French Bulldog

In the early 19th century we come to a point of crisis for the bulldog. We have a breed of dog whose character must be in some way pacified ( given that it is no longer to be used as a fighting dog) so that it may be kept either as a pet or guard dog in the home. Perhaps both?
It seems that the small Pug played an important part in this development of the dogs diplomatic posture. The failed experiments were discarded. But is it possible that some of these "failures" were sold at a lower price? Did some of these dogs find their way into the hands of members of the lower classes ?
The purists , we know, disdained these "degraded " examples of the national symbol. So from this point on we find that effectively there are two types of "Bulldog" living almost side by side; the English Bulldog and the English Toy Bulldog. From the latter we get the modern French Bulldog.

For reasons that are not altogether clear ( although we may speculate) the Toy Bulldog became very popular amongst the workers in the Nottingham lace industry in the midland region. The many economic crises of the 19th century and the industrial production of textiles made life very difficult for the artesan producer. One of the results was that many of the lace workers of Nottingham moved to France, specifically to the Calais area. They took with them their small bulldog with its characteristic shell ear. This small bulldog interbred with the native "terrier boule" ( not to be confused with the Bull Terrier) which were in the hands of butchers and other meat trade workers in the abbatoir of De Villette in Paris, eventually giving rise to the French Bulldog. A little later the coach drivers, shoemakers and street traders and even the police became fans of the "petit Boule". It soon became the star of working class Parisian society. Its physique, small size, peculiar physiognomy and enchanting personality made it the darling of lovers of flatfaced dogs. It was also the star of the women who frequented the public houses of the day, where "Les Filletes de la Belle Epoque" kept it for its excentric appearance.