The Billy - a cheerful companion
General information about the Billy
The Billy dog breed originated in France and is assigned to FCI group 6 and section 1.1, under standard number 25. The Billy belongs to the category of running dogs and has a strong and athletic build.
Origin and history of the Billy
The Billy takes its name from the village of the same name in the French Poitou. In this small place the first breeder of the Billys Hublot du Rivault lived. The Billy is originally a crossed dog breed from three different breeds, which no longer exist today. The breeder Rivault bred the first Billy from the Céris, the Montaimboeuf and the Larrye. The real breeding of the Billy began by Hublot du Rivault only in the 19th century and it is assumed that the first breeder should have crossed also greyhounds, what this denies, however. That today exact race standards can be specified, is to be owed likewise to the first breeder. Rivault paid attention strictly and meticulously to his breeding animals and documented every little thing.
But despite the breeding success of this then new breed, the Billy was not spared the consequences of the Second World War. In 1945 there were hardly any purebred Billys left, but Rivault's son started to continue the breeding. The further breeding took its course and in the meantime there are several breeding clubs in France, which have specialized in the Billy.