Our Bichon Families

Darlene,

Genevieve arrived safe and sound at Huntsville, AL airport at 10:45. We were there waiting for her and so happy to see her. She was calm right away and very loving. She is home and playing, eating, sleeping, and "pottying". And the children love her.

We gave her the french name, Genevieve after our favorite book, "Madeline" by Ludwig Bemelmans. We thought a french name would be appropriate for a bichon frise, especially since the name Genevieve means "white wave".

I promise to e-mail you or call you with any questions we may have. Thanks so much and God bless!

Kindly, Tina

Just wanted to report on how much we love our puppy "Nittany". He continues to train **us** on what his signals are that he has to go outside. We are making some slow headway.

He is so precious to us. My Aunt and Grandmother came yesterday to meet him and could not put him down. He is so loving and an attention monger.

Got his 3rd booster and put on a worming schedule Friday. He did quite well at the vet's office.

Thanks again for making us so happy.

Jessica

Darlene, We just heard from our son last night. He picked up the puppy, and he is totally thrilled! She is just the most beautiful little ball of fluff he has ever seen. We want to thank you for helping us with this. It will make a difference in his life! We'll let you know developments as they occur. Thanks again!

She got here beautifully. What a cutie. She finally laid down in the kitchen while I was doing dishes. She sure has a lot of energy... We'll send you a picture when she gets bigger. I'll probably send you a message here and there when I have questions.

Thanks, Ruth

Diana e wrote:

> Hi, thank you so much for giving a reference on Darlene's puppies. My kids > are excited about getting a dog, but I want to make sure it's the right > kind, and the bichon is so adorable. Is you puppy very large, more than 10 > pounds? Is it a good house pet? > > Again, thank you so much for the reference! I really appreciate it! > > Sincerely, > Diana > > ----- received an e-mail today from Darlene mentioning that you were > > interested in obtaining a puppy from her, but hesitant as you have not > > purchased over the internet before. > > > > I purchase a puppy from Darlene several months ago, and was very happy > > with the whole process. > > > > She met me 1/2 way so that I only had a 3 hour drive. The puppy was in > > good health. I have since had it looked at by my vet and besides > > verifying that it was in good health, he was very surprised with the > > health guarantee that Darlene gives. > > > > Darlene has had good follow-up, including providing me with the proper > > paperwork so that I could register the dog thru my kennel. > > > > I have not had any problems with either Darlene or the dog. All in all, > > a very positive experience. > > > > David > Wichita, KS > > > >

Diana:

Our puppy is five months old and weighs seven pounds. When we got him he was 3.6 pounds. The parents of our puppy were about nine pounds. That is the important thing in estimating the final weight. Check to find out what the parents weighed.

Bichons love attention. They are the most playful breed I have encountered. We have had many different dogs and I have trained dogs for others. You will find the Bichon is easy to train if you use love. Bichons do not react well to physical discipline. A good scolding is almost too much. A high pitched loving voice with lots of praise will create unbelievable results. These dogs are not good for leaving alone all day. They need companionship. They want attention and love.

The Bichon does not shed. They also have very little dander and are excellent for allergy problems. I have three children and they love the Bichon. They take turns brushing and feeding and walking the puppy. They are so playful that even older boys like the Bichon.

The long hair does require a daily brushing or it will mat. You can have the Bichon clipped by a groomer every six weeks and this will get rid of the need of brushing. We brush ours because we like the look of the long hair.

I took some time and surfed the net before we got out Bichon. It was a great thing. There are all kinds of articles and training tips. I would encourage you to surf the net. Look under Bichon and it will pop up. There is also a good general page out there that covers an over view of breeds, if I can find it again I will e-mail you.

Almost all pure breed dogs have some health problems from the inbreeding. That is why I recommend a pure breed that is bred for health and not confirmation if your not going to show. Darlene has bred for health. She is watching for good healthy dogs. I don't expect to have problems with our puppy. You must realize that any pure breed has these possibilities. I believe Darlene gives you the best chances. It should be highly unlikely that these problems will occur from her puppies.

If you get a female and you decide to spade the dog please e-mail me I would like to share some advice with you. Also, if you live in a rural area beware of owls and hawks especially for the first nine months. If your going to leave the puppy out unattended an electric fence is not advised. These dogs are small and need a fence to protect them from bigger dogs.

Hope some of this helps.

David

Darlene,

We have the puppy. He is beautiful. My youngest son says he's so happy he could cry. Thanks for everything.

