Papillons are a hearty little breed, the Canadian Kennel Club breed standard states that a papillon is "a small, friendly, elegant toy dog of fine-bone structure; they are light, and dainty with a lively action; distinguished from other breeds by its beautiful butterfly-like ears." Papillons are companion dogs who love to be with "their people". Mine follow me constantly which of course I love.

The Papillon, which has existed in western Europe for many centuries, is quite possibly a descendant of the dwarf Spaniel.

The origin of the breed is obscure, but it was known to be well established in Spain, Italy and France by the sixteenth century.

The Papillons which first came to England at the beginning of the twentieth century were much larger and heavier than the present day dogs - some weighing as much as 5.5kg. The majority of the breed nowadays weigh 1.5 - 2.7 kg owing to selective breeding reducing their size.

There are two varieties of the Papillon. The dropped-eared variety - believed to have been the original dogs - and the erect-eared dogs, which were possibly developed in the latter part of the nineteenth century.

The dogs with the dropped-ears are known as Phalene (French for "moth"), and the erect-eared variety are called Papillon (French for "butterfly"), as their ears resemble a butterfly's wings set obliquely on their heads. The blaze, which is "desireable" represents the body of the butterfly.

The Papillon is considered to be one of the oldest toy breeds in continental Europe and was a favourite at the French court. Their famous owners include Henry III, Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour. I love the old pictures with papillons sitting gracefully on the womens skirts, or just sitting magestically in a garden.

There is evidence that these small dogs were favourites of the Old Masters, as Papillons were portrayed by many of them - including Rubens and Rembrandt - from as early as the sixteenth century.

A charming and elegant breed that is amazingly hardy and active, therefore a daily walk is appreciated.

The papillon comes in various colours. We work hard to produce healthy, happy puppies. It is of course impossible for us to (order up a certain colour) for puppy people. I have only one red male here (Echo). He has not even produced a red puppy of his own. We strive for health first, colour is secondary. Papillons are not non-allergetic, and don't let anyone tell you that they are.

All our papillon puppies are sold on non-breeding contracts. Pups must be spayed and neutered at the appropriate time. This fact is not negotiable.