A now extinct, dwarf version of the Bulldog, this breed was originally called the Toy Bulldog. This was sometimes abbreviated to Toy Bull. It was developed as a ladies’ companion in 19th- century England.
When bull-baiting was banned in England in 1835, the Bulldog was suddenly out of work. Some, who liked the breed for itself rather than for its violent lifestyle, started to breed smaller and smaller specimens until a miniature form was developed. This became a popular companion animal in certain districts and was given the name of Toy Bulldog to emphasize its new, non-violent status. Its appearance was intended to be as close to that of the large Bulldog as possible in every respect except size.
In the 1850s, some of these Toy Bulldogs were taken to northern France, where they were crossed with other breeds to create the French Bulldog (see separate entry). In England they lost favour for a while and nearly became extinct, but they enjoyed renewed interest towards the end of the Victorian era. At the turn of the century, one tided English lady burbled effusively: ‘There is nobody who is anybody who does not nowadays both know and highly appreciate coffee, caviar and Toy Bulldogs. Not to do so would be, in. deed, to argue oneself unknown!’
However, all was not well with the breed. Writing at about the same time, Mrs Leslie Williams, an expert on toy dogs, reported:
Toy bulldogs are yearly becoming more popular. They are absolutely ideal dogs as to temper and all the other qualities necessary for a pet and companion, and almost uncannily intelligent, but alas! they are delicate beyond denying. They are hard to breed, and hard to rear; few of the bitches are good mothers, while their babies have little stamina; they are shy breeders moreover, and altogether need incessant care and watchfulness.
The upper weight limit for Toy Bulldogs was 20 lb (9 kg), and breeders found this increasingly hard to maintain. Already struggling with the dogs’ severe breeding problems, the leading supporters of this little dog were about to face a new threat. In the 1890s the greatly improved French Bulldog arrived in London from the boulevards of Paris. This impressive descendant of the Toy Bulldog had been modified by various crosses which, among other small changes, gave it a dramatic new feature a pair of erect, bat-like ears. It attracted immediate attention and a host of new admirers. Those loyal to the original Toy Bulldog, with its curled-over ears, were outraged by this continental invasion and hurled insults at the French pretender. Arguments raged, but there was no stopping the bat-eared competitor. Eventually the matter was settled in 1902 by establishing two rival clubs, one for the English Toy Bulldog, with curled-over ears, and one for the French Bulldog, with erect bat-ears.
Objections were raised by the Kennel Club to the use of the word ‘toy’ for the English breed, with the result that in 1906 the English Toy Bulldog was renamed the Miniature Bulldog. In the years that followed, the French Bulldog went from strength to strength, while the Miniature Bulldog sank into to obscurity and eventually disappeared. The last record of it is from 1914, after which it did not appear to recover from the ravages of World War I. In 1920 the Kennel Club formally recorded that registration of Miniatures had ceased.
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