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History The term "bulldog" was first used around 1568 and might have been applied to various ancestors of modern bulldog breeds.
The oldest single breed specialty club is The Bulldog Club (England), which was formed in 1875. Members of this club met frequently at the Blue Post pub on Oxford Street in London.
There they wrote the first standard of perfection for the bulldog breed. In 1891 the two top bulldogs, Orry and Dockleaf, competed in a contest to see which dog could walk the farthest. King Orry was reminiscent of the original bulldogs — lighter boned and very athletic. Dockleaf was smaller and heavier set — more like modern bulldogs. Dockleaf was declared the winner that year.
Although some argued that the older version of the bulldog was more fit to perform, the modern version’s looks won over the fans of the bulldog breed because they proved they were equally as fit and athletic in the walking competition.
Recently, many people have tried to recreate a bulldog breed more akin to the original bullbaiter. Examples of the trend are the Olde Englishe Bulldogge, Renascence Bulldog, Victorian, Continental and Dorset Old Tyme Bulldog. The AKC does not recognize any of these newly "recreated" breeds of bulldogs.
List of popular Bulldog Mascots: Because of its tenacity, the bulldog is a symbol of England and is a popular mascot of American universities, such as Bowie State University, University of Georgia, Georgetown University, Alabama University, Mississippi State University, Louisiana Tech University, Fresno State University, Drake University, Ferris State University, The Citadel, Yale University, Butler University, University of Minnesota Duluth, Truman State University, North Carolina A&T State University, South Carolina State University, Bryant University, Gonzaga University, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, as well as numerous high schools throughout the US. It is commonly accepted that Handsome Dan, the Bulldog mascot for Yale University, is the oldest-running traditional live mascot in the United States, since some incarnation of Handsome Dan has served at Yale for more than a century. In addition, a bulldog, named Chesty, is widely recognized as a symbol of the United States Marine Corps.