Sincerely, Diana

Darlene

Puppy arrived safely and we are in love. She is so cute and cuddly! We are giving her a loving welcome to Florida and Nina and I are spoiling her. We are going to name her

"Sally Sue" . Thank you for making our dreams come true

Dave and Nina

Hello, my name is Sheila and I am a reference that you requested from Darlene regarding the Bichon Puppies....I also was quite hesitant to purchase a puppy online considering that I live 8 hours away from a large airport (Boston) where I was to pick him up....Darlene was quite accomodating and kept us informed of all changes regarding arrival times etc.....After several phone conversations, plans were in the making and she emailed me a pic of my puppy...Our trip one way was 8.5 hours (Easton, Me to Boston, MA) very exhausting indeed, but the puppy arrived on time and all was well.. I phoned Darlene to let her know that our pick up was successful before venturing back home on another 8.5 hour ride....

Diablo, is now 5 months old and very adorable...the trip and trouble were all worth it ...I hope you have great success in achieving your puppy.. Darlene is a wonderful woman and cares greatly for her puppies, they are healthy and happy puppies....

Yours truly

Sheila

Darlene and Bill, I just wanted to drop you a note letting you know that everything seems to be going well. The boys named the puppy Mia for Mia Hamm. She is a delight! We have all fallen in love with her. A couple of our friends and family members have asked me to save your name, phone number etc. I know that you said that you would not have any more puppies until sometime next year, but if they decide they are serious I suppose they will get in touch. Thanks again and have a great New Year!

Hi Just a note to let you know how she is doing. She is spoiled rotten. She is a lot of company for my wife. She sleeps with us now. We love her so much thanks so much. Jim

Darlene - thought I would forward a copy of the message that I sent as a reference - it looks like a got a little carried away - but Angel is a terrific little dog - everyone who meets her just loves her - I'm glad to be able to do that for you - Angel seems to have leveled out at about 10 pounds - she has enough "coat" that she is developing the "ruff" around her face - I have her in a puppy cut which makes grooming so much easier for both of us - I have a roll of film in my camera now, that is almost complete - I'll send you one - she is so hard to capture on film as she is either laying down or running - neither of which makes a good picture - she is a great companion on my walks which is what I was hoping for - we are working up to where she can accompany me on about a 1/2 hour walk - I've finally gone back to work and she uses "doggie doors" to go outside when I am gone, and it is working out great Carol

Darlene Brennen asked that I provide a reference for her, which I am happy to do. I purchased a female Bichon puppy from her in December, 1999. My puppy, Angel, is now 7 months old. She is a healthy puppy, and I can tell even at her young age that she has good, strong back legs. (My other dogs, a Scottie and a Westie, both had arthritis in legs and hips when they were older. Even as puppies, they used their back legs differently than Angel does.) She has a beautiful coat and good teeth. If you have not had a Bichon before, their personality is delightful. Angel is a wonderful mixture of fun-loving-wild puppy and sweet, cuddly lap dog. I am really happy with my choice of this breed. She is also a great size - she weighs about 10 pounds - a great lap dog size. She was very well socialized when I got her, and I have had absolutely no problem in that area with her. In puppy obedience school, I felt that she was one of the better ones in the area of socialization. I also feel that Darlene was very fair with me in the price. Also, Angel is very smart - almost forgot to add that. Another thing I almost forgot - I've had no problem with "tear stains" which can be a problem with white dogs. I corresponded with Darlene many times before obtaining Angel, and I also met her when I picked Angel up (I live in Oklahoma, and Darlene lives in Missouri, so we met at a mutually agreed upon "pick-up point". It was pretty obvious when I picked her up that she was well cared for - she had pink clips in her hair, pink toe nails, and a pink blanket!) Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Just a (long) message to let you know how Puppy is doing (yes, Puppy is = his name, legal name is "Snow Puppy") * He is the happiest dog that ever lived. * He loves us so totally that it's almost scary. * You sent him to us literally "trained". He always understood the = words "sit", "stay", and was house-trained. From the time he arrived = here at 8=BD weeks old, he has had approximately 6 wetting accidents in = the house. He will, though, still "poop" on the carpet - for whatever = reason. He likes his privacy in that matter, and I have never caught = him in the act. When he is outside, he hides behind whatever bush he = can find. I can't even get mad, because he so wonderful in every other = respect. (Any suggestions you may have on this, please let me know.) *Puppy and our outside cat, "Jeff", get along extraordinarily well. = Jeff does not come out of his box (home) on the patio in the morning = until Puppy comes out. Jeff lays on the concrete and rolls over and = exposes his stomach ( as little as I know about animals, I do know that = he is showing how vulnerable he is, and that he trusts Puppy). Then = Puppy and Jeff race and spin and roll around (Jeff is 12 years old - he = is also a great outside cat.) * Puppy loves the car, rides on my lap everyday, except when Alicia = is in the car. With Alicia, he sits draped across her shoulders; = probably because we are usually going back and forth to school, and = Alicia will study and do homework with things on her lap. =20 * When someone cannot play with him, he picks a toy and plays by = himself. (He has a small, low to the ground box that he keeps his toys = in. He can choose the toys and take them out himself, but just like any = child, he doesn't understand the concept of putting them back.) Puppy = loves to play, and it is so great because Puppy knows the rules - Leon = plays entirely different than Alicia - and Alicia plays differently than = I do. Puppy adapts his playing style to each of us. How does he do = that? I know he is intelligent, but really . . . .=20 * He seems to have a "gene" for grooming. No one ever taught him to = sit still and yet he does. He doesn't like the bath, but he puts up = with it grudgingly. When I take him out of the utility tub, he stands = on the washing machine and literally never moves while I blow dry his = hair and comb him. The other day, I took him outside to cut his hair. = It was in the 70's in Chicago. I put him on a table and cut for 30 = minutes. He just stood there - no fighting - just stood there. In = fact, every morning when I am blow drying my hair, he sits at my feet = and barks until I turn the blow dryer on him for a few seconds.=20 *If I say "Let's wake up Alicia", he jumps on her, licks her face, = and given no response, he growls and pulls on her sleeves. *If I say, "Let's go get Alicia", he immediately runs to the car and = puts his paws up on the door. There is no possibility of leaving the = garage without him.=20 * We have ABSOLUTELY NO ALLERGIES TO PUPPY!!!!! Alicia and I take = Puppy to the Vets and after 10 minutes, both of us have to take Puppy = and wait outside. I cannot spend longer than 30 minutes in anyone's = house that has a dog, and Alicia is even worse off than that. Puppy = sleeps every night with Alicia. We bury our noses in his hair and = cannot believe our good luck!

