Kaolin Kennels

All About The W.E.B.

What is a White English Bulldog?

To clarify exactly what a White English Bulldog is and isn't, it is most definitely not the short legged, wide chested, snorting dog with a bad under-bite that most people associate with the "UGA" mascot. That is the definition of an English Bulldog and recently, breeders of these dogs have begun breeding a solid white strain of the dogs, (as if the breed didn't have enough health problems already), and calling them White English Bulldogs, causing even further confusion as to the differences between the two breeds. The White English Bulldog I am referring to is a large dog of the Mastiff family with long muscular legs and very powerful jaws. Not to be confused with a Pit Bull or an American Bulldog, the White English is not bred for sport fighting or hunting, but is a placid farm and stock dog with tremendous heart, used for guarding livestock. The WEB is not to be confused with the Old Southern White, Alabama Bulldog, Old time southern bulldog, or any other name given to the many bulldog breeds and types today. The WEB is a very old breed with very few health problems, (including deafness), and of great longevity, living on average from 10 to 16 years. A remarkable age for such a large breed and considering that most other large breed dogs generally live between 6 to12 years. These dogs have always been bred to be tough and durable throughout their entire history. They were necessary for the running of farms and relied upon not only for their abilities but also for living a long time, surviving through very hard work, harsh conditions, and frequent injuries.

The Shepherds' Mastiff / Bulldog Proper is where the WEB got it's name; it was a reference to this old dog of England given to the dogs by the English settlers here in the southeast. The dogs they saw here were of Spanish descent and not English though, brought and developed by the Spanish; as Spain had their own version of the Shepherds' Mastiff / Bulldog Proper; it was the Alano.

Where did the W.E.B. come from?

We have spent years researching and have established a history that traces the WEB as a whole back to the mid to late 16th century. The WEB was established in the northern Florida and southern Georgia region of the US, likely, along with the Brindle Bulldog, one of the first breeds to be developed in this country.

The breed name White English Bulldog is a generic term that describes an actual breed type that goes by a few other names such as Old English White. The terms WEB and OEW describe those dogs left over from the wars of Spain and England, and include, more or less, Alaunt type English, Spanish, French, and others to a much lesser degree, with combinations of such interbred in localized areas, being breeds within the breed.

Strains of WEB can be found in localized areas around the southeast and especially areas that were once Spanish Florida. see Geographic Comparison In middle Georgia we find an old strain of WE known locally as the Carr WE. These localized areas varied in terrain and therefore the dogs varied in form. These WEB strains became breeds within the breed.

In middle Georgia where old Spanish forts and missions exist on the frontier border of la Florida, we find the Carr WEB. see Dogs of War "Most all WEBs in this area trace back to Mr. Jake Carr. Mr. Jake was an old southern gentlemen that farmed along with his sons and grandsons. He always kept a WEB in the truck with him as he rounded up the cows, took a hog in the pen, or play with the babies to keep them from harms way. If nothing else, the dogs kept valuable things from growing legs and walking off. His dog of choice was a big headed WEB. He always said, 'the bigger the head the more sense they had'. Well, after 60-70 years of breeding dogs, you think he might know a thing or two about bulldogs.

One old dog off of Mr. Jake's Hammer Head was Rad Max a Million or Max for short. Max lived with by buddy Ashley. You really had to know Ashley to appreciate him. His dad was a farmer / horse trader and Ashley grew up topping off rough stock trying to get them to the sale. 'That old man could ride the hair off a horse.' With old Ashley's eye for horses, he kept telling me that we had something special. Nobody else had dogs like these. I'd call him a liar and tell him that everyone had dogs like these. He'd say, 'Only 'round here, them Yankees ain't got no bulldogs. You're sitting in the middle of the best bulldogs in the world.' " John Conner

It should be noted, the origins of the WEB start with the Spanish explorers and settlers and were not brought or developed for the bull-bait, and as such are not really even bulldogs, but strains of the Alaunt of the Butchers, used for defending and controlling rough livestock such as the original long horned cattle, and for defense of forts. Moreover, the Carr WEB most closely resembles, (in type and temperament), the Alanos of Spain used with cattle in the countryside and registered with SEFCA. We await DNA testing for further clarification. see WEB vs. Alano

For more complete information about the W.E.B. check out the WEBPS site.