We live in Fayetteville, NC. Robbie is retired and, outside of dogs, loves to garden, especially tending to her large rose garden. Mark is an attorney, and his main hobby, outside of dogs, is teaching aikido, a Japanese martial art in which he has earned a fourth degree black belt.

Although the first Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka came to the country over twenty years ago, the breed was admitted to the FSS program in 2015. As a result of many rumors and myths, the breed is often misunderstood, and, as with many breeds new to the FSS program, the road to full recognition is a bit bumpy, with some wanting to rush to full recognition. We see our time in the FSS program as a time to build a strong foundation of quality dogs, get them out where they can be seen by judges and the public, and build a strong club. Doing this right takes time.

Most breeds that gain full recognition have a surge in popularity. The hope is the public and the fancy will continue to be interested in the breed.

Getting a breed recognized is hard work and takes commitments to responsible breeding, showing, and participating in companion sports. As with any breed moving along the road to full recognition, it would be great to have as many owners as possible making commitments like these.

Part of breeding responsibly is finding show-quality dogs to breed. Full recognition of the breed could mean more choices of good quality dogs.

The funniest thing we have experienced at a show happened when our bitch Alenka was in heat, and our young Russian-born dog Slava, who had not developed much impulse control, kept looking back at her as they went around the ring. The judge suggested having Slava follow Alenka to see if he would gait better. Big fail! Slava stood up on his hind legs, waved his front paws, and screamed. We all had a good laugh.