The Brindle Bulldog

There existed two types of the Alaunt of the Butchers in England and Spain, just as with the WEB in the south; a header type and a heeler type. The heeler type was mostly brindle while the header type was mostly white. "Around 400 A.D. a second strain of very tough Mastiffs with white coats known as Alaunts found their way to England. The Alaunt was also developed by English butchers and farmers into Bulldogs."  Dave Putnam  This white butcher's Alaunt of England was known in England as the Shepherd's Mastiff, and would eventually come  to be known as the (English) bulldog. This is just like the Carr WEB of central Georgia and the Brindle Bulldogs of the south. Both of these Alaunt of the Butcher types have long been extinct in England due to out-crossing. "In Molussis there is a breed of dog, which serves as guardian of the herds, which distinguishes itself from all other dogs through it's size and indomitable courage against wild animals. Varro reports in his book on agriculture of two kinds of dogs that were bred in this country. The first were hunting dogs and the second large herding dogs, who effectively protect sheep and goats...'The lower jaw is undershot. From it grows two teeth, one on the left, the other on the right, which are only slightly exposed...These dogs have large heads and drooping ears, a strong nape and neck. The tail is thick, the bark sonorous, the jaws large; the color is usually white, so that it can be distinguished from predators at night.' These dogs were used principally to guard the herds, but they were also superbly suited for use as war dogs. Apparently, in peacetime the white dogs stayed with the large herds..."  Dr. Dieter Fleig

"For many centuries the local, (Mallorca), fighting breeds were the white Cordoba Dog and the dark colored Perro de Presa Espana, the Spanish Bulldog, very like the original bulldogs of 16th century England."  Atlas of Dog Breeds  While the Atlas goes on to say, "The Cordoba Dog's influence is still seen in the Dogo Argentino and those brought to the Americas, forming various white dogs used to hunt wild boar", we must disagree on this point. The Cordoba Dog developed in Argentina from the crossing of the Spanish Mastiff, the Bull Terrier and the Bulldog of England, (whether this was the baiting type bulldog or bulldog proper is unknown), all brought into Argentina by the Spanish. 

It is critical to understand that most European countries had their own Alaunt of the Butchers. (These dogs were introduced into Europe by the Alani tribes). "Ever since the days of the great Alaunts, the sports of bull-baiting, and later, dog-fighting, have been notorious spectator sports in Spain. Large agile fighting dogs were renowned in Spain, where they are generally called Perro de Presa, (right), meaning gripping or holding dog and loosely translated as bulldog. England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France all had very similar types of butcher's Alaunt, in both a white and a brindle or dark type. "The Dogue de Bordeaux developed in France, the Bullenbeiser in Germany, the Brabanter Bullenbijter and the Niederlandisher Bolibeisser in the low countries, the Danziger Bahrenbeisser in eastern Europe, the Neapolitan Mastiff and the Cane Corso in Italy, the Perro de Pressa Canario and the Perro de Presa Mallorquin in the Spanish Islands and in due course the Tosa in Japan, the Bajan Biting Dog in the West Indies, the Gran Mastini de Borinquen in Puerto Rico, the Fila Braseleiro in South America and the Boerboel in South Africa." Col. David Hancock  There also existed in Spain a breed known as the Villano de las Encartaciones (Villano Bulldog or Perro de Presa de las Encartaciones). These are just a few of the brindle or dark Alaunt of the Butchers of Europe. 

Below is a shepherds mastiff type of Italy in the 15th century. 

The Brindle Bulldog is a bulldog that is primarily found in the southeast, just as is the WEB. However, the Brindle Bulldog is much harder to find than is the WEB, though the WEB is not very common either. The BBs were fairly common 50 + years ago and today only a handful remain. They are of the rarest of the true old style bulldogs left in existence today, (more-so even than the Alapaha, which is simply a breed type developed by Lana Lou Lane within the past 40 years). The Brindle Bulldogs that we speak of are typically found in central to southern Georgia, South Carolina, northern to central Florida, and southern Alabama, Mississippi, and into Louisiana. Take notice that these are virtually the same locations that the WEB is found. see Geographic Comparison  The Brindle Bulldog is not a Terrier nor of Terrier origin, rather, it descends from the war dogs brought by the Spanish Conquistadores into the Americas, just as do the WEB of the same region. It is a heeler type (see Working traits) that is not required in these regions any longer due to fence laws. The BB was bred as a heeler specifically and as such, they are not prone to throwing headers. They are much better suited for hunting, PP or Schutzhund training because of their heeler type characteristics. Though the WEB and the Brindle Bull are virtually the same breed, but of the heeler type, most people consider the WEB and brindle bulldog as separate types and are rarely crossed. The crossing of the WEB and the BB results in a heeler type dog which many an old timer consider a top catch dog for the hunt. The BB dog is left over from the heeler type hunting and war dogs that were brought here prior to the fence laws of the 20th century.  

"The two types down here are not Johnson or Scott, they are WEB and Brindle Bulls. Some still earn their keep in the woods even after pulling shifts babysitting and performing guard duty."  John Conner  

"If you can remember those old Brindle Bulldogs; They didn't have no Terrier in em', they was the old bulldog, the real thing."  Jeff Clark 

In the painting below right by Goya, entitled "Spanish Bull-Bait", you can clearly see that the Alanos, (the Spanish Mastiff or Bulldog), are in a variety of colors, primarily white with some patches or in a solid color, most typically black or brown brindle. In the picture below left, also by Goya and entitled "The Dog's Turn", one can also clearly see the white Alanos as well as the solid brindle dogs. 

In Spain, in antiquity, the Alano existed in one form, yet varying in coat color;  in a brindle form and a white form. Today in Spain there still exists a white Alano and an Alano of color, usually brindle. In the southeastern US, there still exists a white form and a brindle form, known as the brindle bulldog. We can see this displayed in the images and writings left to us by artist and writers of antiquity, portraying the events of everyday life, the sports, and the dogs of the day.  We see this same form and function of the true Alanos of today. Despite being nearly extinct, the true ancient Alano remained in rural areas of Spain, where those concerned with preserving the Alano in it's proper form, rather than it's reconstruction, began breeding these few remaining specimens, the old proper Alano, thus preserving the breed, bringing it's numbers up and saving it from it's ultimate extinction.