Non-sporting breeds: French Bulldog

Origin
    Although native to France, the French Bulldog has a strong English ancestry. During the mid-1800s, many English lacemakers immigrated to France in search of a better living, taking their beloved toy Bulldogs with them. Once in France, the miniature Bulldogs were crossed with other local breeds, until the French Bulldog, with its distinctive "bat" ears, was developed and bred true on its own.
    Master Alf George, Britain's famed English Bulldog breeder of the day, bred several of these small, tulip-eared dogs and exported them to France. English emigrants frequently brought small bulldogs with them to their new homeland.
    The little dogs virtually disappeared from British shores over the next several years. However, the exportation by the British to France was highly successful, and they thrived heartily in their new homeland.
    The French made their contribution to the breed throughout the next 40 years. They gained widespread popularity when the ladies of the night displayed exuberant enthusiasm for their little clowns. Overnight, the little bulls became the rage of Paris. Frenchies were in vogue and seen everywhere in Paris. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec immortalized the Frenchie in his impressionistic style.
    The French were not as disciplined in their breeding methods as the British. They were excellent caretakers of the breed, but kept inadequate records of breedings and pedigrees. They did, however, foster many of the qualities that are present in the breed today, such as devotion and camaraderie. They also brought into existence the well-known bat ear and the diminishing under-jaw. The British, in turn, worked on disciplined breeding programs and some physical improvements, such as the French Bulldog's tail.
    In the late 1800s, George N. Phelps of the United States promoted the breed to the point of initiating enough interest to start the American breed standard as we known it today: bat ear and small, pear-shaped body. Many authorities from overseas say that America is the place where the true French Bulldog achieved its modern progress. Much of the breeding and prosperity of the French Bulldog from the turn of the century through the 1920s is credited to American breeders.

General description