French Bulldog

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

02 Jun 2008 02:14 PM

Not surprisingly, the French bulldog has the English bulldog as an ancestor. During the late 1800s, English breeders sent a lot of toy-sized bulldogs into France. English bulldogs bred with various other breeds, resulting in the "Boule-Dog" (say it out loud, it sounds like bulldog).

Early on, the French bulldog came it two varieties -- one with rose ears (like an English bulldog) and one with upright bat ears. European breeders were inclined to breed for the rose ear, but American dog breeders objected. Eventually, breeders stuck universally to the distinctive bat ears.

The breed got a lot of good press in the United States thanks to an appearance at a specialty show in the ballroom of the legendary Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in 1889. Less than twenty-five years later, more than a hundred French bulldogs were entered into the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

Aside from the upright bat ears, the French bulldog has another distinctive physical feature: its skull. The skull is flat between the ears but slightly domed over the eyes and across the forehead. This breed also has a bit of an underbite (I'm rather partial to underbites, myself).

The French bulldog is a small dog -- the breed standard requires that a Frenchie weighs no more than twenty eight pounds. Despite the small size, these dogs are heavily muscled. Over the muscle is a soft, loose skin that tends to form wrinkles -- especially at the head and shoulders. (I'm also partial to wrinkles... but I own a boxer/shar-pei mix!)

The coat is short and smooth, and comes in many colors, including fawn, brindle, white, and more. The breed standards don't allow solid black, liver, black and tan, or black and white -- but that just means those particular colors can't be shown. It doesn't mean they aren't out there.

The French bulldog was bred to be a pet and companion. In general, they are well behaved, intelligent, alert, and adaptable to many different situations. You'll find that Frenchies are often playful, but not overly boisterous.

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Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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