Bully Kutta

Bully Kutta
Bully Kutta - Indian Mastiff
Other names	Indian Mastiff Sindh Mastiff Pakistani Mastiff Alangu Mastiff
Origin	India/Pakistan
Notes	Recognized by the United National Kennel Club UNKC
Dog (domestic dog)

Bully Kutta is a Molosser type dog which is found largely in Pakistan and India. Bully in its name actually comes from the Punjabi or Hindi/Urdu word bohli—meaning heavily wrinkled, and Kutta means dog. Bully Kutta is also known as the Indian Mastiff who are aloof and do not like to tolerate strangers. The Indian Mastiff name was given due to the fact that that this rare breed of dog hails from southern India specifically from the Thanjavur and Tiruchi districts. Bully Kutta's are sometimes referred to as the Sindh Mastiff, or the generic rubric of South Asian Mastiff. They were found in India even before British Colonial rule and were used primarily for sporting purposes. They are typically found today in areas in India and some rural parts of Pakistan. While they are starting to get world wide attention, it is because of their size and strength that these dogs find themselves in the hands of people who choose to use them for dog fighting. New York Times best-selling author Greg Iles depicted this breed in his 2009 novel The Devil's Punchbowl. The breed has also been used as guard dogs in India and Pakistan.

History

About 2500 years ago there were three different types of Mastiff breeds found in and around the area of Persia to India. These breeds were: Assyrian mastiff, Indian mastiff and the Alaunt. One of the best known dogs at that times was the "Assyrian dog" which were used as hunting and guardian dogs. When the Assyrian empire crumbled the Medes and the Persians (the first rulers of ancient Iran) and all the hunts-men kings of the orient, gave huge payments for these magnificent dogs, whose role seems to have been as important as that of the greyhound in the history of the canine race. At "Shush Fortress" in south western Iran there is a form of these dogs (with black colour) that gallops for hunting with some riders.

</ref> The Persian Army used Indian dogs (mastiffs) just for guarding and not for suicide jobs. Herodotus (Greek author born ca. 484 B.C.) writes in his book that heavy powerful dogs "Indian mastiffs" were introduced into Greece by Xerxes the First when he marched toward this country (486-465 B.C.) . Alexander the Great on his return from India, brought back a very similar type of dog. Even in this time one of the largest "Satraps" of Persia in Babylon paid all of its taxes for the expenses of breeding and to take care of these dogs (Herodotus, 1.192) that guarded the soldiers camps and captured enemies prisoners.

These Indian Mastiffs originated in and around the desert area of Kutch, the Rajasthan area and Bhawalpur area of Punjab. A part of the Kutch area in Rajasthan was under the Sindh District and hence the other name of this breed is Sindh Mastiff. At present a part of the Sindh area now fall under Pakistan and so does the Bhawalpur area. This breed is not to be confused with the Hyrcanian Breed which was also prevalent in the Indian zone. The Hyrcanians were basically wild dogs which were cattle killers. Later they were used as war dogs by the armies of Alexander the Great. These hyrcanians came down to more deeper inside India, inside the Kumaon district to become the Kumaon Mastiff, also known as the Cypro Kukur.

Along side the Kumaon Mastiff, the Indian Mastiff were used for hunting large games. But a sudden change in the hunting practises saw the Indian Royal families to use cheetahs for hunting instead. These to a large extent took out the Indian/Sindh Mastiff out of their job and turned them into guard dogs and dogs used for fighting.

With time most people forgot the breeds and the Kumaon Mastiff became rare and so did the Indian Mastiff. The people who fought the Indian Mastiff dropped its height a couple of inches for performance sake.

The Pakistani Mastiff was a fighting gladiator war dog. It was Alexander the Great who introduced the Assyrian Mastiff of Iraq to India where they were crossed with the Alaunt and Indian Mastiff. The Bully Kutta in the poic have all the traits of the median Pugnasis's, probably the rarest version of the original Bully Kutta, it is said to be only 300 species left in Pakistan. Pakistani Mastiff (Bully Kutta) are mainly used as guard dogs and by some in dog fighting tournaments which are held illegally. Due to corruption and poor practice of the legal system, the barbaric dog fighting sport continues in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Description

Appearance

Bully Kutta Appearance
Weight:	150-200 pounds
Height:	29-30 inches
Coat:	Short
Activity level:	Moderate
Learning rate:	Moderate
Temperament:	High
Guard dog ability:	High
Watch-dog ability:	Moderate
Life span:	8–10 years

The Bully Kutta has a short smooth coat that is usually predominantly white in color, however fawn, black, harlequin, red and brindle markings vary. The muzzle is black and the skin around their neck and mouth is loose. The brisket is deep, and the limbs are well muscled. The back is long with the tail tapering to a fine point. The ears are set high on the skull and pricked. It has a long and graceful stride. The males vary from 29 to 30 inches and females from 24 to 30 inches tall. They usually weigh 150 to 170 pounds and can reach up to 200 pounds plus, especially for males. They are very muscular and thick boned.

Temperament

These beasts from the east are known to be aggressive and protective, having a strong guarding instinct due to the nature of their work. With proper socialization from an early stage they can become good companion dogs. Bully Kuttas are not recommended for first time dog owners or timid dog owners. With their size and great strength, it is best that the owner is experienced in the type of training that these dogs require

External links

• Moloss- Indian Mastiff
• Molosser World
• UNKC
• Bully kuttas In their native land
• Pictures of Indian Mastiff