The Dutch people and Frenchies

[Olivier]

I was surprised to see the only busy board about French Bulldogs was Dutch, not to mention we have 3 Dutch French bulldog owners here too! Well, after reading a book about Frenchies, it's not a surprise anymore :D
According to the birth statistics for 1997:
Australia: 82
Austria: 27
USA: 1269
France: 831
Great Britain: 189
Italia: 187
Norway: 37
New Zealand: 28
Sweden: 38
and The Netherlands 619. I think there are 15 millions people living there so the average French Bulldog/people is a lot higher there than in other countries :)
I wonder why it is especially popular there?

Olly

[Mieke]

Ok, but my next question comes than: Are the in The Netherlands always more dogs than in other countries?
I think so. We have a lot of dogs off all kinds off breeds. We like a "warm" home and that includes a pet. Maybe that is part of the reason why we have a lot of Frenchies?

[Olivier]

I would also think the raisonably small size of the French Bulldog makes it perfect for appartments or people without garden (plus it looks they love to say inside too) so probably there is a relation between it and the number of appartments/small houses there?
As for knowing if in The Netherlands there are more dogs than in other countries, I think it is possible to have an estimation of all dogs per year there by looking at the canine registry? I do not think it is the case though, more likely just a higher (highest?) average dogs/population. I am sure the USA with its large population is first (with its downsides too, like more dogs in shelters/rescue).

Olly

[Olivier]

Roosje, you are right about the Pugs and the Bostons being popular in the US. According to the AKC website at http://www.akc.org/breeds/regstats2001.cfm in 2002 Pugs are ranked 14th and Bostons 17th while Frenchies are 58th with 1840 registrations. Now we will never know the exact number as back yard breeders/stores etc will not always register.
The total for 2002 (all breeds) is 958.503 dogs, which is a lot!
If we could find a site similar for The Netherlands it would be good to compare numbers.

Personally I have never seen a Boston in France while French Bulldogs are not common but not rare at all too.

Olly

[Carolyn]

I wonder how long Frenchies have been in the US versus the Boston. I find that many people here have no idea what a FBD is. Even when you tell them...they know nothing about them. Bostons, being an "all American" dog is fairly popular here and they are not pricey. At the moment eveyone is enchanted with the Jack Russel dog. There have been many movies with JR dogs in them and suddenly the demand is up.

[Carolyn]

I am wondering if Frenchies are found more in some areas of the US than others. My brother is a veterinarian and he has only seen one besides Abby and Ferris in all of his years in practice, here in So California. Jim went bike riding the other day and ran into a gentleman who had a 12 wk old cream female. Jim was so thrilled to see another Frenchie and the fellow was excited to meet someone who even knew what his dog was. I know Fran in NYC seems to know and see lots of them there. Again, maybe this is because they make the perfect apartment dog in the city. Because of the weather here...people seem to want dogs they can go take while exercising...jogging, bike riding etc. Some are looking for a good guard dog and you will see lots of Rotties, Labs, Goldens, etc. here. The Pit Bull is also very popular.

[Nathalie]

The weather sounds like a good explaination Carolyn, i mean our Frenchies don't really do well in the heat and what you said about wanting a dog to join in with all the outdoor (sporting) activities souds right for most Californians and you KNOW our frenchies are deffinately not in to jogging!! :lol: