The Bolognese is one of few true Italian breed of dogs, originating in Bologna, Italy. They were often used as gifts to Italian, French, and Belgian royalty during the 16th century. One instance of this would be when Cosimo of the Medici family presented the dogs as gifts to a duke of Milan increasing the breed’s popularity.

1. The Bolognese was popular during the Renaissance and is featured in many paintings of the said era. An example of which would be a rough draft of the Mona Lisa where she was shown with a small Bolognese dog.

2. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle was fond of the breed and mentioned it numerous times in his works. This made people believe that the Bolognese have been around since 300 B.C.

3. Many female royal figures in Europe owned Bolognese dogs because they were easy to carry, weighing around 4–12 pounds.  Such royalty were Madame Pompadour and Czarina Catherine the Great of Russia. The Empress of Austria, Maria Therese even preserved her dogs after their deaths and are on display in the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria today.

4. Numerous people mistake the Bolognese for the Maltese or Bichon Frise. This is understandable because all three look similar and belong to the Bichon family. The feature that distinguishes the Bolognese would be their coat, which has a wooly texture rather than a silky one.

5. At one point in time, the Bolognese almost was extinct because of the decline of European aristocracy and the World Wars. In an effort to save the breed, Italian and Belgian breeders performed rigorous breeding.

The Bichon Bolognese tends to be reserved or shy when confronted with strangers, but they are very loyal to their owners. They are also easy to train. Bichon Bolognese dogs come exclusively in pure white colors.

The Bichon Bolognese were frequently given as gifts to noblemen and kings during the medieval times. Unfortunately, this wonderful dog which was once the favorite of kings is not well known and at one point, the breed was in serious danger of extinction. However, the numbers has been increasing slowly and one can only hope that more of these dogs will be taken up into loving homes.