The name Papillon means `butterfly’ in French and refers to this breed’s appealing butterfly- shaped ears. In France it was also called the Epagneul Nain, or Dwarf Spaniel. This was sometimes given in a longer version as Epagneul Nain Continental, Papillon. Another title was the Chien Ecureuil, or Squirrel Dog, because of its bushy, squirrel-like tail. It has also been known as the Butterfly Spaniel, the Squirrel Spaniel or the Continental by Spaniel. Its modern nickname is the Pap.
This graceful, seemingly delicate little dog is in fact quite hardy and can stand both hot and cold extremes. It has been one of the top lapdogs of continental Europe for over 200 years. Its direct ancestor, the Phalene, which differs only in the shape of its ears, had been a favourite long before that, since at least the 13th century.
The Papillon developed as an erect-eared version of the Phalne in the 18th century. According to one report, somewhere in Belgium a mutation in the Phalne gave rise to the butterfly ears. A rival theory suggests that the Phalne was crossed with some kind of prick-eared miniature spitz dog to produce the erect ear shape.
Whichever story is true, once this feature had appeared, the new type soon overtook the Phalne in popularity and effectively replaced it, so that in later years people imagined that the Phalne was merely a min. or variant of the Papillon, instead of its ancestor. Because of this, the Phalne was sometimes called the Drop-eared Papillon, when it would have been more correct to call the Papillon the Prick-eared Phalne. Edward Ash, for example, writing in the 1920s, remarked: ‘There are two varieties of Papillons, the prick- eared and the drop-eared: In some countries, even today, these two dogs are exhibited as variants of one breed.
The Phalne and the Papillon were always high-status dogs, immensely popular at royal courts throughout Europe. They were the boudoir companions of many noble ladies including both Madame Pompadour and Marie Antoinette. When, in her last days, the latter was awaiting the guillotine, e, her little pet, called Thisbe, is said to have waited patiently for her outside her prison. Many great artists, including Titian, Goya, Rubens, Rembrandt, Fragonard, Watteau and Boucher, added these little dogs to their portraits of the famous.
Despite its widespread popularity in continental Europe, the Papillon did not appear in England until 1901. It was not accepted by the Kennel Club in. London until the mid-1920s, or by the AKC in the United States until the mid-1930s. This late arrival in the English-speaking world was probably due to the entrenched position of the King Charles Spaniel, which occupied a similar social niche.
In personality, the Papillon has been described as a quick and impulsive breed. Known fondly as ‘beauty-and-brain. s’, it is an alert, affectionate, adaptable, lively little dog that lacks aggression, but can, if necessary, attack and kill any rodents it encounters. It is only 8II in (20-28 cm) in height and weighs only 9-10 lb (4 kg). Its long, silky coat is basically white, but has darker markings.
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