Miniature or Toy Bulldogs and French Bulldogs

Miniature Bulldogs and French Bulldogs

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Here’s an interesting chapter on the original differences (and similarities) between “Miniature” or “Bantam” Bulldogs, and French Bulldogs.

It’s taken from “The Complete Book of the Dog“, written By Robert Leighton, and Published by Cassell and Company, Ltd. of the UK, in 1922

Miniature Bulldogs.—

Bantam Bulldogs are not really toys ; they are simply little ones, answering to the same standard of points as the ordinary Bulldog excepting that their weight is not more than 15 or 16 lb. Some few years ago this variety of our national breed entered into close competition against the bat-eared French Bulldog, and many remarkably good ones were brought forward by Lady Kathleen Pilkington, Mrs. Carlo Clarke, Mrs. Burrell and other ladies ; but there appeared to be no

great advantage in cultivating small size in a dog which was already so firmly fixed in type as the greater Bulldog, whereas the Miniature had no outstanding attractions, excepting those of ear carriage, which were not present in the Bouledogue Fran9ais. Miniature Bulldogs, of course, still exist ; but they are no longer being forced into public notice, and I doubt if they are still being designedly bred to the aim of diminutive size.

The French Bulldog.—

It was from the English variety of pygmy Bulldogs that the now fashionable French Bulldog was evolved. In the early ‘fifties of the last century there was a constant migration of laceworkers from Nottingham to the coast towns of Normandy, and these people frequently took their little Bulldogs with them. The process may have been intentional or accidental, but it is commonly believed that it was from these little Nottingham dogs that the French Bulldog got all but its large tulip ears. When this altered variety was imported into England somewhere about 1900 it entered into competition with our English Miniatures. The two were interbred, and there was confusion. Ultimately the Kennel Club decided that they must be kept apart under different breed names, and the French dog thereafter became officially recognized as the Bouledogue Francais.

In 1903 the French Bulldog Club (nb: of England) issued the following description :

General Appearance: The French Bulldog ought to have the appearance of an active, intelligent, and very muscular dog, of cobby build, and be heavy in bone for its size.

Head : The head is of great importance. It should be large and square, with the forehead nearly flat; the muscles of the cheek should be well developed, but not prominent. The stop should be as deep as possible. The skin of the head should not be tight, and the forehead should be well wrinkled. The muzzle should be short, broad, turn upwards, and be very deep. The lower jaw should project considerably in front of the upper, and should turn up, but should not show the teeth.

Eyes: The eyes should be of moderate size and of dark colour. No white should be visible when the dog is looking straight in front of him. They should be placed low down and wide apart.

Nose: The nose must be black and large.

Ears: Bat ears ought to be of a medium size, large at the base and rounded at the tips. They should be placed high on the head and carried straight. The orifice of the ear looks forward, and the skin should be fine and soft to the touch.

Neck: The neck should be thick, short, and well arched.

Body: The chest should be wide and well down between the legs, and the ribs well sprung. The body short and muscular, and well cut up. The back should be broad at the shoulder, tapering towards the loins, preferably well roached.

Tail: The tail ought to be set on low and be short; thick at the root, tapering to a point, and not carried above the level of the back.

Legs : The forelegs short, straight and muscular. The hind-quarters, though strong, should be lighter in proportion to the fore- quarters, the hocks well let down, and the feet compact and strong.

Coat : The coat of medium density ; black in colour is very undesirable.

As companions and friends the Miniature and the French Bulldogs are alike faithful, fond, and even foolish in their devotion, as all true friends should be. They are invariably good-tempered, and, as a rule, sufficiently fond of the luxuries of this life to be easily cajoled into obedience. Remarkably intelligent, and caring enough for sport to be sympathetically excited at the sight of a rabbit without degenerating into cranks on the subject like terriers ; taking a keen interest in all surrounding people and objects, without, however, giving way to ceaseless barking ; enjoying outdoor exercise, without requiring an exhausting amount, they are in every way desirable pets for both town and country.

As puppies they are delicate, and require constant care and supervision ; but that only adds a keener zest to the attractive task of breeding them, the more so owing to the fact that as mothers they do not shine, and generally manifest a strong dislike to rearing their own offspring. In other respects they are quite hardy little dogs, and—one great advantage—they seldom have distemper. Cold and damp they particularly dislike, especially when puppies, and the greatest care should be taken to keep them thoroughly dry and warm. When very young indeed they can stand, and are the better for, an extraordinary amount of heat.

Microchips Bring Two More Dogs Home

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This past Christmas eve in Bentonville, Arkansas, Police Sgt. Robert Burkhart found a hound mix mutt lying still on the side of a busy road. The dog had been hit by a car, and showed little signs of life. With no collar or tags, her fate was measured in hours. Police in Bentonville have injured dogs euthanized, if they have no identification.

But emergency veterinarian Darlene Wier has a policy –  “No dogs .. die on Christmas Eve.”

Using a scanner, she found the stray dog’s ticket home buried in the skin under her neck – a tiny microchip, no larger than a grain of rice. The chip contained the name, address and contact information of the stray – and also her name, Coaster. Coaster had been adopted by her owner, Stephanie Comstock, from a local animal shelter two years earlier. Coaster had bolted while being walked along Comstock’s other dogs, and less than hour after she went missing, she lay at the side of the road, struck down by a car. Comstock and her children searched frantically, but found no sign of the missing dog until the phone call came in telling her that Coaster was safe – if not completely sound – and waiting to come home.

