Bully Kutta
Origin: The Bully Kutta is of ancient Indian origin and is probably the most 'pure' descendant of the old Mesopotamian war/ hunting dogs. Different types are known, such as the pure Bully Kutta, Mastiff-type (sometimes referred to as Indian or Sindh Mastiff) and the Nagi Bully Kutta (developed by crosses with the Tazi Hound). Some believe these are developed by solely western breeds like Mastiffs, Bulldogs and Bull Terriers, but this is highly questionable.
Legacy: Bully Kutta's are traditionally hunting and fighting dogs which also excel in guarding duties. Not necessarily man agressive but certainly protective and persuasive...combined with tremendous power these dogs has to be taken serious. A highly valuable fighting dog and extremely effective guard and protection dog.
A.k.a: Bohli Kutta, Sindh Mastiff. The Kumaon Mastiff and Alangu Mastiff basically refer to the same type of dog.
Size: 68-80 cm, 45-70 kg. It's been stated that bigger dogs exist, however, this isn't confirmed...
Classification: Running Mastiffs - par force Hounds.
Bully Kutta - an Indian Mastiff
This impressive Mastiff looks like something straight out of Antiquity, the resemblance with the ancient war/ hunting dogs of Central Asia and Mesopotamie is remarkable. However, there is a 'movement' which claims the Bully Kutta is being of Western origin, which is most likely a fairytail, fed by the everlasting smugness of the Western World. English Mastiffs and Bulldogs are mentioned as potential ancestors, as well as Bull Terriers and Great Danes but fact is, the Bully Kutta type existed long before the English colonial forces arrived in the Indian/ Pakistani region. And certainly not least is the fact that the breeding mentality of the West (according to written standards and such) did and does not exist in these parts of the world and with that, it's just not likely that local people from remote area's had acces to those British breeds. So we can assume that it's almost certain that these dogs were preserved from ancient times, and thus, actually being the ancestor of the Medieval Alaunts/ Mastiffs of Europe. 'Preserved from ancient times', just as 'most pure descendant' is probably not the best way to define these dogs' status, because this can be easily misinterpreted. But in a way, this is the fact and ofcourse many of these dogs were subject of being crossed with all kinds of other types, including later European dogs brought by the English, but many dogs also did not. The base, however, is the ancient Indian Mastiff which is bred for ages to do a job, and that's the selection which eventually created these dogs the way they are today. That's also the reason why there is so much variation within the breed/ type.
Bully Kuttas exist in various types, depending on the region but all of these dogs are bred to business. In Pakistan and to a lesser extent India, bear baiting contests still take place and besides the Gull Terr, the Bully Kutta is a favorite. Traditionally these dogs were used as big game hunters. In this part of the world this means serious big game; like tigers, water buffalo's, cheetahs, lions and bears...Hunting was a popular pastime for the Indian royalty and the British colonial officers. It's also known that at one time the hunting Mastiffs were replaced by the Indian aristocracy, they switched to the use of cheetahs. The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 prohibited to kill wild animals, so hunting is illegal in India and although there is a lot of hunting in Pakistan, big game hunting is laid down by law and one has to apply for a permit.
As far as being a Pakistani breed, there's still something to say about because Pakistan as a nation did not exist untill after the British rule and was founded in 1947. Therefor it is in fact an Indian type of working Mastiff which as a 'breed' is later largely developed in Pakistan.
The pure Bully Kutta is big but agile. He posses a distinct looking, powerful head with rather small, deep sunken eyes, wrinkles and a pronounced dewlap. They come in various colors, like black, brown and brindle, but in case of the pure or ancient type, white with, or without, black markings is most common. Other colors indicate impurity. The ears are usually cropped. These dogs are big, but statements of dogs of more dan 105 cm or above 100 kg shouldn't be taken serious. Exaggeration when it comes to the size of a dog (of any breed) are rife and the often ridiculous statements don't make sense at all..it just proves the ignorance of the individual concerned. Summarized, a short-haired, strongly built dog with a heavy bones and a characteristic gait, a lion's gait, as is said. There is an evident difference between male and female.
Although original a big game hunter, today he owes its existence mainly to the still continuing bloodsports, like dog fighting and bear baiting. Because of intensive use as a fighting dog, these dogs are frequently crossed...to improve quality, to get them smaller and easier to handle or just the other way; to get them bigger and more dangerous. Purity isn't always important in these circles, performance is.
This brings us to the many different types that have emerged, and which just create so much confusion about the authenticity of the Bully Kutta. By many the Bully Kutta is just a Bandog, but this isn't true. There is the pure or ancient Bully Kutta, which is considered being very rare today and is also known under different names in different regions (Sindh Mastiff).
Secondly there are the varieties, developed from crosses with the original type. Examples of these type of Bully Kutta's are the Nagi Bully Kutta (developed from crosses with the Tazi Hound and Pakistani Boarhound); the Dabba Kutta, Gull Dong, Kohati Bulldog, Sargodha Bulldog and Kanda Bulldog (in fact all developed from crosses between pure Bully Kutta, Gull Terr and Western fighting dogs) and also mentioned are a modern Bully Kutta (also from mixes with Gull Terr and/ or Western breeds), a Mastiff-type and Aseel Bully Kutta.
Third, the dogs which look like Bully Kutta's but are just a mix of big dogs which are promoted as being Bully Kutta's because of financial gain.
The future of the Bully Kutta, or the 'Beast from the East' as fanciers proudly call them is uncertain. One and other depends on how long and to what extent the bloodsports are still tolerated in (mainly) Pakistan. These are big dogs, expensive to maintain and the bottom line is pride and money. When there would come an end to dog fighting and bear baiting contests, probably due to increasing pressure of the West, the Bully Kutta will largely lose its right to extistence. Certainly, they can be used as guard and protection dogs but this generates not the necessary money. Maybe back to its roots and serve as a big game hunter, but this will mean that a fundamental change in the nature of these fighting dogs has to take place in order to be able to fully function as a big game hunter.
So if they run out of work, than likely their only salvation is a change of breeding mentality, along the lines of the West, but whether we should see this as progress...