History Main / BullyBulldog

Bulldogs being vicious and [[HairTriggerTemper short-tempered]] is a DeadHorseTrope now since bulldogs ''were'' vicious many years ago when they were still bred to fight BrutishBulls for sport, hence the name. When this sport was outlawed, bulldogs had their viciousness bred out of them so they could be kept as pets. It's reflected in fiction, too: Modern "mean dogs" are almost always Rottweilers, Pit Bull breeds, Chihuahuas, Doberman Pinschers, and German Shepherds.

->'''[[Characters/FamilyGuyStewieGriffin Stewie Griffin]]: '''Ooh, I wonder if I'll have one of those pug-nosed British dogs that licks its own snot all day. ''[sees a bulldog doing just that just that]'' Ew, that's gross.\\

->'''[[Characters/FamilyGuyStewieGriffin Stewie Griffin]]: '''Ooh, I wonder if I'll have one of those pug-nosed British dogs that licks its own snot all day.\\
'''Bulldog''': Piss off, you little wanker. I'm not gonna be the dog to some poof baby.

-->--''[[Recap/FamilyGuyS12E21ChapStewie Chap Stewie]],''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy

* Muggshot from ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series is a [[DumbMuscle super-tough]] NighInvulnerable {{Jerkass}} with [[DualWielding two]] [[{{BFG}} gigantic]] [[MoreDakka Tommy guns]] -- definitely not a nice guy. Ironically, his FreudianExcuse is that ''he'' was bullied as a child.

** Spike, in all of his appearances looked and acted like a tough guy, even down to wearing a bowler hat. He also acted very rudely and aggressively even towards his fawning toady Chester, shouting at him and hitting him to shut him up. Nonetheless, he did care about his opinion saving face in front of him, when against apparently Sylvester (who in truth was either an escaped panther or the [[JekyllAndHyde Mister Hyde]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide version]] of Sylvester). He wasn't so tough with them.

-->--''[[Recap/FamilyGuyS12E21ChapStewie Chap Stewie]],''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy]]

->'''[[Characters/FamilyGuyStewieGriffin Stewie Griffin]]:'''Ooh, I wonder if I'll have one of those pug-nosed British dogs that licks its own snot all day.\\

->''"Hey, bulldog!"''
-->-- '''Music/TheBeatles''', ''Hey, Bulldog''

Bulldogs being [[ViciousCycle vicious]] and [[HairTriggerTemper short-tempered]] is a DeadHorseTrope now since bulldogs ''were'' vicious many years ago when they were still bred to fight BrutishBulls for sport, hence the name. When this sport was outlawed, bulldogs had their viciousness bred out of them so they could be kept as pets. It's reflected in fiction, too: Modern "mean dogs" are almost always Rottweilers, Pit Bull breeds, Chihuahuas, Doberman Pinschers, and German Shepherds.

* ''Advertising/FrontRowJoe'': Downplayed. A scary-looking bulldog appears as an usher in one trailer, but all he does is punish the bad guy, Clyde, with AmusingInjuries.

* She's not a literal example, but Jowls Kazkani from the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/17128136/chapters/40282454 We Can Be Heroes]]'' invokes this trope in spirit. She's a goblin-like alien built like a bulldog thanks to her stocky build and saggy, droopy face, and is a high-ranking mobster who spends all her pagetime being an abusive, unpleasant brute to anyone who earns her ire.

* About halfway through the film ''WesternAnimation/GnomeoAndJuliet'', Gnomeo is actually dragged away to the Creator/WilliamShakespeare statue in the park by one of these.

* Averted with Francis from ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany''. A little haughty, but otherwise rather nice. [[BerserkButton Just don't call him Frankie.]]
* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' where Luis the bulldog is actually friendly.

* Gamma from ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}''.
* Music/TheBeatles' song "Hey Bulldog" from the film ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'', with animated blue two-legged, three-headed bulldogs.

* Mr. Beefy from ''Film/LittleNicky''.
* Averted with Chance from ''Film/HomewardBoundTheIncredibleJourney''. He is an American Bulldog but is the most energetic, friendly, and kiddie of the main characters.

* Averted with T-Bone from ''Literature/CliffordTheBigRedDog'', who is very friendly.

