French Bulldog Origins

French bulldog

Fossossans that could help locate the location of origin of dogs of this type are rare. On the other hand, there are ancient indications of their existence: the Assyrians left bas-reliefs dated from the fifth century BC. AD, where dogs of this type appear, close to Tibetan dogs. Their natural fighting skills made them popular auxiliaries for groups of barbarian warriors from the eastern regions. The initial breed, present for about 5,000 years in the Tibet region and used mainly as a weapon and as an assistant for hunting big game, has evolved a lot along its route to Europe, due to the constraints of life nomadic and crossbreeding with local breeds. The breed would have been introduced in Great Britain by Phoenician navigators under the name of "Pugnace de Bretagne", its origin probably comes from "Bolosse d'Épire" [2]. Their use as combat animals, against other dogs, large animals or against wild animals (bears, lions, bull, etc.) is also attested, arousing admiration for their courage. These practices only started to regress in the United Kingdom in 1835, when a law prohibited them: they nevertheless persisted clandestinely for at least half a century. These practices gave it its name: bull-dog (bull, in English, means bull), then francized as a bulldog. The average size decreased regularly between their introduction in Europe and the end of the 19th century, at the same time as other morphological variations, by selection of the least imposing individuals. Their use then evolved towards hunting rodents and buffaloes in England, by crossing with terrier type dogs, which helped improve their tenacity. These successive crossbreeds have undoubtedly produced individuals with straight ears.