The Frenchie is celebrated every year on National French Bulldog Day. The French Bulldog may not have fetched the #1 spot in the American Kennel Club’s annual list of most popular dogs until 2022, but has long been the top dog in the heart on anyone who has been fortunate enough to have a Frenchie as a member of the family.
When is National French Bulldog Day?
National French Bulldog Day is celebrated every year on January 13. This dog holiday was founded in 2020 by TheWoofBook.com, a Facebook group for dog lovers.
French Bulldog Facts
In celebration of French Bulldog Day, we’ve fetched a few interesting facts about the breed:
French Bulldogs, along with popularly being known as “Frenchies,” are affectionately called “clown dogs” and “batpigs.”
The tiny town of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky elected a French Bulldog as mayor in 2020, with a Wilbur Beast receiving 13,143 votes! Although this is the first time that a Frenchie has held the esteemed position, other dog Democrats and Republican Rovers have governed over the town in past years, including a Pit Bull named Brynneth “Brynn” Pawltro, a Border Collie called Lucy Lou, a black Labrador Retriever known as Junior Cochran and Rabbit Hash’s first four-legged mayor, a mixed breed named Goofy Borneman.
In the late 1800s the paws of a plethora of French Bulldogs promenaded through the cobblestone streets of Paris’ artistic district of Montmartre. The companionable canines were the fur babies of brothel employees, who found that the presence of the friendly pups helped to put potential customers at ease.
The French Bulldog’s coat comes in many colors. Those recognized by the American Kennel Club are brindle, cream, fawn, fan brindle, fawn brindle and white, fawn white and brindle, fawn and white, and white. In the United Kingdom recognized colors have been condensed to brindle, fawn and pied.
Although fans of Frenchies are proud that their favorite four-leggers hold the number one post on the American Kennel Club’s list of most popular dog breeds, the breed sadly tops a different list. The French Bulldog is the number one breed to be stolen.
Famous Frenchies
Historical Frenchies
Bouboule— Immortalized by post-Impressionist Toulouse Lautrec in several sketches, this feisty Fido was the canine companion of Madame Palmyre, owner of the Montmartre Bar La Souris.
Gamin de Pycombe— Fans of film and our four-legged friends might remember glimpsing a French Bulldog walking on the deck of The Ship of Dreams in the James Cameron-directed blockbuster Titanic. The canine thespian presumably was portraying Gamin de Pycombe, a champion brindle Frenchie who was among the 12 dogs aboard the ill-fated liner on April 14, 1912. Sadly, only three dogs– two Pomeranians and one Pekingese– survived.
Ortipo— A quartz and jewel-encrusted sculpture of the French Bulldog who met his fate alongside the Russian royal family the Romanovs now resides in a museum in St. Petersburg– a lasting reminder of the family’s love for their canine companion.
Famous French Bulldogs Who Are Actors
- Bridget and Beatrice— Over the course of its decade-long run, two French Bulldogs starred as Stella, the character of the Pritchett clan’s canine companion in the hit ABC comedy series Modern Family. Bridget’s portrayal of Stella earned her a Golden Collar award, and Beatrice used her star wattage to shine a spotlight on adorable adoptables who are hoping to land a role as a forever fur baby when she attended the opening of The Wallis Annenberg PetSpace.
- Chunk— This skilled Spot stepped into the role of Reggie to act alongside such stars as Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) and Allison Brie in the Dave Franco-directed thriller The Rental.
- Linus— This comedic canine held his own alongside Steve Martin and Queen Latifah when he stepped into the role of a pampered pup named William Shakespeare in the 2003 flick Bringing Down the House. The Frenchie also brought the funny in the 2003 romantic comedy Just Married, with Ashton Kutcher and the late Brittany Murphy.
- Sunny— Robert Downey Jr. wanted to adopt his cute canine co-star from the 2010 comedy Due Date, which featured the female Frenchie as a male named Sonny.
Celebrities with French Bulldogs
Here are just a few of the many famous faces who have fallen in love with French Bulldogs over the years:
- Brian Asamoah II— The Minnesota Vikings lineman welcomed a brindle bundle of joy named Chrome into his life during his days at college.
- Travis Barker— Although his barking buddy Blue will live on forever in his heart, the French Bulldog was also immortalized in a tattoo which was inked on the Blink-182 drummer’s thigh just days after the Frenchie crossed Rainbow Bridge in 2022.
- Simone Biles— Fans flipped for the gymnast’s Frenchies Lilo and Rambo when they saw cardboard cutouts of the pups “cheering” for their pet parent as she performed during the Olympics!
