Blue Paul Terrier Information & Dog Breed Facts

The exact origin or development of the Blue Paul Terrier is unknown, it remains a mystery. According to legends, around the 1770s, the breed was introduced to Scotland by a sailor named John Paul Johns when he brought it to his hometown, Kirkcudbright. Apparently, these dogs were very aggressive, so people started breeding them and engaging them in dog fighting. It is not clear where Paul acquired these Blue Terriers, but the locals began to call them Blue Paul Terriers in his honor.

Furthermore, the breed was allegedly most popular with the Gypsies that traveled through the region, but sources do not make it completely clear whether these Gypsies were Roma, Scottish or Irish travelers. However, these travelers who kept them insisted that the breed was originally from Galway, an important city located on Ireland’s Western Coast. If this is true, according to experts, the Blue Paul Terrier may have been a descendant of the Kerry Blue Terrier. Moreover, it is also commonly stated that the Blue Paul Terrier was a form of Bull and Terrier, a cross between an Old English Bulldog and a Terrier. This could be possible, but somewhat unlikely. Although Bull and Terriers may have existed for centuries, they were not common until after 1835, when dog fighting’s popularity rose after bull-baiting and bear-baiting were banned by the Parliament. If the Blue Paul Terrier did date back to the 1770s, it would have predated most other Bull and Terriers by more than 60 years. Also, the surviving drawings of Blue Paul Terriers are not conclusive. They do look similar to other drawings of Bull Terriers, but these were made well into the Blue Paul Terrier’s history, and may actually represent crossed between that breed and Bull and Terriers, rather than the original breed itself. Moreover, references are made to the breed having the same blue coat as some Greyhounds, and it is possible that the breed was actually a cross between a Blue Greyhound and a Terrier, although this has no more evidence than any other theory.

Unfortunately, little is known with specificity about the Blue Paul Terrier. It was supposedly extremely aggressive and readily willing to fight until death. The breed usually had a bluish-grey coat, sometimes with white markings. However, not all Blue Terriers were blue, red and brindle breed members were also born. These dogs were known in Scotland as Smuts or Red Smuts. The breed was athletic and muscular. The surviving sketches depict a dog with a short, silky coat, reasonably long and straight legs, and a medium-length, very slender tail. The breed’s head appeared powerful and was topped by erect ears, however, it is unclear if they were naturally erect or intentionally cropped. The breed also had a wide and deep chest, which may have made it look rounded. Allegedly, the breed stood up at a height of 50 cms at the shoulder and weighed approximately 20 kgs. Although the dog had a blue coat, it was said to have amber eyes, which were neither prominent nor sunken. The Blue Paul Terrier was said to have a one-of-a-kind facial expression that it shared with no other breed. This expression was a result of a small dip in the forehead combined with an unusually expressive facial musculature. Some people believe that the musculature was the result of the combination of the musculature of two different breeds, but since all dogs have the same facial muscles this would seem to be impossible.

Moreover, there is a few theory about the extinction of the Blue Paul Terrier. Some believe that it went extinct at the beginning of the 20^th century when there was a restriction on dogfighting. As it became illegal to involve dogs in fighting, it slowly declined. Although there are no written documents regarding the breed’s extinction. On the other hand, some believe that this breed was immerged with other fighting dogs as they were frequently crossed with each other. It is likely that the breed was crossed with the American Pit Bull Terriers and the Staffordshire Bull Terriers, therefore it has evolved into them with different variations in color.