My Life-Changing Griffon Experience: Meet Duśka and LaLa

I'll never forget the first time I heard the term 'griffon.' It instantly brought back memories of those mythical creatures on the Bank Bridge in St. Petersburg, and those delicious chocolate bars from the Krupskaya factory. But six years ago, my association with griffons took a dramatic turn. I got my first griffon, and she took over our lives and turned everything upside down. Then, two years ago, she got a playmate that was just as mischievous.

So, I've been thinking... griffons can be divided into three breeds. The Belgian Griffon has a charming beard and a medium-length coat. They come in black or black-and-tan. The Brussels Griffon is similar to the Belgian, but with a wheat, red, or black-and-tan coat. The Petit Brabançon, or small Brabançon, is short-haired, beardless, and comes in a variety of colors: black, black-and-tan, and red.

And, if you're in on the secret... there are also chocolate-colored griffons and Petit Brabançons. They're relatively rare and not yet recognized by most kennel clubs, but they're definitely adorable.

Griffons come in different sizes, but most of them are pretty small. On average, they reach 9-11 inches in height and weigh between 7.7 and 13.2 pounds.

When we first started looking for a dog, we knew we wanted a small breed that was easy to care for. We needed a dog that could run around our apartment without causing too much of a ruckus. And, of course, we wanted a dog that was smart, trainable, and friendly. Griffons seemed like the perfect fit, especially since they're supposed to shed very little and require regular grooming.

So, meet my two furry friends.

This is Duśka (officially known as Reiko) - the older one. She weighs 11 pounds and has been terrorizing me since the day she arrived (six years ago). We got her when she was just 1.5 months old. She's a standard black-and-tan with a rectangular build, but she sheds like crazy.

I've got two fearless girls at home, and they're quite the handful. The older one loves to eat, but she's not exactly the most obedient. She's got a knack for finding the most disgusting things on the street and gobbling them up before her owners can catch her. She's convinced she's the top dog and protector of the house, and she'll bark the whole building down if she hears any suspicious noise. But don't worry, she's not aggressive - she's just a big softie. After the younger one arrived, she learned some new tricks, like checking the table for scraps if no one's looking. And, of course, she's chosen me as her authority figure, which means she's always trying to defend me from the rest of the world. The result? This 'friendly' little girl will sometimes get a bit too enthusiastic and nip at me. But hey, at least she's smart - she knows the names of her toys, and if you ask her for something specific, she'll bring it to you.

Now, let me tell you about the younger one, LaLa (aka U La La). She's a tiny little thing, only 3 kg, but she's got a big personality. She's a chocolate-brown color with a bit of a patchy coat, and she's still got that adorable mini-me look going on at 2.5 years old. She's almost completely hairless, which is just one of the many quirks that make her so lovable.

LaLa's a total companion dog - she loves being around people and getting attention. If there's someone in the house, she expects to be held, carried around, or taken to bed. She's a sweetie pie who doesn't bark or nip at people, unless she's feeling a bit mischievous and decides to take a bite out of her older sister. She's a bit of a scaredy-cat, too - without her older sister to protect her, she's terrified to go for walks, won't pee in new places, and will trip over her own feet if she's not on a familiar route. At first, she didn't bark or go on the lookout for 'treats' on the street, but her older sister taught her how to do it. There was even a phase where she tried to climb up onto the table (for about a month, but her older sister put a stop to that quickly). She's got a bit of a 'ditz' look going on, but she's actually pretty smart and reasonably obedient. She loves to eat, play, and get into mischief - and she's a master thief, always trying to swipe things that don't belong to her and make off with them in a flash. Unfortunately, she's a bit of a cold-blooded creature, so she's always trying to snuggle up under the blankets or wear her favorite winter coat and boots.

I'll show you how big the girls are in comparison.

A little winter stroll

When the little one hides, you have to search for her...

And here's a photo of the little one at the groomer's - just so you understand how different she looks before and after grooming, and what she thinks of you afterwards (for those who don't know, grooming is like a dog's epilation - the hair is removed from the roots). We take the little one to the groomer, no hair in the house, a few hours and she's 'ready'. The older one gets groomed at home, stretching it out over a couple of weeks

These bearded faces are the ones that live in our house... Think about it, maybe your house needs a Griffon housemate?)

And while we're on the subject of our beauties, who love a periodical hatred of walks, here are the helpers we use for that - these amazing Flexi collars and these affordable dog light clips

So, we tried to fight stress, panic, and fear

And so, we'd take them for walks during heat with the older one (now she's sterilized for almost 2 years now)