This website is dedicated to Diane Story.
Please read all about Diane on our Memorial page.
Friends of Bichon Frisé Rescue produces a twice yearly magazine which is full of Bichon stories, jokes, members letter and much more. We are non profit making 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:-
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Owners moving abroad
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Marriage breaks up
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Owner no longer has time to care for Bichon (i.e. new baby or new job)
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Owner dies or becomes too ill to manage
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Owner is unaware of dedication required to look after dog (i.e. grooming, vet bills, food bills etc)
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Strays
Please think carefully before you get a dog.
If you have any Bichon stories or photographs we can use in our magazine
please email us - we'd love to hear from you.
Henry’s Fund & Bichon Frisé Rescue
Friends of Bichon Frisé Rescue is a separate fund raising organisation to that of Henry’s Fund and Bichon Frisé Rescue.
Henry’s fund was set up to pay for vet’s bills for the dogs brought in via
Bichon Frisé Rescue. Henry was a little Bichon who died aged 5 months
of a brain disorder due a genetic fault in his puppy farmed lines.
Henry became the face for the fund and, shortly after the fund was created,
Henry Briggs sadly passed away too, so “Henrys Fund” is in memory of two
special Henrys. More information on the fund available on the
Bichon Banter website.
Here is Henry, a few days later after this photo was taken - Henry sadly passed away.
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: 23rd July 2008
Unique users since 24.06.08
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Registered Office 17 The Granary, Wynyard, TS22 5QG Company No: 63603611