* Averted with Alfie from ''Literature/SurvivorDogs''. He's more impulsive than the other dogs due to being an adolescent, but he's well-meaning and friendly. [[spoiler:Sadly, he gets offed by Alpha at the start of ''A Hidden Enemy'', but he reappears as a spirit in ''Storm Of Dogs'' to give Lucky a prophecy.]]
** Played straight with Terror, a pit bull-mastiff mix who is a BadBoss to his subordinates. [[spoiler:He gets KilledOffForReal in the first book, however]].
* ''Literature/{{Underworlds}}'': Mad Dog, from the Babylonian Underworld, who is basically a giant bulldog.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* There have been various one-off bulldog characters that ''Franchise/{{Garfield}}'' has runs into on occasion.
* ''ComicStrip/{{Heathcliff}}'' has a bulldog named Spike. On the other hand, he's the one usually bullied by Heathcliff.
[[/folder]]

* Completely averted in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'', given all the animals in the games are friendly animals, even [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Cranky and Snooty ones]].
** The bulldog character Booker is quite nice, along with being [[ShrinkingViolet rather meek]], and he is either a cop or a guard depending on the game.
** The jock villager Mac resembles a bulldog, and [[LovableJock also averts this]].

* Muggshot from ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series could be considered the epitome of this trope. A [[DumbMuscle super-tough]] [[StoneWall nigh-invulnerable]] {{Jerkass}} with [[DualWielding two]] [[{{BFG}} gigantic]] [[MoreDakka tommy guns]], he's definitely not a nice guy. Ironically, his FreudianExcuse is that ''he'' was bullied as a child.

* Averted with Jake the Dog in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. He's a bit of a BloodKnight, but mostly laid back and friendly.

* Pitts the bulldog in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}}'' episode "Dog Day After Toon."
* Defied in one episode of ''The Busy World Of Creator/RichardScarry'': when a bulldog kid named Billy Dog joins the class, everyone think he's going to be TheBully, and avoid him. At the end of the episode they realize that he's a [[FaceOfAThug pretty nice guy who just looks scary]].

* Butch from the ''WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts'', who is a recurring nemesis for [[WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup Pluto]].
* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/CreatureComforts'', where a bulldog acts as the [[InkSuitActor Claymation Suit Actor]] for a private security guard; he comes off as a fairly nice guy, despite his profession.

* Rock Bottom from the 1950s ''WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat'' TV cartoons.
* Spike from ''WesternAnimation/{{Heathcliff}}'' cartoon could be this at times.

** The unnamed bulldog in "Chow Hound". This guy repeatedly bullies a cat and mouse into getting him food, and beats them up when they don’t, claiming they forgot the gravy. He gets what he deserves at the end of the short when he overeats and winds up in a hospital, and the cat and mouse force feed him gravy.

** Subverted with Marc Anthony from ''WesternAnimation/FeedTheKitty'', who turns out to be a completely nice and kind dog, though not unless he has to deal with [[CatsAreMean Claude]].
** The next-generation equivalent in ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' is a Pit Bull, reflecting the changing stereotypes that discredited this trope.
* Butch from the MGM Creator/TexAvery shorts starring Droopy.
** There was also the unnamed bulldog from the short "WesternAnimation/BadLuckBlackie", as seen above.

* Subverted when Mr. Peabody was posing as the Yale bulldog, in order to cox a boatload of college rowers.

* Completely averted with Rubble in ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol''. While he can be a tad childish at times, it doesn't stop him from being a valuable member of the team. That said, he does sometimes try to project an image of himself as the tough guy.
* Bluto's eyepatch-wearing bulldog in the ''Franchise/{{Popeye}}'' cartoon "Protek the Weakerist" and its remake, "Barking Dogs Don't Fite".
* Earl from ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' is a mean bulldog who escaped from a science lab who often tries to eat Rocko, Spunky, and Mr. Bighead. In "[[Recap/RockosModernLifeS2E12SnowballsFrogsBestFriend Frog's Best Friend]]", he becomes the Bigheads' pet, as Mrs. Bighead protected him when she found out that he was used for animal testing.
* Another "Butch the bulldog" is small red one in a Gene Deitch short called "Shove Thy Neighbor".

* Gibber from ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' was an anthropomorphic bulldogish dogface.
* Ma-Mutt, Mumm-Ra's beloved pet/guard dog/minion from ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|1985}}''.
* Spike and his son, Tyke, from ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry''. Inverted when Spike [[PapaWolf only acts tough when defending his son]], or Tom clearly started the fight, which [[CatsAreMean often he does]] (and isn't always setting out to).
* GT from ''WesternAnimation/TurboDogs''.

* ZigZagged with Terror from ''ComicBook/TheBoys''. On the one hand, he's a fairly decent dog if you're a friend of the protagonists. On the other hand. . . well, let's just say there aren't many dogs who have been trained to ''have sex with anything that moves on command.''

