French Bulldog History
There is a difference of opinion as to the origin of the French Bulldog, but one ancestor must have been the English Bulldog - probably one of the toy variety, of which there were a great number of in England around 1860. These toy Bulldogs were sent in large numbers into France, where they were crossed with various other breeds and were given the name Boule-Dog Francais. Some dogs were found with rose ears, while others had bat ears which is now an outstanding feature of the French Bulldog. Another distinctive feature of the French Bulldog is the skull. The correctly formed skull should be level, or flat, between the ears, while directly above the eyes, extending almost across the forehead, it should be slightly curved, giving a domed appearance. In the early days of breeding in Europe, the tendency was toward the rose ear. This movement was opposed by Americans and the breed would eventually establish "bat ears" as the feature that strongly accentuates its individuality, and if the "rose ear" would have resulted instead they would have been practically a miniature English Bulldog. This controversy over type was responsible for the formation of the, FBDCA aka French Bulldog Club of America, the very first organization in the world devoted to this breed. In 1898 fanciers gave a specialty show in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Asto r ia .
