Take an enormous pair of bat ears and a flat, monkey-like face with dark shiny round eyes atop the sleek, muscular physique of a little canine bodybuilder. Put all of this into the friendliest package possible, add a dash of stubbornness and there you have the French Bulldog.
You often hear, what is that funny dog with the big ears and the sturdy body and the smiling eyes? That is a French Bulldog.
The Frenchie is considered to be the clown of the canine family. They tolerate wearing hats, T-Shirts, and let their little mistresses push them around in prams. The Frenchie actually enjoys these antics and participates fully. He is fun, he also likes to ride and you will find photos of Frenchies in cars, in wagons and on bicycles.
They like to do things in pairs. If a Frenchie likes to dress up for a party, he loves to have another Frenchie companion with him. There is nothing better for a Frenchie to lean against his master in the evening on the sofa, than to have another Frenchie leaning against him. He makes a wonderful family dog as he adores children. He is easy to care for and to love, all he wants is to make you happy.
So were did that little character came from ?
The French Bulldog traces its beginnings back to the 1850s. Its origin's began here in England with the Bulldog. Bulldogs were popular in England as early as the 1700s, and were involved in some dreadful fighting sports.
Another group of Bulldog lovers uninterested in the dog-fighting, started to breed a small Bulldog, one that would weigh at least 16 pounds but no more than 26 pounds.
Not only was there a weight difference in these dogs but also a variation in conformation. There were dogs with the rose ear or the erect ear, some dogs were long-backed or high on the leg. Some had flat faces and others had long muzzles. Those dogs found very little support among the Bulldog breeders. However the English working class liked this little dog.
As the Industrial
Revolution grew in England the lace-maker and others who worked with their
hands, took their skills and their small dogs and moved to France. The English
Bulldog breeders were happy to see the small ragtag Bulldog leave the country.
By the late 1800s the French Bulldog was popular enough in France that it
was being exported from France back to England. George Krehl became a strong
supporter of the breed, importing to England many of what had become known
as the little bat-eared dogs. During this time, the French drew up the first
breed standard, which actually reads like the present-day one.
A copy of the French Bulldog Standard can be obtain from The Kennel Club.