BICHONS ACROSS CANADA

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THE BEAUTY SHOPPE

Copyright 2006 Laurie Mann

Music: Too Beautiful (Yuko Ohigashi)
(Midi Sequence from Sunncity.com)
 

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Bichons Across Canada is pleased to welcome
BARBARA BIRD
to our website.
Barbara's grooming expertise has become very well known in the Bichon world.
Her website links (below) contribute a wealth of knowledge and experience in grooming the Bichon Frise.
WELCOME ABOARD, BARBARA!

Copyright 2006 Barbara Bird

Text written for Bichons Across Canada by Barbara Bird
Copyright Barbara Bird 2006 - All Rights Reserved
Not to be reproduced without written consent.

 
I was very fortunate early in my grooming career to have a local breeder offer to coach me on my Bichon grooming.  Ida McNerney had the cutest, small, fun little dogs with great coats,  and she helped me a lot in distinguishing my Bichon grooming from the Poodle.  It was also a fabulous introduction to the breed.

Many years later, I did a free grooming on a little white dog that had been rescued in a fishing village in Mexico.  He was such a mess it was impossible to identify his breed, and who would expect a purebred dog in a Mexican fishing village?  I so admired the skinny little boy with big brown eyes as I groomed him and saved as much coat as possible.  Because he had dreadful matted staining on his face, he ended up with a little poodle face with donut whiskers.  The people who rescued him thought he was a poodle!  Only later, as the face and body coat grew out were we to realize that mistaken identification. He was 100% Bichon Frise! The little dog did not work out in the home of his rescuers, so he was tearfully brought to me to place him in another home.  After one day with me, he was mine mine mine, for life.  We named him “Gringo”.  Later, when he began writing on the Internet, he named himself “El Gringo”, as if he were the "The One".  That dog had an ego! ("El Gringo" was not just another little white dog. See him pictured below, ready to party in his purple coiffure.)

"El Gringo" was the love of my life.  His marking behavior was a serious challenge, however, and when it became clear that it was straining our relationship, we simply declared an International sport – I.P.U.P. - of which "El Gringo" was the declared Champ-pee-on!  It was easier to laugh than to be angry at him all the time.
Having a Bichon at home catapulted my Bichon grooming to another whole level, and I dedicated myself to mastering the proper breed trim.  I’m still working on it, and somedays I think I’ve almost “got it.”  It sure helps when you have to live with the results of your work.  I’ve had more coaching, attended clinics and seminars, and I surround myself with pictures of Bichons.  Somehow grooming the Bichon Frise has become central to my life.  You never know how your life is going to turn out!
 

Image Copyright 2006 Barbara Bird

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BARBARA BIRD'S WEBSITES

 Picture Articles and How-to Advice on Many Breeds, Including the Bichon 
 Articles on Fluff Drying, Dematting, Scissoring, and More 


BARBARA'S BICHON GROOMING LINKS

Bichon Head - Do's and Dont's
Bichon Makeovers - "Diva" Then and Now
Bichon "Look"
Maintaining the Pet Bichon Coat
Bichon Puppy - First Groom
Bichon Pet Grooming Using a Snap-on Comb
Grooming the Allergic Bichon
Bichon Head Scissoring Techniques
Bichon Transformation Update
Bichon Grooming -Feet First
Step by Step Bichon Grooming - Part One
Step by Step Bichon Grooming - Part Two
Maintaining a Fluffy Bichon
Alternative Pet Bichon Trim
Setting in the Bichon Tail
The Bichon Crest
Bichon Head - The Backside
Bichon Parts - Rear View
Bichon Heads
Creating the Bichon Ledge
Bichon Makeover - Meet Nana
Working on the Bichon Outline
Dematting a Tail
Capturing the Bichon Expression
Shorter, please!
Sculpting Points
Fluff Drying the Pet Bichon (with video clips)
Here's Jake! - Bichon Groom

 

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Never to be forgotten is our dear friend
KIYOMI OCHIAI
who lost  her battle with cancer in July of 1998

Copyright image 2006

 VISIT KIYOMI'S GROOMING PAGE
 

The background image on this page is a copyright image designed by Kiyomi Ochiai for
Norma Dirszowsky.  It is not to be copied without written permission.
Thank you, Kiyomi!

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