** Subverted with Marc Anthony from ''WesternAnimation/FeedTheKitty'', who turns out to be a completely nice and kind dog.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Bulldogs are also extremely popular as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bulldog_mascots sports mascots]].
** The Cleveland Browns' official mascot may be a brownie, but it's more likely you'll see someone wearing the "Dawg" on his shirt, a big orange bulldog!
** There are also the Bulldogs who are the mascots of Yale, the University of Georgia, Gonzaga, Butler and the Citadel.
** A proud, red bulldog is also the mascot for Barq's root beer. (It doesn't really look like the bulldogs of today, it's more muscular.)
** Similar to the Barq's example, there's the mascot for Mack trucks.
* Believe it or not, Bulldogs are cited as being very friendly dogs, especially for families with children. They'd actually prefer to sleep on someone's lap and wouldn't leave their yard without a human companion. This was intentional as all of the viciousness that made it such a good work dog was bred out as well as shortening the muzzle so that it won't be able to bite (which lead the breed to have both breathing and birthing problems).
* While this trope has become a DeadHorseTrope for bulldogs themselves, other bully breeds still play this trope straight. Bullmastiffs descend from the English Bulldog and the English Mastiff, and make impressive guard dogs due to their size and fearlessness. Meanwhile, the Pit Bull breeds were unfortunately bred for dog fighting, and efforts to breed this trait out of them have been far more recent. While Pit Bulls are surprisingly gentle most of the time, dog experts insist never taking it for granted, especially with other dogs, smaller animals, and young children.
[[/folder]]

* Carface from ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven''.

* The main villain of the ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' movie "Nobita and the Haunts of Evil" is a humanoid bulldog named Dafranda. Subverted, however, with Furususu, a much stronger bulldog who is one of the heroes.

* Earl from ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife''.

%% Image chosen per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1320653333019639200
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

[[folder: Anime And Manga]]

[[folder: Comic Books]]

* ZigZagged with Terror from ''ComicBook/TheBoys''. On the one hand, he's a fairly decent dog if you're a friend of the protagonists. On the other hand. . . well, let's just say there aren't many dogs who have been trained to ''have sex with anything that moves on command.''

[[folder: Fan Works]]

[[folder: Film - Animation]]
* Averted with Francis from ''WesternAnimation/OliverAndCompany''. A little haughty, but otherwise rather nice. [[BerserkButton Just don't call him Frankie.]]

* Music/TheBeatles' song "Hey Bulldog" from the film ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'', with animated blue two-legged, three-headed bulldogs.
* ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp'' has a bulldog on the pound where Lady is taken who averts it. He's not vicious, just a little rough around the edges.
* About halfway through the film ''WesternAnimation/GnomeoAndJuliet'', Gnomeo is actually dragged away to the Creator/WilliamShakespeare statue in the park by one of these.
* Averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Rio}}'' where Luis the bulldog is actually friendly.
* Gamma from ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}''.

[[folder: Film - Live Action]]

* Averted with Chance from ''Film/HomewardBoundTheIncredibleJourney''. He is an American Bulldog but is the most energetic, friendly, and kiddie of the main characters.

[[folder: Literature]]
* In the novel ''Literature/WhiteFang'', the wolf fights a bulldog in a dogfight. Cherokee the bulldog subverts this trope because he is [[http://london.sonoma.edu/Writings/WhiteFang/4chapter4.html described as neither vicious or bullying]]: "Cherokee did not seem anxious to fight. He turned his head and blinked at the men who shouted, at the same time wagging his stump of a tail good-naturedly. He was not afraid, but merely lazy." He's more an instance of KillerRabbit with a side ImplacableMan, calmly wearing White Fang down to the strangling point.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'', Harry's mean aunt, Marge, breeds bulldogs. She brings one of them named Ripper, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast which has some nasty implications]], when she visits the Dursleys, who used to chase Harry around when he was ten. In that case of course, its more the owner who is the bully and the dog is a product of its upbringing.
* Jack from ''Literature/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' is the pet English Bulldog in the 1800s. He is an aggressive guard dog towards wild animals and is wary of strangers, but is friendly and protective towards his family.
* Discussed in ''Literature/{{Doglands}}''. Kinnear, a soft and lazy English bulldog, talks about how bulldogs were once vicious bull-fighters, but the aggression has been bred out of them to make them placid and "perfect" pets. Furgul (a lurcher) finds this more pitiful than anything; he loves being a wild and free dog.

[[folder: Newspaper Comics]]

* There have been various one-off bulldog characters that Franchise/{{Garfield}} has runs into on occasion.

