This past June (2024), the AKC’s Miscellaneous Class welcomed a new addition: The Bolognese, a member of the Bichon family.

The Bolognese gets his name from his place of origin: Bologna, Italy. The breed’s appearance is known to date back to the 11th century, and by the time of the Renaissance, it was a favorite of nobles, and a popular gift exchanged between between Italian and Belgian royalty. As nobility started to die out, however, the breed almost went extinct as nobles had been the primary owners of the dogs. Where it not for Gian Franco Giannelli, an Italian breeder, and a few other European breeders, it might have died out entirely.

In the 1980s, the aforementioned fanciers worked to restore the Bolognese.

 

It was easier dreamt of than done.

At the time that Giannelli and the other breeders started their restoration project in the 1980s, the Bolognese wasn’t very well known, and it was challenging to garner support and resources needed to rehabilitate a breed few people had ever heard of. Given that the breed was nearly gone, Giannelli was also working with an extremely limited gene pool, and limited time in which to work because the few remaining dogs were aging. An added complication was logistical; reviving the breed required collaboration with other dedicated breeders, many of whom lived in different countries with different languages. Communication was more than challenging.

Following the successful efforts of Giannelli and others,  the breed began to spread internationally. Bolognese were imported to England in 1990 and first shown in Imported Register classes. In 2002, Bolos were exhibited the Crufts and have been a presence at the dog show ever since.

We conclude by circling back to the beginning, the Bolo’s membership in the Bichon family. This group originated from small white dogs called, “Melitensis,” and like other breeds of the family, the Bolo has a friendly and affectionate demeanor, though he is slightly more reserved and perhaps a bit shyer than a Bichon Frise (and, some say, much more stubborn).  One source we found writes that some owners and breeders believe the Bolognese is the brightest thinker and problem solver of the Bichon group, but we suspect that owners of a Bichon Frisé, Bolonka, Coton de Tuléar, Havanese, Löwchen or Maltese might have something to say about that.

While the Bolo is not as well known as some of the other breeds in the Toy Group it will join upon full recognition, the breed has an endearing trait that will be something people discover when the breed is better known. A Bolognese will stand upright and “dance” around, rolling their paws in the air to greet the person they are happy to see. Known as the “Bolo Dance,” this is such an inherent trait that it is written in the breed’s breed standard!  Thus far, we’ve been unable to find a video of the Bolo Dance, but we did come across a clip taken at the breed ring at the World Dog Show in 2000. It is narrated by the inimitable Jane Harvey, better know to students of dog breeds as the author of “Jane Dogs.”