French Bulldogs

The French Bulldog derived from the bull-baiting dogs of the 1800s. Today he is rather removed from his athletic beginnings; rather, he is a charming, comical, lovable pet for those who seek a less active dog.

Il est bizarre avec les oreilles de chauve-souris, robust et avec les oeils qui sourient. C’est quoi? C’est le Bouledogue Français!

What’s that funny dog with the big bat ears, the sturdy body and the smiling eyes? It’s the French Bulldog! He is not a common breed, but he is unique to dogdom with the most charming of dispositions and delightful of manners.

If you are looking for an active dog that will gallop along at your side while you ride your bicycle, or one that will stay at home alone all day, this will not be the dog for you. But once you have a Frenchie and give your heart to him, you will remain a devotee of the breed for a lifetime.

The French Bulldog traces its beginnings back to the 1850s. Its origins began in England with the Bulldog, a descendant of the mastiff breeds. Bulldogs were popular in England as early as the 1700s, and baiting sports involving bulls, bears and badgers were prime sources of entertainment among the general British population. People were poor and uneducated, and cruelty to animals, and to one another, was commonplace. By 1835, when animal fights were outlawed in England, the Bulldog was well known and was considered to be a symbol of courage and stamina.

FRENCH BULLDOG POPULARITY

In the late 1800s, the French Bulldog became very popular in France with the belles du nuit in Paris. They were seen on the boulevards and in the cafés with the fancy ladies. Toulouse-Lautrec, the famous artist of Parisian life, liked to place the Frenchie in his drawings and paintings.

Parliament’s ban succeeded ironically in promoting dog fights among the population, though baiting events disappeared quite quickly. Eventually, Bulldog fanciers began to diversify. In order to have dogs with greater speed and agility, one group crossed their dogs with some of the terrier breeds, and these dogs eventually evolved into the Bull Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. These bull-and-terrier crosses were ideal for dog fighting, and popularity of the sport continued to rise, despite the illegal nature of the pastime. A dog fight required far less space to hold than a bull-baiting contest, so the authorities were relatively unsuccessful in controlling these underground blood battles.

The French Bulldog can be traced back to the Bulldog, shown here, who was popular in England as early as the 1700s.

Bulldogs were crossed with terriers to add agility; one of the resulting breeds was the Bull Terrier, who also factors into the French Bulldog’s background.

Another group of fanciers, uninterested in the dog-fighting realm, 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 large weight difference in these dogs but there was also variation in conformation. Some dogs sported the rose ear or the erect ear; some dogs were long-backed and/or high on the leg; and some had flat faces or long muzzles. These dogs found very little support among the Bulldog breeders of England. However, the English working class liked these little dogs and took them under their wing. The small Bulldogs that stayed in England were eventually called Toy Bulldogs. This group received very little support and by 1920 the last of the Toy Bulldogs appeared on the English Kennel Club’s stud books. Through it all, the dedicated Bulldog breeders continued to breed the English Bulldog, and to this day he remains a very popular dog around the world.

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is another of the bull-and-terrier crosses.

ON THE COVER

In 1897, the French Bulldog was so popular that the Westminster Kennel Club placed a Frenchie and his well-dressed mistress on the cover of its catalog, replacing its usual trademark of the head of a Pointer.

As the Industrial Revolution grew in England, the artisans, particularly the lace-makers and others who worked with their hands, took their skills and their small dogs and moved to France, where they could continue to ply their trades. The English Bulldog breeders were happy to see the small ragtag Bulldog leave the country and before too long the breed became nearly extinct in the British Isles.

The Countess de Chasseloup with a French Bulldog, which has a remarkable resemblance to a Boston Terrier with uncropped ears.

Four famous dogs that helped perfect the breed in the UK. (TOP LEFT) Eng. Ch. L’Entente L’Enfant Prodigue won three Challenge Certificates (required for championships in the UK) in 1926 and six in 1927. (TOP RIGHT) Eng. Ch. Chevet Tinker was born in June 1930. In early 1932, he started taking second prizes, and it wasn’t until November 1932 that he took his first Challenge Certificate, finishing his championship that same year. (BOTTOM LEFT) Eng. Ch. Bonhams Close Thisbe won four Challenge Certificates in 1927, his first year of showing. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Eng. Ch. Gabrielle Silpho was born in July 1930 and began showing at the Crystal Palace in 1932. She won her first Challenge Certificate in October of that year and became a champion in December.

SALVOLATILE DISQUALIFIED

In 1910, Mary Winthrop Turner from Never-Never-Land Kennels owned Salvolatile, a famous bitch whose ancestry was put into question because she was very bully in type. She was shown several times and received awards, including at the 1910 show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. After this, a protest was lodged (through envy per Mrs. Winthrop) as to the background of the bitch. The American Kennel Club disqualified her, and Mrs. Winthrop did not show Salvolatile again.

The small Bulldogs earned quite a following in France and, by the late 1800s, were known as French Bulldogs and had become popular enough that they were being exported from France back to England. Mr. 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 standard for the breed, which actually reads very much like the present-day standard. When wealthy Americans traveled to Paris in the late 1800s, they were very taken with the little dog that they saw on the Parisian boulevards; these dogs had never been seen in America. Frenchies were imported quickly to the United States and by 1890 there was a very dedicated group of American fanciers who were producing Frenchies that were consistent in size and type.

