Welcome to Friends of Bichon Frisé Rescue



			This website is dedicated to Diane Story. Please read all about Diane on our Memorial page. BUY YOUR COPY OF OUR STUNNING 2010 CALENDAR ! New design! Only available directly from us - See our calendar page for details *Please sign our new guestbook before you leave!* Friends of Bichon Frisé Rescue produces a twice yearly magazine which is full of Bichon stories, jokes, members letters and much more. We also sell a number of products including greetings cards, shampoos, combs, yearly calendar, etc. We are non profit making (we do not take any money for ourselves - we are just volunteers who love the breed and want to try to make a difference) and, along with direct donations made by our members, we make a yearly donation to Bichon Frisé Rescue as well as paying towards necessary treatment for Bichons in the UK. WE DO NOT REHOME OR RESCUE DOGS. Please look at our Dogs in ResQ page for details of Bichons in rescue centres throughout the UK who are looking for their forever home. Through no fault of their own hundreds of Bichons need rehoming each year. The most common reasons Bichons come into rescue are:- Owners moving abroad Marriage breaks up Owner no longer has time to care for Bichon (i.e. new baby or new job) Owner dies or becomes too ill to manage Owner is unaware of dedication required to look after dog (i.e. grooming, vet bills, food bills etc) Strays Please think carefully before you get a dog. If you do not want to adopt a puppy/dog from a rescue centre then PLEASE please also be very careful about where you purchase you dog/puppy from as we are hearing more stories about people buying dogs and then discovering they have come from a puppy farm background. Puppy farm dogs aren't only sold directly from puppy farms but also via the internet, pet shops, free ad newspapers, car boot sales (no I'm not joking) etc. If in doubt don't buy the dog as if you do believe it is from a puppy farm all you are doing is creating space for the farmer to breed more dogs. If you have any Bichon stories or photographs we can use in our magazine please email us or write to us - we'd love to hear from you! Puppy Farm Awareness Day 19th September 2009 Puppy Love, Hope UK and Puppy Alert are working together to raise public awareness of puppy farming. The connection between puppy farms, licensed commercial breeders, dealers and pet shops. This will take place on 19th September 2009 to coincide with the Puppy Mill Awareness Day in the USA. Puppy farming is no longer a cottage industry, a dog breeder owning a few dogs for the purpose of producing an occasional litter and selling the surplus puppies. It has now grown to a large commercial enterprise with dogs living in disused barns and puppies bred on a conveyor belt system more akin to factory farming than ethical dog breeding. It is alleged that one puppy farm in Ireland has between 700 and 1,100 breeding bitches and regularly supply dealers and pet shops in the UK. In Carmarthenshire, Wales, (just one county) there are nearly 90 licensed dog breeders; most regularly supply pet shops through the dealer network. Licensing does not ensure that breeding bitches, stud dogs and their puppies needs are being met by the breeders or by the Council authorities that license and inspect the premises. This was highlighted recently when a recent Welsh TV programme went undercover in three licensed dog breeding establishments in Carmarthenshire to view the film follow the link http://www.dogs-r-us.org/puppyfarms.shtml. Surprisingly no action was taken by the Council or the RSPCA although serious issues relating to poor accommodation and welfare were witnessed. Puppy Love would like to invite other organizations and individuals to join us on the 19th September by raising awareness on puppy farming. Maybe, by having a stall in your local town or by displaying posters in shops, vets, etc, to highlight the plight of the thousands of dogs and puppies that are confined in concrete cells for a lifetime often without bed or bedding, stud dogs kept in isolation until needed. Most never seeing the outside world, the freedom of exercise and not always a whelping box for a breeding bitch to give birth or raise her puppies but leaving her no choice but to give birth on concrete. That is often the reality of life of for a puppy farm breeding bitch and her puppies. Please contact Puppy Love by email puppylove@dogs-r-us.org for more information. One Voice...One Day....Every Voice Counts. You Can Make A Difference! SPONSOR A BICHON Unable to own a Bichon yourself? Why not sponsor one? Sponsorship dogs are unable to be rehomed usually due to ill health so the rescue centre keeps the dog themselves and the sponsorship money goes towards the upkeep of the dog. A Little Bit About Bichons The Bichon Frisé (pronounced Beeshawn Freesay) means "curly coated lap dog". The Bichon originally descended from the Water Spaniel and the "Barbichon" group consisted of; the Bichon Maltaise (known now as the Maltese), the Bichon Bolognese (known now as the Bolognese), the Bichon Ravenese (known now as the Havanese) and the Bichon Tenerife (known now as the Bichon Frisé). The breeds were all originally located in the Mediterranean regions. History indicates that the Bichon was found in the Canary Islands but many believe it was found on the Spanish mainland by sailors who used them to barter with the people of Tenerife. The Renaissance found the Bichon Tenerife in Italy and the little dogs quickly became popular pets of Italian nobility. During the later part of the 15th Century, the French invasion of Italy occurred which saw the Bichon Tenerife being taken to France as prizes. After that the Bichon Tenerife became popular with many members of royalty including Francis I, Henry III and the Duchess of Alba. Although there was one Kennel Club registered Bichon in the United Kingdom (1957), the start of the breed over here was in 1973 when Mr & Mrs Sorstein emigrated from the United States bringing a bitch and dog with them. They bred these two dogs and the first litter born in the United Kingdom was in 1974. The rest, as they say, is history. The Bichon Frisé is a real extrovert and his sole role in life is to make those around him happy. Some have even referred the Bichon as being a bit of a clown. The Bichon Frisé loves nothing more than being in a family environment and wants to be part of everything. Generally they do not enjoy being by themselves as they can become depressed and start nibbling their legs through stress. They love to learn and are capable of taking part in obedience training, therapy work and agility. They do not take kindly to overly firm training however, they are very head strong so do need a reasonably firm hand when they are young. They are a very trainable breed as long as you are consistent with the commands you use and the training routine you have. They are a very intelligent breed and will quickly learn what they can and can not get away with. For example a Bichon who does not like to be combed will scream when a comb is gently moved through the coat and inexperienced owners will often then leave the grooming "for another day" or panic thinking they have hurt the dog. The Bichon learns this so the next time the comb is picked up, he starts screaming. Do not underestimate the amount of grooming required for this breed, especially when they are young and their coat is changing from puppy to adult. However, if you keep on top of the coat then it is easy to maintain. All in all the Bichon is a wonderful breed and a joy to live with. Once you've got the Bichon bug there's no going back! We collect used postage stamps and foreign coins. If you have any please send them to:- Jo Lucas Friends of Bichon Frisé Rescue 29 Carmill Road Billinge Wigan WN5 7TX Last update: 1st July 2009 Unique users since 24.06.08 counter

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