The “Bull and Terrier” breed was developed in the nineteenth century for vermin control. This breed was based on the now-extinct Old English Bulldog, Old English Terrier and the Black and Tan Terrier. It combined the nimbleness of the lighter terriers and the tenacity of bulldog. Because of a lack of breed standards, the Bull and Terrier breed diverged into the ancestors of the Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Bull Terriers.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, a man named James Hinks began to breed the Bull and Terrier breed with the now-extinct English White Terrier. His intention was to develop a breed with better legs and a nicer head. This breed was known as the Hinks breed or The White Cavalier. They did not have the characteristic egg shaped face seen in Bull Terriers today, but kept the stop in the skull profile.
These dogs enjoyed a wave of popularity, and breeding continued. Crossing with Dalmatians, Greyhounds, Spanish Pointers, Foxhounds and Whippets increased agility. Crossing with Borzoi and Collie reduced the stop. The first of the modern Bull Terriers was Lord Gladiator, in 1917, having no stop at all.
There have been many Bull Terriers with appearances in pop culture. They have appeared in movies from Toy Story to Trainspotting. Perhaps the most famous of them all is Spud Mackenzie, featured in a campaign for Bud Light beer in the 1980s.
