Fabulous Frenchie

And really there is nothing like the sight and noise of my snoring Frenchie sleeping in a frog-like position on the living room carpet to brighten up a gloomy rainy day, like today. “Pinup”, my adorable French bulldog is the highlight of the neighborhood’s canine club and a class act of her own. She is more often than not licking her own paws and making outrageously loud throat-clearing noises but despite these unfortunate flaws, my sweet little Gremlin is the cutest companion.

They say hidden dark secrets run in the best families but it’s hard to imagine that such happy and Oh so cute! Pooches would have as ancestors some English bloodthirsty dogs that were bred and trained during the Victorian era for bull baiting, thus the name: Bulldog.

When blood sports including the infamous bull baiting –where a bull is fastened to a hook and attacked by a dog, which tries to pin its nose were finally outlawed in England, bulldogs became a companion breed. During the industrial revolution small bulldogs emigrated to France with displaced workers and were later cross-bred with local pugs and terriers to become gradually a new breed, significantly smaller and more mellow than their English counterpart.

Frenchies have always been extremely popular with the rich and famous.

French bulldogs were a favorite of European aristocrats back then and they still are a popular lot among Hollywood superstars today. I guess it’s their unique physique with wrinkled face, pushed-in nose and bat ears that truly make them unforgettable. That and their easy-going attitude and darling personality!

So for all flat-faced dog lovers out there, here is a selection of fashionable bulldog-inspired treats. Enjoy!

Images (clockwise from left): the regal Nicholas Dog chair by Jimmie Martin, a cute little pillow from Teo Jasmin and the pink Uniea Frenchie iPhone case.