The Bullmastiff origin and history display a great example of a purpose-bred dog with a lineage that can be easily traced and understood. The Bullmastiff dog breed history
originates from England and while its history is not as long and
storied as other breeds, it is a close descendant of one of the oldest
breed of dogs in England, the Mastiff. The Mastiff, a giant dog breed
that descended from the Alaunt and the Molosser, is believed to have
been introduced into ancient Britain more than 2000 years ago.
The Bullmastiff, however, was only introduced in about 1860 when
the Mastiff was crossed with the Old English Bulldog. At this time,
gamekeepers needed a dog to help protect their estates and flocks from
game poachers, mostly poachers of deer from their estate. The Mastiff
was apparently too slow and cumbersome for the job and the Bulldog was
too small to be effective. The solution was a mix of about 60% Mastiff
with 40% Bulldog, thus creating the Bullmastiff.
This new dog called the "Mastiff with a touch of bull" or more
commonly Bullmastiff, was just what gamekeepers needed to watch their
estates as his dark coat and quiet demeanor could surprise poachers,
and then, rather than maul or kill the criminal, they would pin them to
the ground without biting them. The Bullmastiff origin, then, arises
from this practical application and was commonly called the
"gamekeeper's night dog".
Bullmastiff Dog Breed History
The Bullmastiff dog breed was used for some time as the
gamekeeper's guard, however, eventually the Bullmastiff was used in
other capacities, such as a sentry or guard dog as well as work with
the army and police. The crossbreeding between the Mastiff and the
Bulldog and the magic 60/40 mix, continued, but eventually a purebred
line was formed.
In 1924 some conformity was established in the Bullmastiff dog
breed and it was recognized by the English Kennel Club in 1924. The
American Kennel Club later would recognize the breed in 1933. The dog
was famously used to guard the DeBeer diamond mines in South Africa as
well as John D. Rockefeller's New York estate in addition to being used
in emergencies such as the one in Mau-Mau Uprising in Kenya.
