A controversy in dogs. Imagine that.

Today’s dog fancier didn’t invent disagreements over dogs; we can point to a brouhaha that occurred over one hundred years ago when the Brits became highly offended that the French had the temerity to use the name, “bulldog” in naming the breed when everyone knew the “bulldog” was a symbol of Great Britain. “There is only one Bulldog and he is British!” was the outraged reaction.

Bulldogs may have been British, but when dealers and lacemakers took these charming dogs to France, everyone from artists, “streetwalkers,” society, and the gay community fell in love with the breed, and it was simple popularity among the French that may have been responsible for the little dogs’ subsequent name, “les Bouledogues Francais.”  And then the fireworks began. Letters to the editor, editorials in canine publications, and pushback from Miniature Bulldog fanciers made the issue a hot topic. One can only imagine if they’d had the Internet then.  The name, French Bulldog, nevertheless stuck.

And then there was the “ear thing.”

Originally, French bulldogs had rose-shaped ears similar to the English bulldog, an ancestral relative, and the English breeders liked it this way.  French breeders bred for the bat ears, however, and American breeders also preferred the bat ears, a trait regarded as a fault by British breeders.  When a rose-eared bulldog was featured at the Westminster Kennel Club in 1897, American dog fanciers became livid – and what do angry dog people do? These days, they create a Facebook page. Back then, they formed a club.

The French Bull Dog Club of America, one might say, was founded in part, to protest the rose-shaped ears.  The club threw its first specialty show in New York City in 1898 at the famed Waldorf-Astoria. The FBDCA website described the event: “amid palms, potted plants, rich rugs and soft divans.” Hundreds of engraved invitations were sent out,  and New York’s wealthy high society showed up. Rose-eared dogs were not welcomed. By 1913, Frenchies were one of the most sought after dogs in the United States – and still are. That fact is neither controversial, nor a surprise to anyone who knows the breed.

Photo of French Bulldog Puppy by Retales Botijero is available as a poster and print here.