Mary Allen
Although the French bulldog goes by this name, this breed of dog originally came from Great Britain. It evolved from the “old-type English bulldog”, which was formerly used primarily for dog fighting. Unfortunately, after dog fighting was only banned by law in 1835, the breeding goal for the now unemployed fighting dogs also changed. Instead of rowdy fighters, smaller, friendlier lap dogs were now in demand. This is how the so-called toy bulldog came about in the restructured breed, which quickly found fans abroad – especially in Belgium and France. There, hunters also used this new type as a hunting dog by additionally crossing it with terriers. In East London and Nottingham, however, the professions of weavers and lace-makers took on the breeding of the small bulldogs, which were first presented at a dog show in 1836.
When, just before the turn of the century, large lace factories sprang up in Normandy, France, lacemakers from London emigrated to France and settled in the Calais area. They brought the little bulldogs with them and continued their unregulated breeding in their new home – partly as a hobby and partly to supplement their meager income. The first association for the breeding of this dog, then called “Terrier Boules”, was founded in 1880, the first stud book was opened in 1885 and the first standard was set in 1888. However, the shape of the ears was not quite uniform. The male Loupi is considered to be the progenitor of today’s type. He lived to be about 15 years old and appears in almost all pedigrees.
Further crossings of terriers and pugs are not improbable. What is certain, however, is that the prick ears that are so typical today were first bred in France as a breed characteristic. The dog breed returned to England around 1900 but was initially ridiculed by the population because of its pricked ears.
