PET SHOP:Get ready to lavish attention, and cash for regular pet grooming, on high-maintenance Bichon Frises, writes MICHAEL KELLY.
THE DIMINUTIVE Bichon Frise is thought to have originated in the Mediterranean and was greatly favoured by 16th century Spanish and Italian nobility as a lapdog.
They stand a mere 9-11 inches (23-28cm) tall and weigh only 3-6kg, but it's fair to say that they are much hardier than their bouffant appearance would suggest. A cheerful demeanour and perky intelligence are hallmarks of the breed, as is a tendency to consider lavish attention a divine right. Given how much they love human company, they are much desired as a companion animal.
The director of the Pet Expo festivals, Marie Murphy, bought a Bichon called Molly for her father when he became ill with cancer. "They are a highly recommended pet for older people," she says, "because they love company and they are very easy to look after. They would not be such a good option for people who are away at work all day. My father had Molly for four years and she was his best mate. They really got on great. She slept in the bed with him and everything. Molly was there with him when he passed away, and to this day when we go to his house, she still goes around from room to room looking for him."
After her father's passing, Murphy brought Molly from her father's home in Cork to live with her family in Rathfarnham and the dog quickly adapted to life in a busy family household. Though the Bichon has relatively modest exercise and feeding requirements (Murphy's 12-year-old twin daughters are exercisers-in-chief), they can not be considered a low-maintenance pet. They have demanding grooming requirements and above all do not like to be left alone.
"She is very much a house dog," says Murphy, "and sleeps at the end of the bed in my daughters' room. If you left her alone to sleep she would just cry until you relented. Besides that she comes everywhere with me. She loves being in the car, and when I go to work she sleeps on a little cushion under my desk. Given that I am involved in a pet festival, the people I work with and am meeting don't seem to mind me having a dog with me."
Canine topiarists have a field day with Bichons and for dog shows, a powder-puff frizz is preferred over its more natural corkscrew curls. Murphy brings Molly for grooming once a month so you she is looking good for her occasional TV appearances - she has become Pet Expo's unofficial mascot.
"She was on the catwalk strutting her stuff at last year's RDS event, and when we were promoting the Cork Pet Expo, Molly appeared on television wearing a Munster jersey."
Pet Expo takes place at Cork Racecourse, Mallow, Co Cork, July 5th-6th, and RDS Simmonscourt, Dublin 4, October 17th-19th. See www.petexpo.ie