Bolonka

Bolonka Zwetna (Russian: Болонка) — refers to small breeds of dog of the Bichon type, originally from Russia, developed from the Bichon Frisé and further developed in Germany with other breeds. They include the Franzuskaya Bolonka (Bolonka Franzuskaya) and the Bolonka Zwetnaya (bunte Schoßhündchen, Tsvetnaya Bolonka). Franzuskaya means French, Zwetna is the German term for Tsvetnaya and means multicolored, and Bolonka translates as "Bolognese" in a number of Slavic languages. This may pose a challenge to the idea that the Bolonka was developed from the Bichon Frisé, suggesting instead that the original dogs brought into Russia may have been French Bolognese.

Appearance

Bolonka is 24 – 26 cm high at the withers and 2-4 or 5 kg in weight. The Franzuskaya Bolonka is white, and the Bolonka Zwetna may be of various colours. Bolonka Zwetna is not to be confused with the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka.

Recognition

Although popular in Germany, Bolonka are not recognized as a separate breed by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. The white version, the Bolonka Franzuska, was recognised by the VDH (German national kennel club) as a variation of the Bolognese. That fact that Russian Bolonka are not recognised stems from the lack of a national kennel club in Russia, after the fall of communism. Without an active national club, the Fédération Cynologique Internationale will not recognise the Russian dogs; in addition, there have been reports of irregularities in record keeping since in present-day Russia "there is no single Kennel Club but a number of smaller clubs who basically do whatever they want." In January 2013, the Nordic Kennel Union officially accepted the Russkaya Twvetnaya Bolonka and not the Bolonka Zwetna and since then it has been allowed to participate on dog shows in the NKU member countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland.