CLEO AND PEARL

When Max, the Collins family’s cherished French bulldog, passed away in 2020, life felt incomplete without a Frenchie in the house. Their search led them back to Byrum’s French Bulldogs in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where they experienced an epiphany: why settle for one bulldog when two would bring double the joy? They fell in love immediately and adopted two Frenchies—Cleo, a playful brindle puppy officially named Byrum’s Ballad of Cleopatra, and Pearl, a cream-colored, year-old Frenchie who resembled Max and bore the official name Byrum’s Somebody to Love. Both Cleo and Pearl are descendants of Max’s brother, Byrum’s Pirate-Jack Sparrow.

Cleo and Pearl now serve as Applewood Manor’s official dogs, a tradition not uncommon among Asheville estates. George Vanderbilt, for example, often had Cedric, his St. Bernard, at his side, with Cedric’s descendants roaming the first floor of the Biltmore Estate. Asheville’s culture is famously dog-friendly, with outdoor dining areas, breweries, and taverns welcoming canine companions. Reflecting this spirit, Applewood Manor’s Cortland Cottage is pet-friendly and celebrates all dogs. Guests should not be surprised to see Cleo and Pearl around the property.

Cleo, the brindle, is a flirtatious and sneaky minx who prefers cuddling and snoozing by the fire. She has a peculiar fascination with toes, often treating them as chew toys, so sandal wearers beware! Pearl, on the other hand, is an athlete, bursting with energy and capable of leaping with grace. She has a mischievous streak for stealing shoes, often hunting down any left unattended.

What many people don’t know is that French bulldogs have a colorful history. According to the American Kennel Club, they first gained popularity as companions for the “ladies of the night” in the Montmartre district of Paris. These snub-nosed, cartoonish dogs served as icebreakers and conversation starters for their mistresses. So closely were French Bulldogs associated with Paris’ belles de nuit that they frequently appeared alongside their owners in risqué postcards of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Frenchies also found their way into more respectable art, notably in the works of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the famed post-Impressionist painter and “recorder of Montmartre.” One of his most famous canine subjects was Bouboule, a French Bulldog owned by Madame Palmyre, proprietor of the café La Souris (“the Mouse”). A print of Toulouse-Lautrec’s painting of Bouboule now hangs in Applewood Manor’s Cortland Cottage, tying the cottage’s charm to the fascinating legacy of these beloved dogs.