Diamond is not the only best friend for a woman. There are more to a girl’s happiness and one of them is a pet. Gifting your beloved lady a dog or a cat will surely melt her heart. If she happens to be a dog lover and has been wishing to have her first dog pet, then there are a few breeds that may be suitable for her. Here we are about to introduce you to a Russian dog breed called Bolonka to help you see if this adorable dog is the one for your woman.
What is a Bolonka Breed?
Bolonka is one of the rare toy dog breeds. They are the dogs with small size, are specially bred, and the number is not many. The Russian name is Tsvetnaya Bolonka and it belongs to the Bichon family. Developed in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Bolonka is a lap dog that is meant to live in apartments or other small spaces as a good companion. This breed became even more popular as a pet after Prince William and Kate Middleton took one to be a part of their family.
The history of the Bolonka is dated as far back as the 18th century. This breed was first introduced to the Russian by Louis XIV as gifts. At that time, Russia had no toy dog breeds because of its conditions of environment and economy that needed working dogs better. Small dogs were considered unnecessary especially during the Soviet era. This was when Russian dog lovers started to breed their own Bolonka because it was impossible for them to import desired toy dogs that would suit living in small spaces.
Because a Bolonka is a toy dog, obviously it lives in the different realm than working dogs like Siberian Husky, Sulimov, Samoyed, and their companies. Bolonka is meant to be a trusty companion to give its owner comfort and joy while cuddling and playing with it. Bolonka is known to be a very sweet dog with dark button-like eyes that make it looks even more like a toy. This breed is not yet as popular as other small dogs like Poodle or Chihuahua, but it is also what makes Bolonka even more special.
Appearance and Temperament
Bolonka is known for its soft and curly coat that comes in many colors like white, black, brown, gray, red or wolf-gray. The build of the bones is moderate and the tail curls over its back just like any other dog breeds from the Bichon family. The body looks square and the ears are either too long or too short. The male Bolonki have some sort of moustache and beard that distinguish them from the female ones. The average size of a male Bolonka is 30 centimeters tall with weight around 4 kilograms, while the female is around 21 centimeters tall and weighs around 3 kilograms.
A Bolonka has all a perfect lapdog traits; playful, sweet, affectionate, protective, and loyal. It is not shy, loves to play and would think anyone as a potential playmate, even strangers. This makes a Bolonka needs to be disciplined a bit otherwise it will come and scare people who are not really into dogs. But, even though it can get very friendly with strangers, the protective side will get awaken when it feels that its territory or favorite person get violated which will make it a fairly good watchdog. Never expect it to confront an aggressive situation, though, because no matter how protective a Bolonka can get, it is still a toy dog in nature. Never force it to socialize with larger dogs if you notice it feeling inferior towards them.
Health and Treatment
The lifespan of a Bolonka is around 12-16 years with not much known health issues. Some records note that it could suffer from hip dysplasia, luxating patella (kneecap dislocation), thyroid, and liver shunt. However, a Bolonka doesn’t really require a special diet. Two proper portions of dry kibbles daily would be sufficient to keep it happy and healthy.
Even though a Bolonka is not a working dog, it is very energetic and needs to be taken for a walk to fulfill its primal need, channel the energy and prevent it from developing a behavioral issue. A unique fact about Bolonka is that it doesn’t shed its coat and is bred to be hypoallergenic which makes it a perfect pet for people who are allergic to animal hair. Though the coat doesn’t shed, a Bolonka still needs its daily brush to keep the hair from matting and also trimming and bath to clean the saliva from the coat. If the matting doesn’t get fixed, a Bolonka could suffer from hematoma. The facial hair can be tied with ribbon so it won’t block its vision.
Adopting a Bolonka
Being a rare breed, Bolonka is not widely spread around the world. However, a good lot of it can be found in Germany (known as Bolonka Zwetna), America and Canada. Surprisingly, some of the Bolonki (plural form for a Bolonka) ended up in shelters for a reason or two. Of course finding one in certified breeders is always possible. But, it would be great if you would check your local shelter first to see if they have any Bolonki needing a home. It would make a lot of difference rather than buying one from a breeder which will cost more than US$1000 – though money is not the matter here, but the rescue and love.
A Bolonka is great with children and other pets. It can develop a strong emotional bond which makes it great as a therapy dog. It needs a lot of social interaction, gentle, soft, and loves to please; your happiness is its happiness.