Frenchie Facts

We have a lot of information to give you. This can be overwhelming but we assure you that if you're interested in owning a Frenchie then you want to read on:

Part One:

The French bulldog. Hard to find. Hard to breed. Hard to whelp. Frenchies rarely whelp. 95% of the pups are delivered by C-section.

The "frenchie" began as a mini-bulldog, companion to English lace-workers. When those workers moved to France, Frenchies became the darlings of the ladies of the boulevards. The dogs you see in Toulouse Lautrec paintings are most often Frenchies. Because the hookers used Frenchies as guard dogs and protectors, the dogs learned to walk the Paris windowsills to chase the gentlemen who tried to leave without paying. Physical note: This is an extremely agile and muscular little dog. It can clear a 3 foot fence or baby gate without even a second thought. While it isn't an attack dog, it will alert and bark when it hears or senses something unusual.

Frenchies became popular with royalty in the early 20th century. Tatiana's Orsino was last see with her when the Russian Royal family went to its death. Legend says that when they found the Russian family remains, Orsino was in Tatiana's arms. Meanwhile Nicholas's cousin, the King of England, took his frenchie, Peter, everywhere. There are pictures of Peter and the King doing what we'd call belly-boarding now.

Fact: The frenchie is above all a companion dog.

A valuable dog, even then, Gamin, the frenchie aboard the Titanic (yes, the movie was correct) was insured for $700 - Equivalent to well over $2000 now. Yes, the businessman who owned him did collect the insurance.

Fact: The darn things are expensive.

Frenchies are also popular with the film industry. You see them in the company of men and women. When Luke Perry broke his back and was hospitalized, he sent for his companion, Sparky Lugnuts. I have an old photo of one of the Barrymore's with a black and white French Bulldog. When she didn't win for Supporting Actress, Virginia Madsen went home to her Frenchie. There are Frenchies IN films: Armageddon, Titanic, Bringing Down the House, Second Hand Lions (same dog) First Sight, and commercials: That’s a Black Masked Fawn in those aisle pictures at PetSmart.

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