The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-08
THE STRONGEST ANIMAL.
Bull Dog Awarded Palm for
RBs Endurance.

Bull Dog Awarded Palm for
Strength RBs- Endurance.
From the New York World.
In points of strength, tenacity and
endurance no animal in the world can
compare. size for size, with a we'll
set-up bulldog. Its fighting qualities
are, of course, proverbial. Most people,
however, only know its exploits from
the pictures in the comic papers. Any
one who will take the trouble to ex-
anime the peculiar equipment of one
OF these powerful little engines win
end by having greatly Increased
respect for its qualities.
The enormous strength of the bull
dog lies not so much in the size of its
muscles as in their arrangement. Years
of careful breeding have developed
great layers of muscles where they
may be used to the best possible bull
dog advantage.
Compared with most dogs a bulldos
may be said to be deformed. The head,
shoulders and forelegs have been deveI-
oped at the expense of the rest of the
body so far as symmetry is concerned.
It would almost seem that the breed
ers had gone out of their way to pro-
duce as ugly a specimen of doghesh
as possible.
A bulldog, of course, never runs
away. There is no object, therefore,
In growing legs on him which would
give him speed. His appearance, on
the contrary, suggests batterlng- ram
The muscles seem to be placed on the
legs for pulling, not for propelling the
body. In extreme cases we find the
| bulldog bowlegged, which gives greater
| power to drag heavy objects or TO re-
| sist being dragged. The shortness of
the legs, by bringing the body as near
as possible to the ground, also sug-
! gests great stability. In training a bull
dog 1t is found that all superffuous
flesh disappears more quickly than in
the case Of other dogs and that bull
| dog in condition carries less super
f1uous weight than any other breed.
The heaviest layers of muscles are
laid on the bulldogs head and neck.
| The efficiency of fighter is of course
measured principally by his quick
ness and the strength of his Jaws.
Every well-set-up dog, IT will be found,
has a thick bunch of muscles at the
side of its jaws. In any other breed
of dogs this abnormal development
would be considered a deformity. 1t is
this powerful little group of muscles
which give the jaw its vise-ike grip
The form of the jaw is particularly
well adapted to the work 1t is called
upon to do. 1t is long and broad and
set with unusually heavy teeth.
The two long teeth which help to
give the bulldogit ferocious appearance
are also very valuable weapons. They
serve, as II were, to lock up the wise
like jaws when they are once closed
upon an object.
The most powerful muscles in the
entire frame Of the bulldog are those
which control the jaws. In case the
prey, whatever 1t may be, slips from
this grip, II is certain to be caught and
held by the interlocking teeth In the
front of the Jaw.
Almost any bulldog, whether in or
out Of condition, can support its own
weight by the grip OF its Jaws. The
marvellous tenacity OF this grip Is
largely due to its ability to hold its
own weight by the grip of it's front
teeth.
Even a young bull pup can lift it's
own weight by the grip of it's Jaws.
AS the dog grows this grip becomes
80 strong that a bulldog may be
swung and ierlted about violently
without disturbing its hold.
The muscles come to maturity about
the fourth year. A bulldog is consid-
cred capable Of doing It's best fighting
in its fifth and sixth years
The average life Of a bulldog is four
teen wars