Comstock is grateful her dog is implanted with a microchip.

“This is the first dog we had that had a chip in it. Before, when you lost a dog, it was just gone. So to have the chip in there and to be able to get them back is just great,” Comstock said.

The microchip planted between Coaster’s shoulders meant that Comstock could tell her kids that their dog was alive and well.

Half a country away, up in Canada, another dog was heading home to its owner – almost seven years after it went missing.

On December 25th, 2001, Don French of Jutenheim Rottweilers was the proud breeder of a gorgeous litter of Rotties. He chose his own ‘Christmas gift’ from this litter, a pick male that he hoped to eventually show in conformation and obedience. Five months later, while Don was out grocery shopping, someone stole Don’s puppy out of his fenced back yard. Months of searching proved fruitless – the dog was no where to be found. Don reported the theft to the police and the Canadian Kennel Club, but as the years passed, he gave up hope of ever getting the pup back home.

Flash forward to December 22, 2008. Don French, now living in Burlington and working and no longer breeding Rottweilers, received a call from Hamilton Animal Control. A stray Rottweiler had been found roaming the streets, and Don was listed on the dog’s microchip as a contact person. Don is now a professional dog trainer – his first thought was that one of his training clients had put his contact info on their dog’s chip registration form. When Don asked who the owner of the stray Rottweiler was, Animal Control replied “According to the CKC, you’re the owner and breeder”. Puzzled and operating on a long shot, Don looked up the registration information for the boy he’d help whelp, almost exactly seven years earlier.

The chip numbers matched – the stray dog languishing in a run at Animal Control was Don’s stolen Rottie.

Hamilton Animal Control has no idea where the dog came from, or where he’s been. The dog looks to be in good shape – well fed and well cared for – so Don speculates that perhaps the puppy was sold to a family who had no idea that they were actually harboring stolen goods. Either way, no one but Don ever turned up at Animal Control to claim him, so on Boxing Day Don picked up and brought him home. Don says that Santo – Jotunheims Kaga vom Santo – might be seven years old, but that he’s still acting like a puppy. Don is considering putting him in the conformation ring, just for fun.

With all the news stories of pets reunited with owners thanks to microchips, it’s only puzzling that more owners at willing to have their pets implanted. Doing so could possibly be the best Christmas gift you ever give – to yourself, or to your pet.

“The main benefit of having the microchip is so (veterinarians) can easily locate the owners if a dog or cat is found. With the chips, the dogs can be found and returned home,” Sugar Creek office manager Melissa Freeman said.

“Collars can get loose and fall off or if the dog is stolen, the collar can easily be taken off – but the microchip cannot be removed,” Freeman said.

“(Coaster) is a lucky dog,” Wier said, noting that all pet owners should have their dogs and cats microchipped. “We love a microchip.”

More of Coaster’s story here, or read our own microchip miracle story here.

Ellie on the Water

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Ellie sits on the bookshelf in my living room, or part of her does, at least. She sits on the shelf where I keep some of my favorite dog books. “Animal Happiness” by Vicki Hearne, “Old Yeller” (a second edition, no less), “Nops Trials”, “Dogs in Poetry”. She is in good company there, and I can see her when I sit and read. I like being able to look up and know she’s there, unobtrusive as always and just occasionally asking you to spare her a bit of time. Ever content with what little bits of time you can spare her, that was my Ellie.

We did indeed spread her ashes at Cherry Beach, setting her free on the waves, licking around the feet of silly wet puppies, brushing against the coats of diligent Goldens, barely disturbing the concentration of a frisbee mad standard Poodle. She is, perhaps, a part of them all now, part of the Lake and the sand and the plants she ran through. Part of her favorite place.

I didn’t write about it before, couldn’t write about it until now. I couldn’t put down in writing “And then we spread her ashes on the water”, because as anyone knows, when it’s written it becomes true. And I wasn’t ready for it to be true yet.

At the last minute, as Sean was spreading her, I told him to stop. I told him I wanted to keep part of her. He was puzzled, because I had been so adamant about letting her go free. I told him I needed part of her, that I couldn’t let all of her go. So we saved part of her, even though I know the best of her has long since floated off – across the lake, or wherever benevolent spirits like hers finally go.

Part of her though, is still here at home with me, along with her memory, which I keep close at hand always.

All of My Beautiful Dogs Are Dying
– Vicki Hearne

. . . Without the beautiful dogs
No one dares to attend to desire;

The sky retreats, will intend nothing,
It is a ceiling to rebuke the gaze,
Mock the poetry of knowledge.

My death is my last acquiescence;
Theirs is the sky’s renunciation,
Proof that the world is a scattered shame

Littering the heavens. The new dogs
Start to arise, but the sky must go
Deeply dark before the stars appear.

French Bulldog Puppies on Frenchie Puppy Cam

Live French Bulldog Puppy Cam

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Our new live French Bulldog puppy cam is now running! If you haven’t been watching, you’re missing out. The cam, on periodically throughout the day, is a close up view of the puppies, doing the things puppies do – eating, sleeping, rolling around, kicking their feet in the air, and generally being adorable. The cam isn’t on all day (we have country internet with a usage cap, and running it 24/7 would kill us), but I announce when it’s on via Twitter and Facebook. Here’s the link –

http://dropc.am/p/vy4U1F

The cam (which is a Dropcam, and I can NOT recommend it highly enough!!) works on all desktop computers, but on mobile devices you might have to install the Dropcam app, look up the cam feed, and watch via the app.