Isabella Merle French Bulldog
Isabella French Bulldogs are the most rare color of French Bulldog for enthusiast at the moment. This rare color is predominantly owned by breeders and used for adding more offspring to the French Bulldog gene pool. An Isabella Lilac Frenchie carries to copies of the dilute D-Locus d/d and two copies of the recessive B-Locus b/b (testable chocolate). If the Frenchie at hand does not carry this dna combination, it is not an Isabella. The shade of these Frenchies can visually be tricky. They have a purple/chocolate tint depending how the coat appears. Some have a base color of blue within the hair and the tips chocolate giving it a more shimmery look. Others may have base of chocolate with the hair and tips being blue, which makes the Frenchie appear more like champagne shade with a purple tint. A Isabella Lilac Frenchie currently ranges from $5,000 to $100,000. Again, these rare shades are owned by breeders and still in the early stages of refining the quality of these rare French Bulldogs.
The Isabella Lilac Color Frenchie Family includes the following colors & patterns:
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Isabella Lilac, light beige w/ purple tint, very little white on face or feet
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Isabella Lilac Piebald, light beige purple tint patches and body being predominantly white
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Isabella Lilac Brindle, light beige, purple tint with brindle stripes on top
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Isabella Lilac Fawn, light fawn purple tint with a light beige purple haze body, beige smokey mask on face
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Isabella Lilac/Tan, light beige purple tint base with tan points, tan point eyebrows, cheek, and feet or “socks”
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Isabella Lilac/Tan Piebald, predominantly white body with light beige purple tint patches along with tan point eyebrows, cheek and feet
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Isabella Lilac “Irish Piebald”, the appearance of a piebald but does not carry the piebald allele gene in a dna test
French Bulldog History
The mid-1800s saw the popularity of a toy-sized Bulldog in a few English locations, particularly Nottingham, which was at the time a center for lace production. The Bulldog plush toy was adopted as a sort of mascot by Nottingham’s lace manufacturers. In England, the Industrial Revolution was at its height at the time, and “cottage industries” like lacemaking were coming under growing threat. Several people who worked in the lace industry moved to northern France, and they of course took their doll Ies with them.
The small dogs gained popularity among lace manufacturers who settled in the French countryside. The toy Bulldogs were bred with other breeds over a period of decades, maybe terriers and pugs, and along the line, they gained their now-famous bat ears. They were given the French name Bouledogue.
The adorable new breed was eventually discovered in Paris, which marked the start of the Frenchie’s status as the quintessential city dog. The breed became linked with the elegant ladies and bon vivants who sought out nighttime pleasures at Parisian dancehalls, as well as with café culture in the city. The Frenchie was portrayed by Toulouse-Lautrec and Edgar Degas in their works of the Paris demimonde.
By the 19th century’s close, the Frenchie was well-liked in both Europe and America. In England, it was harder to sell the breed. Many Brits found it offensive that their long-time enemies, the French, would dare use the Bulldog for their own purposes because it was a national symbol.
Early 1900s American aficionados helped shape the breed by arguing that the bat ear, not the “rose ear,” was the proper Frenchie form. The Frenchie is readily identifiable throughout the world thanks to this distinguishing characteristic.
Starting the 2000s, a world renown French Bulldog breeder named Don Chino introduced the “Modern French Bulldog”. The modern French Bulldog colors consist of blue, lilac, chocolate, rojo chocolate, and isabella Frenchies. By 2015, these Frenchie colors became extremely popular with middle to high class family households and celebrities such Reese Witherspoon, The Rock Dewayne Johnson, and Lady Gaga from the presence of social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Don Chino’s role in the popularity of the French Bulldog is unmeasurable. Breeders in the Frenchie community say the social media impact is well over one million impressions a day reaching a worldwide audience. In 2018, Don Chino created the “Miniature French Bulldog” officially recognized by the Designer Kennel Club. The only dog registry that recognizes these small bulldogs. In 2022, Don Chino introduced the Fluffy French Bulldog and the first Hypoallergenic French Bulldog.
Designer Kennel Club: Register your French Bulldog or Doodle breeds with Designer Kennel Club DKC. Designer Kennel Club is a designer dog breed registry awarded the best dog breed registry by the FrenchBulldog.com
Frenchie Gifts: Shop for French Bulldog accessories, Frenchie themed jewelry for women, and dog accessories on LiberatoStile.com