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The Bichon Frise Club of America, Inc
The Early Years
History is the path that
takes you from the past into the future. In BFCA, that path has included
both people and dogs. We are going to be posting photos with pedigrees of
some of the Bichons that were first shown in the United States along the
path to recognition by the American Kennel Club. There are also people who made
recognition possible and some of their stories and memories will also appear
here from time to time. The intent is to cover historically important
information from the first days in the early 1960s and for a couple of
decades after. We begin with a brief overview of the Bichon Frise in Europe
and during its early years in this country.
Because this is a work in progress, you will want to check often to see who
or what has been added. You should be able to find ancestors of today's
Bichons if you go back in your dog's pedigree to the earliest generations.
It will be fun to see if YOUR dog resembles those great great grandparents.
You can also detect how the breed began as a collection of different shapes
and sizes to become a very uniform breed.
For example, one pedigree that influenced Bichons around the world will be
accompanied by photos of these early dogs that produced many champions and
which have had generations of champions to follow. These dogs and others
from the early days were bred to a standard that continues to
be the word picture breeders follow today, with only slight changes. It is
the standard that gives us an image of the perfect Bichon that we endeavor
to breed. Other photos will show that the earliest Bichons in the US were
still far from that standard of perfection. There has never been a perfect
dog in any breed but striving to achieve that perfection is or should be the
aim of everyone who breeds any purebred dog. To do less shows disrespect for
the breed and for the efforts of those who have worked so hard to produce
healthy, happy dogs with sound bodies and happy temperaments.
Enjoy this photographic and written history of Bichons. Check often to see
what is new that is old. Begin by reading about the early years when the
Bichon Frise was just a little pet dog that came to this country from Europe
to become one of the favorite breeds around the world. Did you know that
they were first shown in full coat, as they were shown in Europe? Yes, that
powder puff look began here. That is only one of the interesting tidbits
from the early years. Read on to learn more.
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