AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
Flynn (Belle Creek’s All I Care About Is Love) is a bichon frise handled by Bill McFadden. Flynn recently won top honors at the Westminster Kennel Club’s Dog Show. 
This year’s winner of the 142nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden, a bichon frise named Flynn, might have sparked a renewed interest in the all-white, fluffy dog.
There’s no doubt the bichon is a cute dog. It’s often described as toylike, and it has a personality that could win over the most curmudgeonly grouch as easily as Flynn beat out 2,882 other dogs at the prestigious show.
Before you rush out to make one your own, however, here are 10 things to know.
- The bichon appears to have originated in the Mediterranean, traveling along trade routes to a number of countries, but no one knows for certain. The general belief is that the bichon developed from the Barbet, a woolly water dog.
- The first bichons came to the United States in 1956 and became a recognized breed by the American Kennel Club in 1975. The dogs are now part of the non-sporting group.
- Bichons usually are no more than a foot tall — most are 9 to 11 inches — and they weigh 7 to 12 pounds. Their normal life span is 12 to 15 years.
- The bichon is a bundle of energy and needs a lot of attention and activity to keep it happy. The dogs can suffer from separation anxiety if they are left alone, which means they do best in a home where someone is around most of the time.
- They are exceptionally smart and easy to train, with one exception. They can be notoriously difficult, but not impossible, to housebreak.
- The bichon is perfectly happy in an apartment, and while they get along famously with other dogs and children, experts do not recommend puppies for households with smaller children as the puppies are very small and easily injured by an exuberant toddler.
- Bichons are almost too smart for their own good, so obedience training is recommended.
- The dogs are popular among people who have allergies to other dogs, but that comes with a price. The dogs need professional grooming to keep their coats and skin healthy.
- Bichons have some genetic issues that make them more prone than some other dogs to skin allergies, sensitivity to vaccines, hip and elbow dysplasia, and juvenile cataracts. Generally, however, the dogs are very healthy and just because they have a genetic disposition doesn’t mean they will have all or any of these maladies.
- On the plus side, the bichons have a cheerful and happy personality, love their families without hesitation, don’t shed or drool much and are not prone to frequent barking. On the negative side, they require a lot of grooming.
