The French Bulldog is a delightful little dog who shows little remnants of his gladiator ancestory. The French Bulldog or "Frenchie" is thought to have evolved from fighting Bulldogs of the early 1800's (although the exact origins of the French Bulldog are subject to much debate).
With the abolition of bullbaiting in 1835, the Bulldogs of era fell into a decline. Thankfully some dedicated fanciers of the breed sought to tame the ferocious nature bred into these dogs for over 600 years. There is speculation about this point, but the most reasonable explanation for this achievement was the introduction of Pug blood. Regardless, there evolved two distinct types of Bulldog; the larger 50-55lb variety and the smaller 30-35lb variety. The smaller dogs became known as "Toy" Bulldogs and were rather similar in appearance to their larger counterparts. These small nimble dogs adept at ratting fell into particular favour with the lacemakers of the mid 1800's. The advent of the Industrial Revolution brought an exodus of lacemakers from Nottingham district to Northern France who took their little Bulldogs with them.
The refinement of the breed took place in France. The prevalence of pricked ears became a feature desired in the French Bulldog or Bouledogue Francais.
These little fellows became increasingly popular in France in the late 1800's and were especially favoured by prostitutes of the era as lap dogs. The female glitterati of the time took to owning Frenchies in an effort to be daring, hence the advance of these charismatic little dogs to the upper class.
The French Bulldog was recognised as a breed in England in 1905, although many specimens had been imported prior to this. The Frenchie fell into favour with American tourists in Paris, who took specimens back with them to USA. The American breeders are largely attributed with the production of cobby, massive headed and square jawed specimens which have become the ideal for this breed.
Frenchies are affectionate dogs, ideal as a companion and great with kids. They are active little dogs and are generally low maintenance.