Our Bichon Story

This is our first small dog we have ever owned. Also the first dog we ever paid for.

Up until this point, we have gotten puppies from the paper that were free. We also have a black lab who is almost 13. When we decided to add another dog to our family, I put my foot down and said that I wanted a small non-shedding dog. I just wanted a break from so much cleaning after 13 years of shedding.

I did a lot of research on small dogs before I decided to get a bichon. I have known several small dogs that have grouchy or yippy attitudes and wanted to avoid that type of behavior. Julie is popular with everyone. She never yips. She has a real bark, and barks when someone comes to the door or a deer runs through the yard…normal dog stuff. She is the most cuddliest dog ever. My husband was against getting another puppy (long story, but our other dog had just passed away, and he felt bad “replacing” her), but she has won him over in the biggest way. She has been exactly what the books and websites described bichons as being.

She wants to be part of the family and wants to be included in what we are doing. She loves to ride in the car, is very loving, and is wonderful with children. In fact each morning she waits by the door before school and insists on riding along with the kids. I think a good way of describing her is like a golden retriever’s wonderful attitude put into a small cheerful little puppy.

We have a camper at a lake that we go to every weekend in the summer. Julie is the easiest companion to take with us. We have a speed boat that she goes on and does just fine. She gets in the water off the back of the boat and swims with the kids. She sometimes jumps off the end of our dock to cool off, and when we kayak, she rides along…sitting in the little storage compartment with her head popping out. When she feels like it, she jumps in, swims alongside, then smacks the kayak with her paw for us to put her back in the boat. However, we do have a doggie life jacket that she wears when she goes in the water. And I would suggest getting one of those. We got ours for around $25 from LL bean.

She can swim, but bichons have a stocky little build, and when she jumps in, her body starts to sink a little bit, then comes back up. I just feel better when she has the life jacket on and then can swim for as long as she likes. If she gets tired, it will hold her up.

I would also recommend thoroughly researching to find a good breeder. I was very picky about the breeder because if the bloodlines aren’t the best, the dogs can have health problems. I would also make sure the dogs are raised in a house and both parents are belong to the breeder. That way, you can meet the parents…their puppies will be a lot like them. For instance, we were able to see their cheery dispositions and see what good care they have. You can also get permission to speak to their veterinarian. Our breeder gave us a lifetime warranty on our dog. Not that we would give her up for the world….but if she were to develop some sort of heredity issue, such as early arthritis or cataracts…something abnormal that good breeding would have gotten rid of, then we get our money back or a free puppy. I think she can give a warranty like that only because she knows those things won’t happen….the parents, grandparents, etc. all come from champion bloodlines and have produced champions, which shows that they are a picture of health for their breed. We paid $800 for Julie….this was a big deal to us, but worth every penny.

Overall, I cannot think of any reason why anyone wouldn’t love this little breed. She has become the sweetest little member of our family, and we all love her so much. If you saw the video…that was her birth, and her at the end.