The Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka’s origins may date as far back as the early 18th century when King Louis IV of France presented a smallMaltese-type dog as a gift to the Russian nobility. Later, more dogs (the ancestors of the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka) migrated to Russia with Napoleon’s army and they were known as the French Bolonka.
Russia was never known for its toy breeds, partly because of its harsh environment and its economic need for working dogs. Smaller breeds were considered superfluous and unnecessary, even more so during the Soviet Era under Stalin, when virtually no breeds besides working ones were bred.
When Khrushchev came to power in 1960, restrictions of propagating toy breeds lifted somewhat and the demand for these little dogs grew.During this time dogs were not imported to Russia, so breeds were developed by selections from already existing breeds includingLhasa Apsos,Toy Poodles,Shi Tzus, French Bolognese, andPekingese, as well as small, local, fluffy mongrel dogs of the Moscow and St. Petersburg area, where the breeding was centralized.The soft looping silky curls of today’s Bolonki were developed in response to and within the parameters of the scarcity and necessity that one encountered living in a Communist State, as water and fine shampoos and conditioners were not easily accessible. The focused development of a sociable toy breed was in part a response to scarce housing and the growth of apartments, where keeping large working dogs was not practicable. However, in an effort to inculcate some “working” attributes into the breed, guardianship of its territory was instilled into the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka.
Interest in the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka revived after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1991.The standard for the breed was confirmed by the Russian Kennel Federation (RKF) in the summer of 1997.
Today, the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonki are becoming increasingly popular and are being called the dogs of the 21st century.Bolonki could only be found occasionally in the United States prior to 2002 when, after long negotiations and agreements with the Russian Kennel Federation and the President of the National Russian Bolonka Club to honor and maintain the standard of its home country, Candace Mogavero of Fairyland Kennel imported the first Bolonka from Russia. More importantly, the Bolonka came with the translated export pedigrees and legitimate papers needed in order for a rare breed to acquire American Kennel Club (AKC) recognition. Ladushki Ocharovashka, a bitch from breeder Elvira Romanenkova, was imported April 2000 and two more Tsvetnaya Bolonkas were imported the following years.
