History
Sky Bichon Frise
Good things come in small packages
It all started when a little fluffy white puppy called Sky came from Banbridge, Co. Down from the Fedney house kennels. Her sire “Pride of Fintona”, her dam “Lough Neagh Lady”. Her breed goes back to “Mad Louis” from the French court. “Fedney House Milly” or Sky as we affectionately call her is the base of my breed. Mated with “Rusmer Devine Rainbow” ( Jamie) from Windfall kennels produced three beautiful daughters Zina, Zoë and Zara. These little dogs formed the base line of the breed.
Later “Windfall Leading Light” by “Eithylyn Quality Counts” was added to our family to further enhance the breed. Also sires “Noble Nibs” from the Tullyheron line and “Luke’s Best Mate” contributing to this background which contains English, Austrian and New Zealand champions.
My present sire is Moonlight Shadow Boy. A lovely gentle dog by “Asquintion My Boy David of Boxchon”and dam is “Moonshadow Tia.
Bichon Frise History
The Bichon descended from the Barbet or Water-Spaniel, from which came the name “Barbichon”, later contracted to Bichon.
A Bichon Frise (French, meaning curly white lap dog) is a small breed of dog of the Bichon type. They are popular pets, similar in appearance to, but larger than, the Maltese.
They have existed since the Middle Ages. Although their exact origins are unknown it is believed they originated in the Mediterranean region. They began as French royalty court favourites, and also later trained to be circus dogs. Norwegians recently used them to round up sheep.
Did you know that until the French Revolution, all the Kings of France had Bichon Frise? From 1574 to 1589, Henry III used ribbons to carry a basket tied around his neck in which to hold his beloved Bichon Frises so they were always with him. He was unhappy separated from his pets during the day for any length of time.
Did you know that they pampered and treated the royal court Bichon Frises as though they had royal blood during Napoleon III reign from 1852 to 1870?
Did you know that dogs do not age seven years for every human year as previously believed? The first year, a Bichon Frise ages fifteen ‘human’ years, the second year he ages nine human years and every year thereafter, the dog ages four human years. This makes a twelve-year-old dog age sixty-four in human years.
Did you know that a Bichon Frises hair, just like a human’s hair, never stops growing?
Did you know that chocolate contains Theobromine, which is a substance similar to caffeine, and can make your Bichon Frise violently ill or even kill your pet?
Barbara Streisand (Singer) had a Bichon Frise named Sammy.
Did you know that centuries ago Spanish sailors going from continent to continent used Bichon Frise to greet people and as barter because of their merry, lively temperament? They were perfect as a working Spanish boat dog because they did not require a lot of exercise, were non-shedding and disliked water, so were unlikely to jump overboard.