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 baitiing 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.
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. 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 a variation in conformation. Somes 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.
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 ragtag Bulldog leave the country and before too long the breed became nearly extinct in the British Isles.
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 of the breed, which actually reads very much like the present-day standard. When wealthy Americans travelled 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 stabilised 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."
From 1896 to 1902, nearly 300 Frenchies were exported to the US annually, and it was 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."
Nellcote Gamin
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 owner and the sire of some outstanding champions, including the noted European winner The Belle of New York.
Ch. Pourquoi Pas