Donsi Bichons Frises

The Donsi tale began in 1987 with the purchase of a 14 month old "show potential" male puppy named "Guy".  A pet was all that we wanted.  Several months later the first show was entered.  He lost!!  After a few shows, he won!!   A year later he was declared "Champion".  The hook was in.

Soon after,  a buddy for "Guy" became important.  A darling baby girl came to live with Guy.  "Miss T" was soon his best toy.  Several months later she won "Winners Bitch" at the BFCNC Specialty.  Another, bigger hook went in.  Time went by and she too became a "Champion".

A litter of puppies seemed a good idea.  Four girls were born.  Three became Champions.  We're rolling now.  One of the three went on to do some good things.  Her name is BISS CH Donsi's Snowbird ROMX.  Another from this litter was bred to a very nice dog from Connecticut.  She produced a great litter from which a male puppy was retained.  This puppy also went on to do some good things.  His name is CH Donsi's Troubadour ROM. 

This was the beginning of  Donsi Bichons Frises.  Many Champions have since been produced.  Some have gone on to do good things in the Show World.  Others have been placed as pets and have brought years of joy to their "people".  Many have earned the title "Champion" and have also been the family "pet".  Through the years our breeding and showing hobby has been the source of much personal joy.  Many of the people we have met on this wonderful "ride" have become close friends.  One important detail that most can not claim, all Donsi Bichon Frise awards have been won BREEDER/OWNER handled and groomed.

Early in this adventure, the complexity of the whole process became apparent.  The AKC Official Bichon Frise standard details a description of what a Bichon Frise should be.  A study of this standard, with some added research to help understand the terminology, leads each person to a mental image of a "correct" Bichon Frise.  Seems simple enough!!  One soon learns this image varies dramatically from person to person, breeder or judge.  Add to this other variables such as "showmanship", quality of grooming, presentation and other people oriented variables and it becomes a more complex issue.  Which wins mean something?  Who really knows what a quality Bichon is?  What breed traits are the most important?  What is important in choosing breeding mates?  What  to use as a basis for choosing "show" puppies from a litter?  What does a pedigree really mean?  Which traits result from pairing of dominant genes and which traits result from recessive.  We have worked hard at learning the real truths about the process.  If the wrong evaluation criteria is used to choose breeding mates, the resulting litter is less likely to exhibit the proper traits.  If the better puppies from each litter are placed as pets and neutered, it would be difficult to make progress.  If these decisions are based on the wrong criteria,  the blood line does not improve.  A successful breeder must learn "what" a quality Bichon truly is and how to recognize this at an early age.  This may all sound simple but many never get there.  Like most things, the more one learns about a subject, the more you realize how much there is to learn.  As each little lesson in the science of breeding quality dogs is learned, the clearer the whole picture becomes.  These things provide direction for our attempts to breed the "perfect dog"

The Donsi focus is to breed happy, healthy dogs that meet the requirements of the breed standard without losing the sweet Bichon personality.  A fairly long list of both Champions and Companions speaks to some relative degree of success in this arena. 

"Guy" has passed on and "Miss T" is approaching 16 years of age.  They started something that has brought  joy into the lives of those they and their offspring have touched.  With this in mind, we go forward.

A few puppies are produced each year by carefully selecting the breeding pair.  Most of the litters produced have all Champions in a 5 generation pedigree.  The Breed Standard and the sweet Bichon personality are the things most important in the Donsi breeding program.

The Bichon Frise Club of America web site is THE information source for this breed.