This is my dear friend Ahab, lying on his Loveland dog bed, which was made here in Provincetown by Phoebe Otis. A year ago he was a little puppy with a head that was too big for his body, a miniature, muscley version of himself today. You might say Ahab is an Olde English Bulldogge, and I learned that means he’s a descendent, of sorts, of the Regency Period Bull Baiter, popular in England in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the dogs were trained to attack bulls, as blood sport. These brave and agile dogs seemed to have disappeared in the late 1830s, when new laws prohibited these expositions. But early in the 1970s, an American, one David Leavitt, began “re-breeding” them I suppose you say, minus their earlier aggressive nature. (Consider a dog of 18” in height would have to be more than feisty to go after a giant bull!) The new breed is half English Bulldog, and the other half made of Bullmastiff, American Pit Bull Terrier and American Bulldog.Today’s Old English is described by these fine attributes: Loyalty, courage, confidence, an even temperament. Also playful, affectionate, protective, athletic, sensitive, intelligent, very social and possessing a desire to please. And Ahab is also “blue,” a lustrous gray that shimmers beautifully in the holiday lights.
Brocade Dog Pillows by Phoebe Otis – $45.00 – 25″ × 25″