For the third year in a row, the French bulldog is the most popular dog breed in the United States, as ranked by the American Kennel Club.
My family has a 1-year-old Frenchie, Bear, given to us as an 8-week-old puppy from a technician I worked with.
Bear fits right in with our family and our two other dogs. He is kind, smart, gentle, funny-looking, and has so much personality.
He snores, has only barked once, has a swagger — or maybe a waddle is a better description — and big beautiful expressive eyes and bat-like ears. His cuteness should be against the law.
All the unusual combinations of physical features may cause all our beloved Frenchies to have some medical problems.
Frenchies are a brachiocephalic breed. That is, they have “brachy” (shortened) and “cephalic” (head). So, their heads have short skull bones in length, giving them a look of a flat face with a short muzzle, large eyes, and a rounded skull with facial folds.
This conformation may cause Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome, which can cause breathing issues such as snoring, exercise and heat intolerance, small narrow nostrils, and narrow ear canals.
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences has researched the French bulldog and other brachycephalic dogs and found they have frequent ear infections.
Frenchies’ ear canals have a “tapered shape that can trap bacteria (and ear wax) toward the bottom.”
So, if your Frenchie or any dog has smelly ears, itchy ears, is shaking its head, exhibits pain when you touch its ear and/or a head tilt, a trip to your veterinarian in a timely manner is essential.
These are all signs of an ear infection, which your veterinarian can treat.
I hope I have not upset my fellow French bulldog owners, but the cute skin folds in their faces can accumulate bacteria and yeast.
If you keep them clean with Dechra MalAcetic wet pads or Douxo PYO pads from your veterinarian or found on Chewy, these folds will not be a problem.
The top of their noses can become dry and crusty because this keratin needs moisture. Because of the shape of their heads, Frenchies have trouble licking their noses and keeping it moist.
The Blissful Dog Nose Butter found on Amazon or at local pet store can help keep their noses moist.
One more thing, Frenchies are also prone to get intervertebral disc disease. Thick bodies and short legs and genetics put stress on their backs.
Most of them do not develop back problems, but if your pal becomes acutely lame, crying in pain for no apparent reason, dragging front and/or hind feet, or anything like these symptoms, such as not wanting to walk, jump or get up, go to your veterinarian ASAP or to the veterinary emergency room.
The French bulldog’s journey spanned three countries, two continents and every social class before the breed was molded into the consummate companion we know today.
They are descendants of the English bulldog. French bulldogs were miniature bulldogs in Nottingham, England, and eventually traveled to France, where they were extremely popular.
Frenchies of this period also turned up in the post-Impressionist paintings of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
They even traveled to Russia. The Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia, had a beloved Frenchie named Ortipo. It is believed that Ortipo met the same unfortunate fate as the rest of the Russian imperial family.
The spunky dog’s likeness, sculpted in quartz and bejeweled by Fabergé, now sits in a museum in St. Petersburg.
A casualty on the Titanic was a champion French bulldog, Gamin de Pycombe, whose owner had purchased him in England before their voyage.
A week after the Titanic sank, New York hosted the French Bulldog National Specialty. One of the show’s judges was Samuel Goldenberg, a Titanic survivor who had boarded the ship at Cherbourg to get to New York to be a judge.
In the 1930s, French bulldogs were the dog most often depicted in paintings, posters, sculptures, porcelain, jewelry, hood ornaments, crystal decanters and all kinds of collectibles.
Frenchies make great companions to other dogs and people. Although not athletic, they love to walk and play. They are not able to catch a tennis ball but truly believe they can and never stop trying.
They do not need much grooming, are easy to train, are adaptable living in a bustling city or in the countryside.
They like beach days but are not meant to swim (that bulky body short legs makes it hard for them to paddle). Like many flat-faced breeds, they are not natural runners and need to be kept cool in hot weather.
They are not meant to be a watch dog because they are way too friendly to strangers and seldom bark.
These are just a few reasons why we love them so much.