When we first brought Sprite home, she was a little "mangy," even though we had bought her from a reputable pet store. We were told that the woman who had "ordered her" had seen her and decided she was way too big for a Bichon Frise, and had decided not to adopt her because she wanted to show her in local pet shows. Her loss was our gain!
After finally finding a veterinarian we (by "we" I mean Sprite and me!) were happy with, I knew I had to find a good groomer. Bichon Frises require regular grooming...... and by this I don't mean just the daily combing/brushing, but I mean the monthly grooming that makes getting a groomer almost a required thing.
I knew that the very same reason that makes Bichons hypoallergenic makes them require regularly clipping/cutting of their coats. Because they don't shed, their hair just keeps growing, and unless it is regularly combed, it gets mangles, and of course, if it gets too long, it gets very mangled.
During the grooming process, there are other things that have to be done: their nails need to be trimmed, and their annal glands need to be expressed. When I was growing up, we had Cocker Spaniels, and I don't remember ever having to have our Cockers annal glands expressed. I don't know why Bichons need this, but they do...
Anyway, I will write more on the grooming process in another blog, but, I will say, I had to try several groomers before finding the one who best matched Sprite's needs. Finding a groomer seems like it should be as easy as making an appointment at the nearest groomer to your house, but, it turns out that in our case, that didn't work.
$26.99
