Papillion Beth Kagel Size: 8-11 inches tall Weight: 5-9 lbs. Color: White with black, brown, or red patches. May be tri colored. Origin: The Great Pyrenees Mountains Purpose: Companion Dog Photo: This is Beth Kagel's Papillion, Alex Formal name: U.-C.D. Kreje's Alexander the Great C.D.X., H. I. T. C. G. C. T. D. I. P.

The Papillion is a dog with an unusual history. No one can say for sure if the breed came from Spain, France, or Italy. The breeds name comes from the French word for butterfly. Just looking at a Papillion's unusually large fringy ears, you can understand how they got their name.

Papillions are a toy breed, and usually weigh between 5-9 lbs. They are between 8 to 11 inches high at the shoulder. Most often Papillions have a long fringy ,, straight coat. They have slim, straight legs, and their tails curl over their backs.

Usually, what makes a Papillion distinct from other breeds are his blaze and his ears. Traditional Papillions have a white blaze that runs down from the top of their heads to the base of their noses. Traditional Papillions have pricked ears with long silky hair that fully illustrates the butterfly wing shape. However, Papillions do have faces without the blazes , and phalene ears as well. Both types are acceptable to the AKC.

Papillions have adorable faces with a small muzzle that should be a third of the length of his rounded skull. Papillions have enjoyed a long history in Europe. In America, they are not as well known. Papillions were registered with the AKC (American Kennel Club) in 1935.

In Europe, anyone who was anyone had a Papillion. Some famous Papillion owners include Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour. They have been painted by: Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Fragopard.

Papillions think they are as big as a Great Dane. Perhaps this is because they enjoy being picked up and perched on your shoulder. Maybe its their spunky big dog personality. Papillions bond with their owner in a special way. They are dedicated to you till the very end. They will amuse you with their constant games of fetch and kind smiling eyes.

Papillions are very smart and are obedient. They often have clever ways of telling you what they need by a cock of their head, or a wink of an eye. If you were interested in training a dog for dog obedience trials, you might consider a Papillion.

Most Papillion breeders are legitimate, but unfortunately Papillions can be found in pet stores. If you wanted to purchase a Papillion, you should contact Ms. Arlene Czech, leader of the Papillion Club Of America Inc. at 813/597-7721 for a list of breeders nearest to you. Females come into season twice a year and whelp between 2-4 pups.

Recommended reading:
The Illustrated Standard: A Papillion primer, by Virginia Newton
The Papillion Club of America Handbook 1985-1990, by Bonnie Primus.

Beth Kagel
Copyright 1996. All rights reserved.