The Papillon, a cuddly, "Toy" dog that weighs only 9 or 10 pounds with a height of between 8 and 11 inches. The Papillon's coat is long, flowing, and silky in texture. Their coat will fluff at the chest area, and is fringed at their ears which should be given a daily light brushing. The Papillon is white with patches of other colors such as black, red, sable, tan or orange.

They may also be tri-colored, white body with black and tan markings. The hallmark coloring covers both eyes and ears completely and a white blaze on the forehead. Although rare, Papillon's can be either pure white or jet black. These Papillon's are excluded from AKC showing.

The Papillon originated in the 16th century, a popular lap breed loved by nobles and aristocracy in Europe. The French translation of Papillon is Butterfly, which they resemble with the white blaze on the forehead as the body, and the fringed ears as the wings. They are quite often considered to be a dainty breed, but in reality are well balanced and lively. They are a sturdy and hardy breed.

The Papillon is always alert, playful, and elegant. They are intelligent and friendly, taking great delight in meeting and greeting everyone they come into contact with. The Papillon does not display a shy or aggressive nature. They are highly energetic and athletic, but are also calm and patient but not as puppies. They are gentle and affectionate and love to be cuddled. A steady and obedient breed, the Papillon does well with older considerate children.

They may display possessiveness of their owner. They are quick to alert their family to danger or visitors, and may have a propensity to bark at all sights and sounds. However, they are not yappy or high strung. Indeed, the Papillon is a lovely companion.

The Papillon does not shed unless not brushed for a long period of time. They have no undercoat. A Papillon sheds so very moderately, it's hardly noticeable. Therefore, they need to be brushed lightly every day or two, on the ears, tail and chest. It is important to pay particular attention to the hair behind the ears and on the stomach as these would be the areas more prone to matting. They should only be bathed once a week for they do not have an odor. Dry shampooing will be suffice. However, after bathing and they are dried, be prepared for them to slip right out of your hands; their hair is just that silky! It is important to keep the pads of their paws trimmed to prevent splaying.

If one could say the Papillon is "prone" to health issues it would be cataracts, patella luxation, and Von Willebrands disease.

The Papillon is extremely obedient and has an uncanny ability at problem solving. However, Papillons are very strong willed so you have to have the authority and show it while they are still very young. They require intense socialization at an early age, most notably with cats.

Papillons do extremely well in obedience and agility, and are highly trainable in the competitive show ring. They also make excellent therapy and service dogs. They respond best to consistent, loving and gentle guidance. The Papillon also loves to learn and perform tricks and are smart. Oh so smart!

Papillons are very easy to house train. We have a desk top 'school bell' sitting beside our door. When our little darling has to go outside to 'tinkle' he simply rings the bell!

The Papillon loves outdoor exercise and enjoys a daily walk. Yards must be securely fenced, as this breed will use their problem solving skills to escape if left unsupervised. The Papillon is an active indoor breed and some of their exercise needs can be fulfilled with play sessions. They do very well living in apartments. Papillons are not 'yappers,' however, they must be trained at a very early age the appropriate time to bark.

Papillons are great travelers! Ours know when we are going somewhere! We travel a lot and take our Papillon with us wherever we go. How excited he gets when we jingle the car keys and ask him if he wants to go on a trip! He loves his Travel Kennel. He knows his leash is something that belongs with his Travel Kennel, along with his "babies" (stuffed toys) and his chew bones.

We true animal lovers! