Bolognese (dog)
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| Other names | Bichon Bolognese, the Bolognese Toy Dog, the Bologneser, Bolo, the Botoli, the Bottolo[1] |
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| Country of origin | Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The Bolognese [boloɲˈɲese] is a small breed of dog of the Bichon type, originating in Italy. The name refers to the northern Italian city of Bologna.
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[edit] Description
[edit] Appearance
The Bolognese is a small, white, compact dog with a distinctive white single coat, kept as a companion dog. The eyes are large and dark, as is the nose. The Bolognese's height varies between 25 to 30 centimetres (9.8 to 12 in) in at the withers. Weight varies between 4 and 5 kilograms (8.8 and 11 lb).
[edit] Coat
The distinctive single coat (i.e. no undercoat) falls in loose open ringlets/flocks all over the body, with shorter hair on the face. The hair's texture is woolly, as opposed to silky, and is never trimmed or clipped. The hair sheds very little, but requires regular combing to prevent matting.
The Bolognese often appears on lists of dogs that allegedly do not shed (moult). However, such lists are misleading. Every hair in the dog coat grows from a hair follicle, which has a cycle of growing, then dying and being replaced by another follicle. When the follicle dies, the hair is shed. The length of time of the growing and shedding cycle varies by age and other factors. "There is no such thing as a nonshedding breed."[2]
Frequent brushing and bathing, required to keep the Bolognese looking its best, reduces the amount of loose fur in the environment.
[edit] Temperament
These dogs are very intelligent and love the companionship of people but are often quite reserved with strangers, and while not yappy have acute hearing and will generally bark at strange noises. Generally somewhat less active than the Bichon Frise, the Bolognese is nevertheless a playful and friendly breed, which will form a close bond with its owner. It is also intelligent, easy to train, and eager to please, making it an ideal companion dog and family pet, although it may initially be somewhat reserved with strangers. They are good with children. Its life expectancy can be 16-18 years.
[edit] History
A member of the bichon group of dogs, the Bolognese is thought to have descended from bichon-type dogs in southern Italy, around the 11th or 12th century. Like the Bichon Frisé, it became popular as a companion dog amongst the royal courts and nobility of Italy, and other parts of Europe from the 16th century to the early 19th century, and Bichons featured in several paintings by artists such as Titian and Goya. They became the pampered companions of the nobility of Italy. One example is that of Cosimo de Medici (1389 - 1464) who took eight Bolognese to Brussels as gifts for Belgian noblemen. Both the Gonzagas and Medicis were known to have bred them. The Duke d'Este gave a pair to King Phillip II of Spain as a gift and he was thanked by the king who wrote, "These two little dogs are the most royal gifts one can make to an emperor." Many famous personalities in history had Bolognese: Madame Pompadour (1721-1764), Czarina Catherine the Great of Russia (1729-1796), and Maria Therese, Empress of Austria (1717-1780). Maria Therese loved her bolognese so much that after its death she had it preserved and it can be seen in the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria. With the decline of the aristocracy in Europe, the Bolognese fell from favour and by the end of World War II the breed became almost extinct. But with the hard work of some dedicated breeders in Italy and Belgium the breed was resurrected. The Bolognese was recognized in 1989 by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale as breed number 196 in Group 9 Companion and Toy Dogs Section 1.1 Bichons from Italy.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.gopetsamerica.com/bolognese/bichon-bolognese.aspx from Go Pets America, Inc, retrieved 2009-04-16
- ^ Skin & Hair Anatomy & Function in Dogs, by Race Foster, DVM, Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc./PetEducation.com
- ^ Fédération Cynologique Internationale Group 9
[edit] External links
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