The Bandogge

What is known about Bandog history or Bandogge was a name first given to dogs of the mid 1200-1300's. Originally not a breed but a term used to describe dogs that were bound during the day often by chain and then set free at night as guard dogs to deter intruders.
Originally this dog was made up of various varieties each with a focus on its guardian nature. The natural inclination due to purpose was to select dogs of various mollosser types thus their more eventual standardized look resembling many of the bully breeds today. Over the centuries, the Bandog receded into the mists of history, a relic of less complicated and more brutal times than the ones in which we live now. In the latter part of the 19th Century, Victorian gamekeepers created their own version of the Bandog, which later evolved into a bona-fide breed. In the late 1960s and early ’70s, Long Island veterinarian John Bayard Swinford undertook a breeding program that sought to replicate these original working mastiffs of the Middle Ages.  
Swinford’s work with the Bandog – later, more evocatively spelled Bandogge – might have never risen above obscurity were it not for author Carl Semencic, who included Swinford in his influential book “The World of Fighting Dogs” – something of an awkward fit, as the Bandogges were primarily created for protection, not bloodsport.  Despite their handier size, the Bandogges were “just a lot of dog,” Lieberman says. “These dogs were naturally suspicious, which a pit bull is not – they’re basically mushes. But the Bandogges had natural suspicion, and the drive to back it up.”  Swinford’s Bandogge,(from Bantu 2) tight eyes were very important – drooping lids were a no-no. Keeping size in check was also a priority, with ideal dogs weighing about 100 pounds and standing 25 inches at the withers. Dark colors were preferred, and brindles were acceptable.