For several years, we have asked about Bichons that lived 19 years or longer and we find that this is an age than some Bichons can achieve. On average, Bichons live 14-16 years but many reach 17 and beyond. Your responses have shown that it is not unusual for them to reach 18 and some even do reach 19 years. Those that make it to 20 and beyond are few and we would still like to hear about these rare old timers. Even more important, we would like to be able to see pedigrees or at least registration papers giving the names of their parents. These papers enable us to trace the background beyond the first two or three generations.

It is interesting to all Bichon owners to know that a long life is credible in our breed. However our interest in these unusually long lived Bichons is their ancestry. When we have been able to trace their pedigrees, we have found a common ancestor many generations back. We hope you will continue to notify us of those reaching age 20 and beyond so that we can celebrate with you their longevity. In order to add them to the count, we want a date of birth (memories do fade, you know) and the date of death when it occurs. A copy of the pedigree or registration papers will also allow us to find out if your long lived Bichon is another "cousin" to those who are already on our list.

You might like to know that research has been done at several universities to determine if there is a gene or a combination of genes that add to longer life. So far there has been no proven result but families of dogs that live longer lives than usual are present in many breeds. In the meantime, a good diet, a clean environment and an understanding of what makes our dogs healthy can benefit all living beings, whatever their genetic structure.