to Russian national pride and the desire for a small, wavy or curly-coated dog to happily curl up on a lap explain why Russian breeders exclusively developed the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka in Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg.
A member of the Bichon family, the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka has an easy-going temperament and is a devoted companion, suitable for both limited space city and room-to-roam country living.
The name of this toy breed translates from Russian to “Russian Colored Lapdog,” and it is affectionately referred to as “Bolonka” or “Bolonki.” Other nicknames for this gentle and charming canine include “Colored Bichon,” “Russian Colored Bichon,” and “Toy Bolonki.”
Pronouncing this Russian member of the Bichon family may seem challenging at first, but with a bit of practice, “Russian S-vet-naya Bo-lonk-a” will soon roll off the tongue.
The Bolonka’s Beginning
In Russia during the 1900s, the only breeds that existed were large working breeds, such as the Borzoi, known as the Russian Wolfhound, which the Russian aristocracy favored and used for hunting wolves and other large game.
Other large Russian breeds included the Samoyed, used as companions and to help herd reindeer and haul sleds for the Samoyedic people, and the Black Russian Terrier, which performed police and military work. The Caucasian Shepherd Dog possessed guarding abilities, and the Laika breeds were versatile hunters with Spitz-like appearance that pulled sleds, herded, and hunted.
When the Soviets ruled Leningrad from 1924 to 1991, large breeds and two small dogs with long coats appeared in the first post-war canine exhibition in 1946. “These were of inferior quality,” says Candace Mogavero, President of the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka Club of America. The following year, only one small, long-coated dog exhibited.
The only small Russian dog was the Russian Toy, developed in the 18th century and bred solely for the aristocracy. At an elegant 7 to 11 inches tall, this fine-boned, lively toy came in two coat varieties: smooth and long.
Only Size Matters
In the early 1950s, Russian breeders sought to create another toy breed. They wanted a dog somewhat larger than the Russian Toy but with a longer curly or wavy coat that enjoyed cuddling and curling up on their owner’s lap. Eleven inches tall and weighing 7 to 9 pounds was ideal.
Small dogs were rare in Russia. Breeders determined to create a new breed had to pair any scaled-down-sized dog they could find.
In Leningrad in 1951, Bolonka breeders paired two dogs: “Trifon,” a white dog from Hungary, and “Zhuzhu,” a coffee-colored dog purchased from a circus touring in Leningrad. The only trait these dogs shared was their size. The match resulted in the first Bolonka litter of two black and brown-coated puppies.
From 1952 to 1961, additional matches with other petite breeds included the Maltese, Bolognese, and Shih Tzu. Careful selection of desired traits in the offspring formed a uniform, new breed, and the number of the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka increased.
“The breeders chose brown, black, grey, or dark red colored coats,” Mogavero says. “They valued any color other than solid white.”
In 1958, the name of the first Bolonka appeared in a breeding book. Fifteen Bolonki appeared at a canine exhibition in Leningrad in 1969. By the 1970s, the number of Bolonki grew to 100.
The Bolonka Comes to the U.S.
The Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka was fully AKC-recognized on January 1, 2026, and is a member of the Toy Group.
When Mogavero, a Havanese breeder, first saw photos of Bolonki on the Internet in 2000, she knew she had to have one. Soon, she was the first person in the U.S. to import Bolonki from Russia.
“I liked their appearance with their dark-colored coats,” Mogavero says. She contacted Elvira Romanenkova, a prominent Russian Bolonki breeder of the Ladushki kennel. Romanenkova’s son served as their interpreter. Mogaveroand arranged for a puppy, and six months later, a 5-month-old “Gigi” Ladushka Ocharovashka arrived in Mogavero’s Delaware home.
“I was pleased that her pedigree matched her tattoo number for proper identification,” Mogavero says. The puppy proved to be a show-off who loved standing on her hind legs and dancing. Mogavero later imported additional Bolonki and bred them under her Faireland name.
Mogavero’s friend, Dr. Patricia McRae, imported two unrelated puppies from the same breeder in 2002. McRae later bred the male, “Neko,” Ladushki Rostok, to the female, Ladushki Kudrjashka. Two Havanese breeders, Jane Falkenstein and Nancy Holmes, imported three females, Aljapka Ladushki, TsaTsa Ladushki, and Toska Ladushki, and one male, “Asa” Ladushki Schlegel, from the same breeder.
With the hopes of developing the Bolonka in the U.S., they formed the North American Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka Club. They established a registry of dogs imported from Russia and bred in the U.S. The litters registered with McRae’s Ahavapicaro kennel name.
Road to Recognition
In 2015, AKC accepted the breed into the Foundation Stock Service (FSS). The club’s name changed to the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka Club of America. On January 1, 2023, the breed joined the AKC Miscellaneous Class.
“The breed’s personality is similar to Havanese,” Mogavero says. “They’re friendly, happy, and bark when something’s important, but not noisy.”
Bolonki adopt their owner’s personality and activity level. If the owner is active, the dogs are energetic and ready to follow them. “Or Bolonki are content to sit on a lap and watch TV if that’s what the owner is doing,” Mogavero says.
In consideration of Russia’s frigid temperatures, the Bolonki has a double-thick coat that seldom tangles. Brushing the long curls a few times a week helps maintain them in good condition.
Denise Dang, Secretary for the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka Club of America, enjoys participating in AKC Rally with her “Leo” Bliss Leonardo at Faireland RN, RA.
“This breed is happy to participate alongside their owner in any AKC sport,” Mogavero says.
Three new dog breeds have received AKC breed recognition in 2026! Meet the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka, the Basset Fauve de Bretagne, and the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier.