If you want to rescue a Bichon Frise instead of buying a puppy, good for you! You can keep checking your local animal shelters for Bichon Frise dogs, but that can be iffy at best.
However, you could ask the animal shelter workers if they know of any Bichon Frise rescue groups in your area.
There are breed rescue groups for almost every dog breed imaginable.
Since the Bichon Frise is such a popular breed, the chances are there is a Bichon Frise rescue group within driving distance.
Another great place to go to in finding a good Bichon Frise rescue group is online.
Bichon Frise rescue groups often have web sites that not only feature dogs they have for adoption, but are great sources for Bichon Frise information.
Although these are great dogs, they do have special needs, especially with grooming.
Taking on a Bichon is taking on a big commitment.
There are many places online to find reputable Bichon Frise rescue groups.
One is Petfinder.
com, which can help narrow your search considerably.
Another is the Bichon Frise Club of America's website, which includes a large section on rescue organizations in the nation.
However, there is not a comprehensive national Bichon Frise list on the web.
Be prepared to spend some time with your favorite search engine to find a Bichon Frise rescue group near you.
You might find web sites that claim to be Bichon Frise rescues, but they are really just virtual fronts for puppy mills.
If the rescue group offers more than two breeds, be wary, especially if those breeds don't have much to do with each other.
Bichon Frise and Toy Poodle would be a logical rescue breed combination, as they have similar needs.
But a Bichon Frise and an English Bulldog rescue group should make you very suspicious.
If they offer to take orders for puppies it is defiantly a puppy mill and not a genuine humane rescue group.
There will be a few telltale signs of a website that is of a genuine Bichon Frise rescue group.
First off, you will have to fill out a very long adoption application form.
That is just to get an interview with one of the volunteers.
You should also be prepared to arrange all transportation yourself.
A real dog rescue group will not offer to ship their dogs (unless it's in the immediate area).
Another sign is that the pictures of the Bichon Frise dogs will not look like any of the show dogs you see on televised dog shows.
They will often seem too big, their coats too corkscrewed and their coats full of stains.
They still are Bichon Frise, but not show quality Bichon Frise.
Although some rescue dogs will have pedigrees, most will not.
However, there's no real guarantee that the written pedigree for a purebred is the honest truth! Care more for the character of the dog rather than the looks.