By 1896 the breed was exhibited at America’s oldest and most famous dog show, the Westminster Kennel Club show, and the following year the entry at Westminster had doubled. The judge for that year was an English gentleman who preferred the rose ear of the Bulldog, and all of his first placements had the rose ear. The Americans were upset that the bat ear of their beloved breed had been shunned by this judge and they immediately held a meeting and formed the French Bull Dog Club of America. At this meeting, the first American standard was written, noting that the bat ear was the only acceptable ear. The Frenchie, although hailing from France and carrying the French Bulldog moniker, was developed and stabilized by the Americans. The modern French Bulldog looks very much like his French ancestors, as there has been little change in the breed since the turn of the 20th century.

The breed was accepted by the American Kennel Club in 1898, and the first sanctioned show was held in that year at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. This was a high-society affair, held in lavish surroundings. It was attended by New York society and was well covered by the New York papers. The New York Herald reported, Never was a bench show held in so sumptuous an environment… for up in the sun parlor, on the top most floor of the building, amid palms and soft divans, 50 French Bulldogs were on exhibition.

Eng. Ch. Stanmore Footitt was born in 1910 and was a great winner of his time.

From 1896 to 1902, nearly 300 Frenchies were exported to the US annually, and it was not unusual for a dog to cost up to $5,000, an amount of money that only the very wealthy could afford.

In 1905, the French dog Nellcote Gamin was exported to the United States by Samuel Goldberg. Gamin weighed 22 pounds and was considered to be the best representative of the breed up to that time. He was not only a winner in the show ring but a top stud dog, making a lasting mark on the breed. It was written, No dog ever lived that has done so much for the breed. Among the exceptional champions that Gamin produced was Ch. Pourquoi Pas, the foundation dog of the Never-Never-Land Kennels of the famous actress Mary Winthrop Turner. Pourquoi Pas was described as a grand dog, weighing 22 pounds. He was a top show winner and the sire of some outstanding champions, including the noted European winner The Belle of New York.

PURE-BRED PURPOSE

Given the vast range of the world’s 400 or so pure breeds of dog, it’s fair to say that domestic dogs are the most versatile animal in the kingdom. From the tiny 1-pound lap dog to the 200-pound guard dog, dogs have adapted to every need and whim of their human masters. Humans have selectively bred dogs to alter physical attributes like size, color, leg length, mass and skull diameter in order to suit our own needs and fancies. Dogs serve humans not only as companions and guardians but also as hunters, exterminators, shepherds, rescuers, messengers, warriors, babysitters and more!

Eng. Ch. Napoleon Buonaparte began showing in 1905 and won a Challenge Certificate in 1906 in the class for dogs below 16 pounds.

NEVER-NEVER-LAND

Mary Winthrop Turner of Never-Never-Land Kennels wrote, I was given my first French Bulldog in the fall of 1909 and showed the dog ‘Ponto’ at the Westminster Kennel Club show the following February, winning first Novice, the first time he was ever shown. Soon after, Ponto was accidentally poisoned and I at once wanted to surround myself with French Bulldogs, to try to forget a little the one I had cared for so dearly. As a sort of remembrance to him, I started the Never-Never-Land Kennels.

Eng. Ch. Ambroise was born in 1912 and was shown by his breeder, Mrs. Romilly, to a remarkable string of impressive wins.

Eng. Ch. Lady Lolette was born in 1912 to parents who were not registered with the English Kennel Club. She went on to win a great number of prizes.

Mrs. Turner was only active in the breed for five years, but she had excellent kennel managers who guided her in the buying and breeding of dogs. Her stud dog, Ch. Parsque, was thought to have the best head and ear carriage of Frenchies up to that time and, at the 1914 specialty, 14 of the 15 first placements were sired by this dog. Her kennel, and the dogs she bred and imported, made a strong impact upon the breed in America.

At the end of the 19th century in France, the French Bulldog was probably smaller than it is today, and so was more of a Toy breed. The two dogs illustrated here are typical of the French dogs of that time.

By 1913, there were 142 Frenchies entered at the French Bulldog Club of New England’s specialty. After this spectacular entry, the registrations of the breed began to decline in America.

In England, in 1902, fanciers called a meeting to discuss forming a club whose objectives would be the promotion of the breed and the importation of the pure-bred French Bulldog. The name of this new club was the French Bulldog Club of England and the standard that was drawn up was nearly identical to the French, German, Austrian and American standards.

There was opposition to the club from the Toy Bulldog breeders and the Bulldog breeders, who both questioned if there were actually such a breed as the French Bulldog. In an article in Cassell’s New Book of the Dog, Frederick Cousens wrote, "The French Bulldog Club let no grass grow under their feet; with only twenty members, they pluckily decided to hold a show of their own to demonstrate the soundness of their position. Their first show was accordingly held at Tattersall’s, 51 French Bulldogs being placed on exhibition. All of these dogs were pure-bred French specimens, either imported or bred from imported ancestors. The success of official recognition of the breed under the name of Bouledogues Français finally settled the disputed points."

TOP-PRODUCING SIRE

Ch. Cox’s Goodtime Charlie Brown is America’s top-producing sire. He was bred to 44 different bitches, producing 56 litters and a total of 154 AKC-registered puppies, of which 98 became AKC champions.

In England at the end of the 19th century, the French Bulldog was similar to the dogs of today, but had longer and straighter legs.

Back in America, the breed continued to garner show wins even though its popularity had begun to wane. In 1895, Frederic Poffet, a Frenchman, moved to New York City and was active in the breed from