Olde English Bulldogge history is neither olde nor English. This breed, modeled on the Regency-period Bull Baiter, was resurrected in the early 1970s in the United States. In particular, a Pennsylvania man named David Leavitt was responsible for the dog's revival. He researched Bulldogs from the early 19th century, and from the photos, paintings and other records he drew up a model.
What was desired was everything but the aggression. Employing a technique for cattle line breeding developed at Ohio State University, Leavitt used four breeds to get this "new" dog on its feet again: American Bulldogs, American Pit Bull Terriers, Bull Mastiffs and English bulldogs. He also formed the Olde English Bulldogge Association (OEBA) but in 1993 reportedly sold it to Michael Walz of Working Dog, Inc. He also sold off his then-current breeding stock as he had stopped breeding dogs.
A number of other breeding programs sought to do the same work as Leavitt had. To help prevent confusion, the various breeders used bloodline names that evoke olden times: Wilkinson Bulldogs, Victorian Bulldogs, and even Dorset Olde Tyme Bulldogges. During this time, Leavitt had already taken up the name "Leavitt Bulldogs" to differentiate his dogs. They are still occasionally called this today, as Leavitt has returned to breeding dogs.
Some years later, in 2005, Leavitt worked with the recently established Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club (OEBKC), which had been founded in 2001. He announced that the OEBKC would be the official registry of the Olde English Bulldogge bloodline that he had produced some 30 years earlier.
By 2008, this kennel club had joined the Canine Developmental Health and Performance Registry (CDHPR) with the apparent intent of working toward the recognition of a pure breed. Success was found when the United Kennel Club (UKC) formally recognized the Olde English Bulldogge in 2014, and the UKC listed the OEBKC as the breed's "parent club."
