Thursday, May 22, 2014

Popular Dog Breeds in America By Decade-1930s

As everyone knows the 1930s where a difficult period in American life.  The country grappled with economic and ecological disasters that turned vast sections of the country into barren waste lands and during the worst years saw a quarter of the American work force unemployed.  In the face of such calamaties what better time to turn to a  devoted canine companion for comfort and support?  Apparently plenty of Americans in the 1930s did just that and pictures from the decade document it.


Unsurprisingly all American pit bull type breeds where extremely popular 1930s companions.  Images from the period show them in a wide range of socio-economic situations.  The two pictures below are a good example, the first picture showing a group of men, perhaps farm workers or hobos with their dogs, and the second two well dressed men who may have been students or professionals.



Image Source




In the thirties pitbulls also enjoyed a reputation as the perfect family breed, something that is sadly no longer the case.  Quite a few images from the period show children   with pitbull type dogs.

And of course nearly everyone knows that the beloved Petey of Little Rascals, a popular cinema serial in the 30s was a pitbull.

According to some AKC records Boston Terriers where the most popular breed in the US during the thirties. In addition to appearing in family photographs they pop up in plenty of advertisements and publicity shots from the decade.  If the images below are any indication they seem to have been very popular with stylish women.

Image Source

 


   


Movies where incredibly popular in the 1930s with nearly three quarters of the population attending the cinema once a week, so its no surprise that the dogs that appeared on screen often made an appearance in fan's homes as well.  The Thin Man movies in which canine star Skippy portrayed the charming Asta helped popularize the Wire Fox Terrier  making it one of the decades top breeds.



 
image source
Another popular terrier during the 30s was the adorable Sealyham terrier.  Sadly these charming dogs popularity has declined sharply making it one of the rarest breeds today.

Image Source
Of course there were plenty of other breeds about in the 1930s as well.
 
image source
image source

Image Source
These are just a smattering of the images you can find, there are dozens more.  I love them all because looking at these pictures you are reminded of no matter how much the world has changed, our lover for our dogs remains the same.


27 comments:

  1. Oh yes, we just knew that there had to be a wire-haired fox terrier in there.
    You know, Gail has a dog book from her childhood, the 'Observer Book of Dogs', published in 1960, which says that WFT's were the most common terrier breed in the UK at that time. Now I am a rarity!
    Toodle pip!
    Bertie.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What I find interesting and upsetting at the same time is that the Pitt Bull was, at one time, the quinquennial American dog. Now, because of unethical humans, it is now so maligned. And isn't it interesting that Poodles really didn't come into their own until the 50's. And I suppose Cocker Spaniels. I guess we Save Disney to thank for that. But, my first dog, when I was a little girl, was a Cocker spaniel.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry, I meant, "We have Disney to thank for that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It was lovely to take this walk into the thirties and discover the various breeds that stole our hearts. So sad them some of them are almost non-existent while another breed has been vilified.

    Thank you for joining the blog hop!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's interesting to think that dogs and humans were best friends even long before cameras could preserve the images. Loved the nostalgia of this post.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think dogs were always the perfect companion because WE ARE LOYAL.
    Love Noodles

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love searching for old pictures with pups
    Lily & Edward

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great walk into the past. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. SHE has always wanted a Sealyham, but they're even more rare than Scotties here. Love the old photos.

    XXXOOO Bella & Roxy

    ReplyDelete
  10. I enjoyed seeing all the pictures. It is sad that pit bulls are no longer family dogs, and Sealyham terriers have become so rare. But yes, the love for dogs never changes and they are always our best friend :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks so much for joining the hop. Those pictures are wonderful. I know that with Chessies they had a big decline after WW2. I think some bottle-necking happened in the breed around that time. Also just after the Civil War.

    ReplyDelete
  12. i love this post! i have LOTS of photos with boston terriers! and pit bulls of course. i always hope to find pugs but I've only got two in my collection!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Those were great and you are right it reminds us that man's bond with dogs goes way back. Made it very clear that class and money is nothing to do with it. Have a fabulous Friday.
    Best wishes Molly

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Y'all,

    My Humans were just talking about how you could take your dog almost anywhere, including department store shopping right up through the 60's.

    Y'all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a charming and wonderful post, dear Kate. I love that I can see elements of Annie (who is half American bulldog, half lab) in many of these beautiful vintage pits. It really is a terrible shame that the breed developed an unjust reputation over the years. Pit bulls are sweet, smart, amazing with kids, and awesome family dogs. I hope with all my heart that we can reach a point again society where they're as loved and welcome as they were back in the thirties.

    ♥ Jessica

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is so interesting. Very sad how the perception of Pitbulls has changed.

    ReplyDelete
  17. VERY INTERESTING FLASHBACKS. YEARS AGO I HAD A FRIEND WHO WAS OWNED BY AN AFGHAN HOUND. WHAT A GRACEFUL DOG...
    HUGS MADI AND MOM

    ReplyDelete
  18. has no breed-standard dog-dog aggression but is likely to react with fearful aggression to large animals. A pit bull, Dogs

    ReplyDelete
  19. To know some important information about dogs click here why do dogs howl at sirens

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dogs faithful animals. We need to know something about dogs. Especially those who love dogs. About using dog behavior. And they have some special reasons why they do this.

    Click here to know why do dogs lick you

    ReplyDelete
  21. When a person looks at their dog is seems like they are always sleeping. It seems like a dog is able to sleep any time of the day or right. This has people wondering how much sleep do dogs need. They need more sleep then a person would think. The dog is not sleeping just to be lazy but to get enough rest.

    Click here to know more information how long do dogs sleep

    ReplyDelete
  22. Conveniently this page might irrefutably likely get well recognized associating countless personal blogs human beings, that will a rigorous articles or blog posts or simply experiences. vet assistant

    ReplyDelete
  23. Probably the most important factor in regards to usability of an electronic collar rests within the transmitter design. dog training collars reviews

    ReplyDelete


  24. Thank you for sharing! This is an awesome blog
    about dogs!

    ReplyDelete
  25. If you or your children happen to eat one, do not worry, you will know what the ingredients are. They will contain items you would eat yourself, so why not give them to the dog. homemade dog treat recipes

    ReplyDelete
  26. Excellent blog, good to see someone is posting quality information. Thanks for sharing this useful information. Keep up the good work.
    Top 10 Dog Breeds of 2020

    ReplyDelete

Link Within

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...