50 Fun Facts About Bull Terrier

The Bull Terrier's most recognisable feature is a head described as what shape?

Viewed from the front the top of the skull is almost flat, and the profile curves gently down to a black, down-turned nose.

What shape are a Bull Terrier's eyes, almost uniquely among dogs?

They are small, dark and deep-set.

Which breeder crossed bull-and-terriers with English White Terriers in the mid-19th century to create the modern breed?

He wanted a cleaner appearance with better legs and a nicer head, and he wanted his dogs white.

In which city did the breed's founder live most of his life?

He was born in Mullingar, Ireland, in 1829, the son of a Birmingham shoemaker, and died in Birmingham in 1878.

In 1862 Hinks entered a bitch named Puss in the Bull Terrier class at a show held where?

Puss was sired by his white Bulldog Madman, and the dog was an immediate hit.

Which breeds were used to increase the Bull Terrier's elegance and agility after Hinks's early dogs?

Borzoi and Rough Collie were added to reduce the stop in the skull profile.

Which dog of 1917 is recognised as the first modern Bull Terrier, with no stop at all?

Hinks's original dogs still kept the stop in the skull profile; the 'egg face' came later.

Ted Lyon and others introduced colour into the breed in the early 20th century using which breed?

Medical problems from all-white breeding drove the change; the AKC recognised coloured Bull Terriers as a separate variety in 1936.

Which colour is preferred in coloured Bull Terriers?

Other colours are welcome, and the standard also allows white, red, fawn, black or combinations.

Bull-and-terrier dogs of the early 19th century were bred for vermin control and what else?

They combined the terrier's speed and dexterity with the Bulldog's dour tenacity.

Why was the Old English Bulldog described as 'a poor performer in most combat situations'?

Breeders argued that adding terrier improved fighting quality; nothing was done to preserve the original cross.

How is a Bull Terrier's tail carried?

The body is full and round with strong, muscular shoulders.

Why is the Bull Terrier considered unsuitable for an inexperienced owner?

The Bull Terrier Club nonetheless calls it particularly good with people, courageous and full of spirit.

A 2008 German study found no significant temperament difference between Bull Terriers and which breed?

Germany bans imports of the breed regardless.

A 2024 UK study gave the Bull Terrier what life expectancy?

An earlier UK breed survey put the median at 10 years, with a good number of dogs living to 10–15.

What share of pure white Bull Terriers are deaf?

Only 1.3% of coloured Bull Terriers are affected.

Lethal acrodermatitis in white Bull Terriers is marked by low serum levels of which minerals?

Most affected pups die before age two, and unlike the human disease, zinc supplements do not help.

How big are one-year-old pups with lethal acrodermatitis compared with unaffected littermates?

The disease shows within the first few weeks of life and is inherited as a monogenic autosomal trait.

A UK study found the Bull Terrier how many times likelier than average to get neutrophilic cholangitis?

It is an inflammatory disease of the bile ducts.

General George S. Patton's Bull Terrier Willie had previously belonged to whom?

The dog was originally named Punch and sometimes flew on bombing missions with the pilot.

After his dog fought Eisenhower's, why did Patton say his own dog should be confined to quarters?

Eisenhower had offered to send Telek upstairs, but Patton insisted on military protocol.

Contrary to popular belief, Patton named Willie after whom?

The dog's registered name was nonetheless William the Conqueror.

Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Terrier Pete made headlines for chasing which diplomat?

Pete was one of many pets in the Roosevelt White House menagerie.

Patsy Ann, a deaf 1930s Bull Terrier, was famed for predicting ships' arrivals in which city?

A bronze statue at the harbour honours the 'Official Greeter of Juneau'.

Spuds MacKenzie, 'The Original Party Animal', advertised which product in the late 1980s?

The character debuted in a Super Bowl XXI commercial in 1987, dreamed up by 23-year-old art director Jon Moore.

What was the real name of the Bull Terrier who played Spuds MacKenzie?

