Bull Terrier

The history of the Bull Terrier

James Hinks of Birmingham made the breed in the 1850s and 60s from the old bull-and-terrier fighting dogs, adding Dalmatian and, some say, English White Terrier to produce a white dog of clean lines that was meant to be a gentleman's companion rather than a pit dog. The egg-shaped head, with no stop between skull and muzzle, came later and is the breed's signature. Bull Terriers are clownish, strong-willed and physically powerful, devoted to their people and inclined to hurl themselves at furniture for the joy of it. They need early training and an owner who finds all this funny. The artist set the dog on a dockside among coiled rope and barrels, a nod to the breed's Victorian industrial origins, and used the plain white coat as negative space with the rigging and warehouses carrying the line work.