bull and Boxwood.

The Boston Terrier was first recognized as a breed by the Canadian Kennel Club in 1888. Five years later – in 1893 – the Boston Terrier was accepted into the American Kennel Club.