Known as Evie, she was female, though Spuds was portrayed as male in the ads.

Bullseye, the Bull Terrier mascot of Target, is always portrayed by dogs of which sex?

Each Bullseye actor has a pure white coat with the Target logo painted around one eye.

The original Bullseye, in a 1999 Target commercial, was an AKC champion known by what nickname?

Registered as Kingsmere Moondoggie; a dog named Nikki took over the role in 2014.

In Oliver Twist, the Bull Terrier Bull's-eye belongs to which criminal?

The dog is a loyal companion and a reflection of his master's brutal nature.

Scud, the Bull Terrier in Toy Story, belongs to which character?

Sid is the toy-torturing boy next door and the film's main antagonist.

Sparky, the resurrected dog in Tim Burton's Frankenweenie, is what breed?

The 1984 short was remade as an animated feature in 2012.

Which 1977 Ken Greenhall novel centres on a homicidal white Bull Terrier named Baxter?

The 1989 French film Baxter cast a Bull Terrier named Chimbot, voiced by Maxime Leroux.

Grim, the dog in the syndicated comic strip Mother Goose and Grimm, is what breed?

The strip has run since 1984.

In the 1963 film The Incredible Journey, a Bull Terrier named Muffy played which character?

Bodger is the eldest of the three animals in Sheila Burnford's novel.

Spunky, the Bull Terrier in Rocko's Modern Life, is host to two parasites named what?

He eats anything he sees and has a distinctive high-pitched bark.

Gaspard and Lisa, a pair of anthropomorphised Bull Terriers, feature in what?

The French picture-book series later became an animated TV show.

Floyd, the Bull Terrier sidekick of Hallmark's Maxine, first appeared in which year?

He serves as both pet and sidekick to the crabby cartoon lady.

In Babe: Pig in the City, what breed does the film wrongly call Babe's egg-headed bodyguard?

He takes the job out of gratitude to Babe for saving his life.

The Miniature Bull Terrier's 1970s size limit changed from weight to a height limit of what?

Minis are usually no smaller than 10 inches, and the AKC says weight must be proportionate to height.

The Miniature Bull Terrier's first documented existence, in 1872, appears in which book?

The mini traces to the extinct English White Terrier, the Dalmatian and the Bulldog.

What was the founder's white Bulldog, sire of Puss, credited with a key role in the breed's birth, called?

Hinks raised him for exhibition rather than fighting, and breeding him lifted the family's fortunes.

What did the lack of breed standards mean for the original bull-and-terrier?

Bred for performance rather than looks, it divided into the ancestors of the Bull Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Despite a study showing its temperament matches a Golden Retriever's, which country bans the import of Bull Terriers?

The breed is sometimes targeted by breed-specific legislation by name or as a 'pit bull-type' dog.

What share of coloured Bull Terriers are deaf, compared with over 20% of pure white ones?

Many Bull Terriers also develop skin allergies from insect bites.

Which actor voiced Wildfire, the white Bull Terrier star of the 1955 film It's a Dog's Life?

The dog playing Wildfire shared the character's name.

How old was Jon Moore, the art director who dreamed up the Spuds MacKenzie campaign?

The campaign was the idea of 23-year-old art director Jon Moore; the character was retired in 1989.

Which senator campaigned against Spuds MacKenzie for allegedly marketing beer to children?

Ads showing Spuds dressed as Santa Claus also brought legal action in states such as Ohio.

Who voiced the ghost of Spuds MacKenzie in Bud Light's 2017 big-game commercial?

The ad paid homage to A Christmas Carol, and the house number 1989 nodded to the year Spuds was retired.

Around which eye is the Target logo painted on the dogs who play the mascot Bullseye?

The all-natural makeup gives the mascot its name; the dogs live on a ranch north of Los Angeles.

In which city was Patsy Ann, Juneau's deaf 'Official Greeter', born in 1929?

She was given her official title at a dockside ceremony in July 1934 timed to the arrival of the SS Prince George.