Natural History

A proper Bostonian, early 1900’s

July 13, 2013 by retrieverman

A Boston terrier from the early 1900’s. Photo courtesy of Nara U.   

This is back when the fashionable Boston terrier was the most popular dog in America (at least in terms of AKC registration).

It’s also back when the Bostonian had a muzzle.

Posted in dog breeds | Tagged boston terrier | 18 Comments

18 Responses

1. on July 13, 2013 at 10:23 am Nara

   “Pit Bull Mommies” keep confusing these with APBTs when they post their nanny dog propaganda. I guess it is easy to be confused with these breeds especially since majority don’t know Boston Terrier history and how they used to look like.

   
   
2. on July 13, 2013 at 12:12 pm judie lewellen

   Wow! A Boston who can BREATHE!

   
   
3. on July 13, 2013 at 12:50 pm Kate Williams

   When I was a kid in the 1940’s, they were still pretty good looking, very playful and fun neighborhood dogs. Here is a google 1940’s shot of what they looked like. http://fuckyeahbostonterriers.tumblr.com/post/32401483149/buddy-posing-for-his-1940s-diva-headshot

   
   
4. on July 13, 2013 at 1:53 pm judie lewellen

   What a beauty–even if it is a guy!

   
   
5. on July 13, 2013 at 3:04 pm chervilmeadow

   You can easily see that the modern Boston evolved from that one imo

   
   
6. on July 13, 2013 at 7:42 pm Jen Robinson

   For more early Bostons see http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Pietoro/library/Dog%20Breed%20Historical%20Pictures/Boston%20Terrier?sort=9&action=tags&current=shetland%20sheepdog&page=1

   There were some with pretty flat faces in the early 1900s.

   
   
   • on July 13, 2013 at 9:07 pm retrieverman

     I have no idea who put those photos up :)

     
     
     • on July 14, 2013 at 11:54 am Jen Robinson

       I have no idea who he or she is either. But the site has hundreds of early photos fooled by year and breed. Great resource for checking to see whether a photo you fond is typical for the breed at that time. I assume you’ve looked t other breeds, too. Very rich for collies and the cumber spaniel among others.

       
       
       • on July 14, 2013 at 11:56 am Jen Robinson

         ‘Fooled’ is typo for ‘filed’ in the above.

         
         
       • on July 14, 2013 at 7:16 pm retrieverman

         I actually do know :)

         
         
         • on July 14, 2013 at 10:23 pm Pai

           *~It’s a mystery~*

           
           
7. on July 13, 2013 at 11:14 pm Pai

   There was a ‘bulldog’ faction and a ‘terrier’ faction of the breed club early on, each with their preferred style of head, and eventually the bulldog faction won.

   
   
   • on July 13, 2013 at 11:47 pm retrieverman

     English bull terriers had three factions in theirs: bulldog, terrier, and Dalmatian.

     
     
8. on July 14, 2013 at 10:36 am EmilyS

   The Boston (bull) terrier derived directly from the American pit bull terrier. And they were fought in the pit as well. So it is very proper to consider the early dogs as very very close cousins. Today: not so much

   No serious APBT fancier accepts the “nanny dog” crap. That term was apparently invented by a Englislh breeder of the Staffordshire bull terrier, for advertising purposes. No one I know has been able to document the origin of that term and it was certainly never used in the USA. OTOH, APBTs were advertised as being good with kids.

   
   
   • on July 16, 2013 at 6:29 am bearcoatpei

     It worked very well as an advertising gimmick. Staffies are still incredibly popular in the UK – especially up North. Despite the bad reputation the gutter press try to hype up. A lot of that demonization dates to the Dangerous Dogs Act. A lot of people (including the Police) can’t tell the difference between a pitbull and anything between a staffie and a labrador cross due to indiscriminate breeding and general ignorance.

     On the whole, staffies are nice little dogs and great family pets. They are one of the breeds I see most when walking my dogs and despite the stereotype of the chav with the staffie in a ridiculous suit of armour harness, most I meet are treated like a “normal” dog rather than a penis extension or a pseudo weapon for a prat.

     As for pitbulls, one of the best dogs I ever knew was a mix of pitbull and American staff. I don’t subscribe to them all being soft pussycats, but neither do I believe the other faction of all pitbulls being as dangerous as tigers. They get a terrible and mostly underserved reputation. They’re just a breed like any other and if treated with the knowledge and respect they deserve, they can make a trustworthy family companion. It’s just sad that they seem to attract exactly the people that should never, ever gets their hands on a dog of any breed.

     
     
9. on July 14, 2013 at 11:42 pm Rachel

   Seargent Stubby was actually a Boston terrier not a Pit bull as well.
   Boston terriers where the original show version of Pit bulls.
   Sense Pit bull owners cry out any time anyone says Staffordshire terriers and American Pit bull terriers are the same breed. It would be safe to say the old time Bull terriers and Boston terriers where different breeds as well.

   
   
   • on July 14, 2013 at 11:52 pm Pai

     http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Pietoro/media/Dog%20Breed%20Historical%20Pictures/Staffordshire%20Bull%20Terrier/1941_StafforshireTerrier.jpg.html?sort=9&o=8

     
     
10. on July 15, 2013 at 1:23 pm Ryan

    That’s a much better looking dog than what they’ve turned into now.

    
    

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