- Carrie Fisher— When the Star Wars actress died in 2016 the world lost a tremendous talent, and a Frenchie named Gary lost his loving pet parent. A “force” for good, shortly before her passing Fisher brought her canine companion with her when she joined other celebrities at the Chinese Embassy in London to present officials with a petition calling for the end of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. The entertainment icon, who was one of 11 million compassionate souls who signed the Humane Society International petition, stated: “These poor dogs need us to fight for them. Every single one of them is as precious as my dear Gary, every one of them is someone’s best friend.”
- Tom Hardy— This actor’s barking buddy Blue got the chance to lap up the limelight alongside his famous human father when he took his pal to the premiere of Venom: Let There Be Carnage! An A-list animal advocate, Hardy is an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.
- Salma Hayek— The actress has shared her heart with a French named Angela.
- Patty Hearst— The heiress is a familiar face at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, where her Frenchie Tuggy won Best in Breed in 2017, with her other Frenchie Rubi earning the runner up position.
- Jonah Hill— Channing Tatum is the godfather of this comic actor’s canine companion, Carmella!
- Vanessa Hudgens— The actress and singer has shared her heart with two French Bulldogs: Bella and Lily.
- Hugh Jackman— When his four-legged friend Dali crossed the rainbow bridge in 2022 the Australia-born actor stated: “I always, always called him the ROCKSTAR. Because he was! He marched to the beat of his own drum, was beloved by the whole world, and boy did he have a good life.”
- Dwayne Johnson— Taking after his famous father, Hobbs (who was named after The Rock’s character in The Fast & The Furious franchise) showed his acting chops when he starred alongside the actor in Hobbs & Shaw.
- Mila Kunis–Years before stepping into the role of Audtrey in the 2018 comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me, the That ’70s Show star shared her heart and home with a French Bulldog named Audrey.
- Lady Gaga— The topic of dog theft became headlines when two of the music icon’s three French Bulldogs (Miss Asia, Koji and Gustavo) were stolen as they strolled with their dog walker near Sunset Boulevard.
- John Legend— Knowing that Penny’s love would truly be priceless, the nine-time Grammy Award winner put a song in the hearts of his Fido-loving fans when he and his wife, model Chrissy Teigen, adopted the three-legged French Bulldog from an L.A. animal shelter. When Penny was welcomed at the star’s home in 2014, she was welcomed by new fur siblings Puddy (an English Bulldog) and Pippa (another French Bulldog, who “married” Puddy in a 2015 dog wedding ceremony for charity.)
- Mario Lopez— When the former Saved By the Bell star’s 13-year-old Frenchie Julio crossed the rainbow bridge in 2022, he stated, “A dog is the only thing on Earth that loves you more than he loves himself. Once you have a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.” The Access Hollywood host’s life was expanded thanks to the arrival of his Frenchie Oscar De LA Hoya Lopez in 2020.
- Madonna— The music icon’s 57th birthday also turned out to be French Bulldog Gypsy Rosa Lee’s Gotcha day, as the singer’s children presented her with the pup.
- Christina Perri–Although her French Bulldog Lexi crossed Rainbow Bridge in 2012, the pup will always remain not only in the heart of the singer who took “A Thousand Years’ to the top of the charts, but also on her arm, in the form of a tattoo. Her love for the breed would lead Perri to become a pet parent to another Frenchie named Pistachio.
- Michael Phelps— The winner of 23 Olympic gold medals gets along swimmingly with his Frenchies, Juno and Legend.
- Jason Schwarzman— Arrow Schwarzman starred alongside his movie star Poppa in the indie film 7 Chinese Brothers.
- Martha Stewart— The doyenne of all things domestic is a proud pet parent to two Frenchies, Creme Brulee and Bette Noir…and that’s a good thing!
- Megan Thee Stallion— The Grammy-winning rapper his a proud pet parent to six dogs, including three Frenchies–Dos, 4oe Thee Stallion and Oneita.
- Pete Wicks— This British reality star (The Only Way is Essex, Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls) has not only helped to create a better reality for animals in need by joining efforts to end fur farming and dog meat farming, he has also made reality a dream come true for his rescue French Bulldogs, Eric and one-eyed Frenchie Pirate Peggy. His affection for the breed even prompted Wicks to write his book For The Love of Frenchies: The Dogs Who Changed My Life.
Adopting A French Bulldog
If you are pondering the prospect of welcoming a French Bulldog into your family, you can check online at the French Bulldog Rescue Network (FBRN), an 100 percent volunteer-run non-profit which has rescued, rehabilitated and rehomed Frenchies in need throughout the United States and Canada since 2001.
Frenchies and French Bulldog mixes can also be adopted at breed specific rescues throughout the US, and French Bulldog mixes can sometimes be found in shelters.
To search for adoptable French Bulldogs online, visit:
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