French Bulldog

The French Bulldog is a miniature hunting Molosian. The Molosians as such, and not only the hunting varieties, are spread over all five continents. Borders and frontiers abound, but not breeds of dog. Throughout human history almost all peoples have sailed from one place to another, and with them they took their hunting Molosians. What happened when they reached port is well known.
In ancient Britain the Celtic peoples had enormous dogs which they used in battle against the frequent invaders, for example the Romans, who knew well the "pugnace britannicii", and were the first to test the mettle of this breed of dog.
If we jump ahead a few centuries, we find that in the middle ages the English nobility hunted with their huge Mastiffs also realising that beef had a superior flavour if the bulls were made to exercise before being sacrificed. In this way began the practice of using large dogs to harass the bulls. But they did not permit the common people to possess big dogs, and imposed their "Laws of the Woodland" in 1272. The penalties for transgressors were harsh. But with typical astuteness the common people began to develop a smaller Mastiff, as strong and as ferocious as its bigger cousin, but with shorter legs. This later gave rise to the English Bulldog, a vital link to what would become the French Bulldog. The Bulldog over the years became the emblem of the English.
The word bulldog appears for the first time in 1632 in a letter written from San Sebastian in Spain by Mr P. Eaton to Wellingham, then living in London, in which he asks to be sent " a good Mastire dog, a case of liquor and I beg you to get for me some good bulldoggs".
Combats between bulls and Bulldogs enjoyed popularity in the early and late middle ages. Queen Elizabeth I was a great admirer of these fights. There were however, even in those times, those who felt that this spectacle was cruel and senseless and in 1835 these events were fortunately outlawed by William IV
But what was to be done with the dogs? This ferocious and combative breed no longer provided a source of income for their owners, and was hardly a domestic pet.
Once again the law of reduced dimensions came into play. Some breeders began to select for smaller dogs. But this smaller dog was not to the liking of all breeders of Bulldogs. One only has to think of the amounts of money involved in dogfights which, although expressly prohibited, were, and are, held in secret. The smaller bulldog could not provide the same degree of excitement and spectacle as his bigger ancestor, not for want of courage it must be said. And so the Bulldog gradually ceased to be a fighting dog and indeed it almost disappeared. In 1860 in Birmingham, in the English midlands, we see the first appearance of a dog that we would recognise as the English Bulldog as we know him today.