History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

The exotic French Bulldog, a dog breed with unique characteristics that only a lucky few can have

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog: The French Bulldogs is a breed of dog that, over time has acquired some fame thanks to its general characteristics, that distinguish it from other breeds of dogs, but some don’t stand out only for this, as they also stand out thanks to the aesthetic, and genetic rarity that a certain number of Frenchies have, which makes them totally unique dogs.

Even so, there are many people who are still unaware of these rarities, since the simple fact of finding a Frenchie, that adapts to the economic conditions that one has, and that at the same time is of a high quality is not something easy to do. This means that only a privileged few can truly enjoy, and boast of the exotic characteristics of their Frenchies.

Introduction

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

The French Bulldog is a breed of dog that in recent years has experienced an increase in popularity, but very few people really know all the positive aspects that this breed of dog has, since finding a dog of this type is not an easy task, let alone finding a totally exotic one. This makes some people never really understand how special French Bulldogs are.

That is why the reason for this text, is to make clear the history of this breed of dogs, what are the most striking features they have, and what have been the names of the people who, in one way or another have been responsible for raising the fame of this breed of dogs.

How was this research developed?

In order to develop this academic article in the best possible way, it was necessary to carry out an exhaustive research in different web pages and scientific articles specialized in the subject, in order to find totally truthful information and thus, to be able to give a totally clear explanation on the subject previously exposed.

What are the origins of the French Bulldog?

Something that is not possible to state exactly, is the date of origin of dogs, since to date, the only data we have, according to Bergstrom et. al (2020) in the study called “Origins and Genetics Legacy of Prehistoric Dogs” conducted by the Francis Crick Institute, the University of Oxford and the University of Vienna, is that:

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

“Dogs were the first domestic animal, but little is known about their population history and to what extent they were linked to humans. We sequenced 27 ancient dog genomes and found that all dogs share a common ancestry distinct from present-day wolves, with limited gene flow from wolves since domestication.”

Furthermore, Bergstrom et. al (2020), states that, “By 11,000 years ago, at least five major ancestral lineages had diversified, demonstrating a deep genetic history of dogs during the Paleolithic.” Implying that since more than 11,000 years ago, dog breeds have evolved into the breeds we know today, which may number around 300 dog breeds.

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

When did the French Bulldog first become known in the world?

One of these breeds are the French Bulldogs, this kind of dogs have their first appearances in the middle of the XIX Century (1850), with the so called English Bulldogs, a kind of dogs trained for some canine sports of that time, and some leisure activities. But the history as such of the French Bulldogs begins to be known about the end of the XIX Century (1880), after the migration of the English to French Territory due to the Industrial Revolution (1820-1840) that Great Britain was living at that time.

The people who had to emigrate to France did so with their skills, some with some of their belongings, and a large group made this journey with their pets, the English Bulldogs, which caused the joy of the breeders of this breed, but the concern of many others, because of the near extinction of this breed in the British Isles.

Around the end of the XIX Century, and the beginning of the XX Century, the English Bulldog, in this case, already called as French Bulldog, was very popular in the whole Gallic Territory (France), and in other nearby areas such as Great Britain, region to which from France these puppies started to be exported. This breed of dogs were also very striking on American soil, especially in the United States, as American millionaires traveled to France only in order to find, and bring to America the best Exotic French bulldogs.

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

What makes French Bulldogs so unique?

What most attracted the attention of French Bulldogs fans at that time, and still does today, were their physical and aesthetic characteristics, as they were and still are considered to be totally unique characteristics, which gives an exclusive status not only to the puppy, but to the owner himself.

The French Bulldogs began to develop these characteristics at the beginning of the XIX Century (1935), when dog fighting was fashionable in England. The French Bulldog Breeders, and the people who made their living from this, started to crossbreed different breeds of dogs with the French Bulldogs, in order to create much smaller, more agile and faster dogs, which would also make it easier for them to transport, and hunt rats.

The data on how many times the crossing of breeds was done, and exactly with which ones, is something that is unknown, but even so, with the passage of time, it has been possible to study exactly, which are the characteristics that make the Bulldogs unique, and exotic and those characteristics are the following:

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

Characteristics of French Bulldogs

  • His head stands out for being very square, wide and above all very strong, his skull is usually very flat between his ears, his forehead is domed with loose skin forming a kind of symmetrical folds and wrinkles. 
  •  Usually their eyes are somewhat dark, in some cases, they can be found with light eyes or in very rare cases, with eyes of different colors. These are of a fairly moderate size, and at the same time, rounded without being protruding, as they are sunken.
  • The nose and mouth are another part of them that stands out, since this part is usually flat, which makes breathing difficult for many of them, and can cause serious respiratory problems.  
  • Their body changes a little in comparison with other dogs, since the dorsal line, that rises progressively until it reaches the height of the kidney, and then descends rapidly to the position of the tail. Its back is somewhat long and muscular. The chest is remarkably rounded, and broad, with very rounded ribs. 
  • Its weight (with good care) can be between 8 and 14 kilograms, in case this weight varies it is advisable to treat it so that it can be leveled.

What are the most important characteristics of French Bulldogs?

  • Something that stands out above the other characteristics, and being a clear reason at the moment of choosing a French Bulldog, are its particular ears, which are characterized for being like those of bats, since these are the ears (in all dog breeds), that have more auricular pavilion. 
  • Many of the French Bulldogs stand out for their coat color, in some cases these become totally unique, since it is very rare to find the genes that characterize them. These colors are: Tabby, Fawn, Vaquita, White, Cream, Blue, etc.
  • Finally, there is a characteristic that only a few French Bulldogs can possess, due to their genetic rarity. As it is known, French Bulldogs are short haired dogs, but there are some that are long haired because they have the Fluffy gene in their genetics, which makes them totally unique and exotic Fluffy French Bulldogs.
History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

Who has helped to give visibility to French Bulldogs?

These are the characteristics, that make French Bulldogs unique, but they are characteristics that not everyone can see, enjoy and above all boast on a daily basis, since the simple fact of finding a French Bulldog, that is genuine is a difficult task, which makes the person who manages to find a French Bulldog like this, access immediately to the group of lucky and fortunate.

In the list of those who have been lucky and fortunate to have a French Bulldog are big names such as Mila Kunis (actress), David Beckham (former footballer), Zac Efron (actor), Hugh Jackman (actor), Christina Ricci (actress), Reese Witherspoon (actress), Leonardo DiCaprio (actor), Lady Gaga (singer), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (actor), among others.

Conclusion

The simple fact that world famous celebrities have a French Bulldog in their home, means a lot for this breed, because thanks to them they gain popularity, which is not something easy to achieve nowadays, as it grows because of the demand for French Bulldogs created or by the fans of the celebrities, who try to have in their lives, what the celebrities have or because directly the celebrities make them more popular, and that is where most of the people meet them for the first time.

This is because talking about French Bulldogs is not as common as talking about the German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler, Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua or even the Bulldog and puts French Bulldogs back on the radar of dog lovers, but this time because of their great characteristics.

Lady Gaga

History characteristics and famous owners of the French Bulldog

References