Bella my Bolognese. Born in Edinburgh and came to live in Wales in August 2008.
"… the Bolognese is the most princely gift that could be offered to an Emperor" The history of this small and docile dog - as it really has to be told - is lost in the mists of time. | |
But their dignity had to be raised because during the Roman Empire and then, definitely, in the Renaissance, they were exchanged as presents among the nobles. "The ladies' dog", as the examples of the three Bichon breeds were named, it went all over the courts of Europe in the laps of the mighty. With the purpose to warm and delight ladies and gentlemen, our dog, with its noble and unselfish glance, was portrayed by painters like Titian and Goya. In this way, the Bolognese reached the far Russia where, towards the end of 1700, it met the affection of Catherine II, the Great. With the decline of the Aristocracy, its close bond with it, risked to mark its extinction. During 1900, in Italy some breeders perceived the peril and turned their passion into a mission: save the Bolognese and steady the breed. Today the ENCI (National Italian Dog Association) states: "The population is yet rather measured and, because the Bolognese is not bred abroad, we cannot count on an foreign contribution of blood, thus, it remains a rare dog". | |