Show Dog Saturday; the French Bulldog

The French Bulldog was actually started in England as a toy version of the Bulldog.  The Bulldog was crossed with terriers or pugs to make them smaller. They became popular with the lace makers who left England for France and better opportunities. Once there, they became widely popular and were known as French Bulldogs. Here in the U.S., they were nicknamed Frenchies.

Frenchies are generally around a foot high at the shoulder and weight somewhere between 15 and 30 pounds.  They are known for their "bat wing" ears and muscular build.

French Bulldogs are known to have some health problems so it is important to have a good relationship with a vet.  This breed is brachycephalic, which has to do with their faces being short and flatter.  Dogs with these characteristics can have trouble breathing sometimes and cooling off is much more difficult since panting isn't effective for them and they are so bulky.

Clown dogs, as they are sometimes called, are fun loving and good with kids with socialization. Frenchies make great companion dogs because they love the attention of their people. They also usually love to swim (with supervision), and make great apartment dwellers since they don't need tons of exercise and don't often bark.