Six Facts: The Economic Side of the French Bulldog

Decades ago many of us called our dog Spot. Now she is Sophie and so too is our child:

According to rover.com (I am not sure of their academic rigor), the most popular puppy names are among the top names for babies. The top female names for dogs are: Bella, Luna, Lucy, Daisy, Zoe, Lily, Lola, Bailey, Stella, and Molly. Luna is #9 on the baby girl name list. The top male names for dogs are: Max, Charlie, Milo, Buddy, Rocky, Bear, Leo, Duke, Teddy, and Tucker Among baby boys, “short and sweet” names like Leo (#12) are trending.

Perhaps knowing pet names can explain why we love French bulldogs.

Six Facts About French Bulldogs

French bulldog economics first take us to what we spend and then to conspicuous consumption. They are about traditional and behavioral economics.

1. The French bulldog is our second most popular breed. (Number 1 is the Labrador retriever.) In 2018, the French Bulldog was the most popular pup in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

2. French bulldogs are among the most expensive dog breeds. Reputedly being sold for $5,000 to $6,000, they are Number 12 on the pricey pup list. The Tibetan Mastiff and Czechoslovakian Wolfhound are Numbers one and two.

3. Typically weighing close to 20 pounds, French Bulldogs easily fit into carry-on luggage. Perhaps their size explains why they appeal to dognappers. But it is more likely that it’s their purchase price.

4. You might have heard (I did not) that two of Lady Gaga’s French Bulldogs–Koji and Gustav–were stolen. The walker Ryan Fischer was shot during the robbery. He is okay now. Back with their owner, so too are the dogs.

5. Since exercise threatens their health, they need little from owners that also want little exertion.

6.  A dog cognition expert says that we breed them to look like us. Explaining their appeal, she tells us that they smile like us, have a small nose and eyes that are wide-set. They even sound like humans (to some of us) when they “talk.”

Our Bottom Line: Conspicuous Consumption

It all returns us to Thorstein Veblen and conspicuous consumption.

Thorstein Veblen was rather eccentric. I once read that after his dirty dishes accumulated, he sprayed them with a hose and started all over again. This is Veblen:

In his Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) told us that the affluent pursue useless activities like excessive shopping to convey their power and wealth. Servants and employees help the affluent do less while their money lets them signal their status by buying more. I suspect paying $5,000 for a dog is what Veblen could have been talking about.

In a 2010 paper, scholars at USC’s Marshall School of Business used the following diagram to convey some of what Veblen taught us. They might have inserted the French bulldog in the Parvenu slot below:

From “Signaling Status with Luxury Goods: The Role of Brand Prominence,” Journal of Marketing, July 2010

All of this can return us to where we began. Combined with conspicuous consumption, humanized pet names reflect the elevated status of the French bulldog.

My sources and more: As always I recommend the 99% Invisible podcasts. This time they took me to the tale of the French bulldog. From there, the research was fun. People had the Rover new name list and Vox had more of the French bulldog story. Meanwhile, CBS News had a baby names list and I learned about expensive dog breeds from Pet Keen.

Most of today’s “Bottom Line” was from a previous econlife post.