[[folder: Video Games]]
* In the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games, Snubbull and Granbull are basically bipedal bulldogs. Both tend to be callous bullies (although in Snubbull's case, they are actually affectionate, much like real bulldogs, and act mean to hide their cowardice), with their most common ability being Intimidate. Funnily enough, Snubbulls are also popular pets among fashion conscious young women -- and as of Gen VI, they're both pure [[TheFairFolk Fairy types]].
* Muggshot from ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series could be considered the epitome of this trope. A [[DumbMuscle super-tough]] [[StoneWall nigh-invulnerable]] {{Jerkass}} with [[DualWielding two]] [[{{BFG}} gigantic]] [[MoreDakka tommy guns]], he's definitely not a nice guy. Ironically, his FreudianExcuse is that ''he'' was bullied as a child.
* The Moblins in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' are humanoid bulldogs that are occasional {{Mooks}} fought in the game.

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* Spike and his son, Tyke, from ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry''. Inverted when Spike [[PapaWolf only acts tough when defending his son]], or Tom clearly started the fight, which [[CatsAreMean often he does]] (and isn't always setting out to).

* Butch from the WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts, who is a recurring nemesis for [[WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup Pluto]].

* Another "Butch the bulldog" is small red one in a Gene Deitch short called "Shove Thy Neighbor".
* GT from ''WesternAnimation/TurboDogs''.

* The ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' episode "Catteries Not Included" features a whole army of robotic bulldogs. These were also featured in [[VideoGame/ChipNDaleRescueRangers the video game adaptation]].

* Bluto's eyepatch-wearing bulldog in the ''Franchise/{{Popeye}}'' cartoon "Protek the Weakerist" and its remake, "Barking Dogs Don't Fite"
* Bandit from ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest'' appears to be a bulldog, though he's actually a bit of a scaredy cat.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AroundTheWorldWithWillyFog'', one character is a bulldog ''named'' Bully, but he's actually the harmless ButtMonkey of the show.
* Binky Barnes from ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' is an anthropomorphic bulldog and is TheBully early in the series. He is later shown to have HiddenDepths such as liking ballet and having a secret soft side. Over the course of the series he becomes less and less of a bully. Subverted with his mother, who is a very nice woman, and in fact works as a nurse.
* Rock Bottom from the 1950s WesternAnimation/FelixTheCat TV cartoons.
* Earl from ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife''.

* Kevin from ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' will very often chase Bogus around the house, but he will sometimes assist him when there's any kind of problem.
* Pitts the bulldog in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}}'' episode "Dog Day After Toon."
* Averted with Jake the Dog in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. He's a bit of a BloodKnight, but mostly laid back and friendly.
* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/CreatureComforts'', where a bulldog acts as the [[InkSuitActor Claymation Suit Actor]] for a private security guard; he comes off as a fairly nice guy, despite his profession.
* Defied in one episode of ''The Busy World Of Creator/RichardScarry'': when a bulldog kid named Billy Dog joins the class, everyone think he's going to be TheBully, and avoid him. At the end of the episode they realize that he's a [[FaceOfAThug pretty nice guy who just looks scary]].
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic:'' A set of one-off villains called The Diamond Dogs are drawn to look like bulldogs. They [[PityTheKidnapper try]] to kidnap Rarity to force her to use her magic to get gems for them.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AChristmasCarol1997'' Scrooge keeps a bulldog named Debit around to chase off people he doesn't like, and tries to sic him on Marley.
* Completely averted with Rubble in ''WesternAnimation/PawPatrol''. While he can be a tad childish at times, it doesn't stop him from being a valuable member of the team. That said, he does sometimes try to project an image of himself as the tough guy.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'' has the Bombie, an anthropomorphic bulldog who is an unstoppable [[ComicBook/{{Batman}} Solomon Grundy]]-esque monstrosity cursed to hunt down and destroy the richest person in the world. [[spoiler:That is, unless if the richest person in the world gets a taste of HumblePie.]]

[[folder: Real Life]]

** The unnamed bulldog in "Chow Hound"

** Subverted with Marc Anthony from ''WesternAnimation/FeedTheKitty'', who turns out to be a complete pushover.

Bulldogs being [[ViciousCycle vicious]] and [[HairTriggerTemper short-tempered]] is a DeadHorseTrope now since bulldogs ''were'' vicious many years ago when they were still bred to fight bulls for sport, hence the name. When this sport was outlawed, bulldogs had their viciousness bred out of them so they could be kept as pets. It's reflected in fiction, too: Modern "mean dogs" are almost always Rottweilers, Pit Bull breeds, Chihuahuas, Doberman Pinschers, and German Shepherds.

** Played straight with Terror, a pit bull-mastiff mix who is a BadBoss to his subordinates. [[spoiler:He gets KilledOffForReal in the first book, however|].

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing''.

** The jock villager Mac resembles a bulldog, and [[LovableJock also subverts this]].

'''Meowrice:''' ''(pleading)'' I understand you're feelings, sir, nothing like cats tails for breakfast, but ''(spots Mewsette)'' back there among those barrels is--\\