There isn't enough time, nor will you have enough patience to read = anymore. I want you to know that Puppy has a great home, but he has = given us so much more than we could ever give him. My husband - the man = who doesn't like animals and only agreed to Puppy because he loves his = daughter - is the only family member whom Puppy goes to for a "treat". = (Puppy thinks an ice cube is the absolute greatest treat a dog could = have). I would never have thought my husband could have been brought to = such a state by a mere dog. Leon has never had so much fun in his life. =

Do all the puppies of this pair turn out like Puppy? Do we have an = extraordinary one? By the way, his nose is still pink in the center. = If a friend of mine wanted a puppy from the same parents, are they being = bred again? I know nothing about how this is done. These two dogs seem = to make extraordinary children.

Dogs are extraordinary animals to share your life with - and Puppy is = the best of them all!

Cannot thank you enough.

Nancy (and I speak for Alicia and Leon)

P.S. The Veterinarian that I picked for Puppy said on the very first = visit that Puppy was a good strong dog in excellent health, with = absolutely no health problems. He has had all his shots after you gave = him to us. I do have to travel for business ( and once a year - a = vacation). We have more volunteer babysitters that I could have ever = imagined. So far, we have only done overnight - but I will be gone the = end of March for about 10 days. As ugly as it sounds, I almost want to = board Puppy instead of giving him up to a well-meaning friend or = relative, because the vet will keep Puppy safe - if not totally happy. = Please e-mail your thoughts on this!!!!)

Dear Darlene-Just a note to enclose some pictures of Puppy and Alicia. His nose has turned a solid black-just as you said. We would love him with a green nose. We couldn't be happier! Sincerely,Nancy

Hello everyone. I just wanted to give you Kernal's new website. I actually plan on upgrading this one as I get new pictures. I hope you like it. http://kernalbean.homestead.com/kernal.html

Rachel

Thank you so much. Maggie got here safely an she seems to be doing very good. She is very funny . Just wanted to let you know she is fine and thank you again Jane

Darlene,

I thought you might enjoy a few pictures of Zoe. She's almost 7 lbs. now and needs a haircut (but I like the long hair -- no undercoat yet, so not a pain!) She's all puppy now and wears us out! She's learned "sit, "down," stay," and how to stand on her hind legs for a treat. We're enjoying her very much!

Sarah

Brenn: When I saw that little puff ball in that small crate, I almost died! She is the cutest thing I have ever seen. She has certainly made a big impression in our home. We all love her and she gets lots of attention. We have named her Asia, except we spell it "Aja". There is a 6 mo. old Bichon living next door, and they have quite a time together. We have cats, and she has made friends with them as well. They don't like having their tails chewed on, but they will kiss her nose. The nights are fine, and she gets up about 5:30 wanting to go out. We have had very few "accidents" in the house. She goes everywhere with us and we are amazed how "social" she is. She is "perfect", or at least we think so. Thank you for trying so hard getting her to us. I know it took a lot on your part, and we appreciate it. Just wanted you to know she has a very loving and good home and that! everything is going great. I would like to know her birth date. We are big on celebrating birthdays around here. Thanks again. We will stay in contact with you and keep you up to date on her. We will also send pictures when I get it figured out how to use all this digital stuff. lyn