4d • Breed of the Week
Papillon
The Papillon (French for “butterfly”) is a breed of dog that is not a traditional working breed but they do have the ability. A member of this community has a couple that earn their biscuits with the responsibilities that she has trained them for. I have also heard of a Papillon being trained for human remain detection. They are not a common breed and I have only met a few in my life but each time their owners had a nothing but wonderful things to say about the breed and their level of intelligence. One description is “This breed is not a Barbie without a brain; it is Miss. Universe with a PhD, an M.D. and a Miss Congeniality title too!...Think of a ballet dancer: very athletic, but still ethereal looking”.
The Papillon breed is a toy breed that is dated back to the 16th century. They are thought to be a really small spaniel (which could explain the intelligence and work capability) with some researchers believing they are a modern Continental Toy Spaniel. If you do an image search of the CTS you will see images of the Papillon. While some researchers believe they are their own breed related to a dog called a Phalene (French for “moth”). Phalene’s have ears that droop which apparently resemble a moth with their wings folded and Papillon’s ears are erect which more resemble a butterfly with their wings out. When this ear change occurred is unknown, but you can still find some of the drooped ear variety in litters of Papillons today.
Unfortunately the true origin of the Papillon is one that is lost to history so let’s talk about what we, as humans, have more confidence on in their history.
Marie Antoinette loved the breed so much, and specifically her Papillon Coco, that she apparently held Coco while being beheaded. Not to worry Coco lived on, survived the French Revolution and passed away at the age of 22. The house that Coco lived in and was cared for in is known today as the House of Papillon. Coco’s velvet “kennel” can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City according to one source.
After the French Revolution in the 19th century is apparently where the Papillon we are familiar with today became their own variety -separate from the toy spaniels and the Phalenes. They were so popular that everyone from commoners to the nobles adored and owned them.
In the 1800s the Papillon came to the United States and became a popular breed in no time. They have maintained being one of the top 50 most popular dog in America but that popularity has declined in the last decade. They are still in the top 30% out of 200 breeds.
Despite their small stature they take their job as guard dogs seriously. They are friendly especially with their family but may be considered too delicate for families with small children since the breed is quite physically delicate (AKC standards from what I read). They also want to be the center of your life and do best in families that are not away for long periods.
I tried finding information on this House of Papillon but was unsuccessful. I was only able to find other articles referencing the house and not a site for the house itself. If you have any information on it please share in the comments!
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Papillon
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