SHORT HISTORY OF THE RUSSIAN TSVETNAYA BOLONKA
by Candace Mogavero, RTBCA President
A fter World War II, small dogs with silky hair were brought to Leningrad. These dogs did not have any pedigrees. The Rus- sian Tsvetnaya Bolonka was created by a group of enthusiasts whose goal was to create a small companion dog which would be ideal for apartment living. The Leningrad group of deco- rated dog breeders recognized the colored lapdog as a breed in the early 1950s. By the end of the ‘50s, through careful and rigorous selection, mainly by phenotype, and later, by the quality of the offspring, a true breed type was obtained, which received the status of a breed by the Russian Kynological Federation. Additional small breeds were introduced such as Maltese, Shih Tzu, and Bolognese, among oth- ers, to improve the coat and to create a non-shedding breed. The breeders were restricted to solid colors other than white, however, allowing silver or tan point markings. The first en- try of a Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka was added to the Russian Kynologi- cal Federation in 1958. The official standard was accepted in 1966 by the All-Union Cytological Council and the breed made its first appearance at exhibition in 1967.
“The Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka was created by a group of enthusiasts whose goal was to create a small companion dog which would be ideal for apartment living.”
T op N otch T oys , O ctober 2022 • 47
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