Not a Bull Terrier

And yes, these small round-headed dogs were starting to look very different from the main Bull and Terrier group. The other breeders were not pleased at having these ‘strange’ looking dogs be represented as bull terriers. As a result, our sweet little American Bull Terriers were being routinely ignored at many of the bench shows, sometimes even kicked out or at the very least relegated to the far back rooms.

The criticism ranged from being too small (not a “man’s dog”) to looking too much like a terrier and not enough “bull”. But the American breeders really liked their good natured, smaller dogs with their big wide-set eyes. Although there was much disagreement within their ranks over the details (i.e., a screw tail or whip tail?) they all agreed that they were no longer a true bull terrier.

Instead of giving up though, the American fanciers decided to rename their dogs as a distinct breed from the bull terriers and they were renamed the Boston Terrier in 1891.