French Bulldog"Step forward"

The Pointer Club enjoys a privileged place in the wider family of dog lovers. This is due to the large number of members, who are not content with simply paying their annual subscriptions, but also take an interest in all aspects of breed improvement that are passionately discusses at general assemblies. This year, amongst other important decisions, one was accepted unanimously. The creation of a “Gold Book” in which will be recorded the names and pedigrees and results of all those Pointers that meet certain requirements. A photo of each dog will be included.
Evidently, in a few years those who like to follow the movement of prize winning dogs will be able to find an entry in this register instead of searching in catalogues and back numbers of the canine press. They will only have to get in touch with the club secretary and the dog’s image and story will unfold before their eyes.
Clearly, a dog will not be admitted to the “Gold Book” without having been previously examined.
In every dog one has to take into account the body, limbs and type. When it is a working dog it cannot be considered a sound example unless it has been seen carrying out its speciality in a satisfactory manner.
Let us, to simplify matters, take the case of a companion breed that has been improved only from the aesthetic point of view. The case of a very Parisian breed, the bulldog of small size, whose breeding is being encouraged by a group of people well disposed to obtaining good results.
On what is the breeding based at the moment? It is based on dogs whose origins are insufficiently well documented with serious pedigrees. This is no reason to think, that they are all bastards, this would be a grave error, given that before the existence of the Book of Origins (LOF) there were fans of the breed who jealously guarded certain racial characteristics, protecting them from harmful combinations. Why? Because such was their taste. “ My father has always had small bulldogs”, I was told by M. Ferrand, “ he has always crossed his bitches with well established studs, and he has never kept anything other than the best of the litter. I have followed his example, the love of this type of dog is in the blood!”.
Not everyone has dogs as perfect as M. Ferrand. However, I must admit that whilst investigating in Paris, I have found several people who are convinced that they have “petits boules” that are, in all aspects, purebred. And these people are not millionaires, but restaurant owners, wine sellers, street vendors, coachmen etc. Those who like a particular type of dog and are passionate about breeding that is not always well remunerated.
It seems to me that these people are unlikely to pay 10 francs per dog to register them in the LOF. However, it would be a simple matter for the club to open a “Gold Book” for al those dogs who meet the conditions that the lovers of the breed decide are proper. This would be documented along with a photo of each dog, provided by the owner, who in return a title guaranteed by the club which could be called “Meeting of the Lovers of the Bouledogue”. Surely only those dogs so designated would be used at stud or as breeding bitches, and so the improvement of the breed would proceed in a direction desired by the club.
Last year Mr Gordon Bennet gave out important prizes; one of them was valued at over 200 f and was won by M. Ferrand’s beautiful little bitch “Bis”. But this has not continued into the present year, so the modest prizes, which have not reflected the costs of showing, have only motivated breeders. I feel quite sure that a title with the guarantee of the club would give great pleasure to the fans and help them make a little profit from the sale of their dogs.
At the moment the fashion is for erect ears. So from now on breeding will go in this direction for a few years at least. Nowadays, the breeding of dogs with rose ears and erect ears has been indiscriminate and in many litters both types are to be found. If the club were to cease to register dogs with rose ears these would slowly disappear from the show ring, so proving the utility of the club.