The French Bulldog's story starts in England, not France. In the 19th century, lace workers from Nottingham bred a smaller version of the English Bulldog as a companion animal, and when the Industrial Revolution pushed many of these workers to relocate to France for employment, they brought their small bulldogs with them.

In Paris, the breed became genuinely fashionable, particularly among the city's working-class and artistic communities, and it was here that the now-signature upright "bat ears" developed, distinct from the rose-eared standard still preferred in England at the time. 

French breeders continued refining the type, and American breeders, upon encountering the breed at Parisian dog shows, insisted on preserving the bat ear as the defining trait when they brought French Bulldogs back to the United States.

The breed was formally recognised by the American Kennel Club in 1898, one of the earliest companion breeds to receive that recognition. Since then, the French Bulldog's popularity has grown enormously, and in several countries it now ranks among the most registered dog breeds each year, a popularity that has, unfortunately, also intensified some of the health concerns tied to its physical structure.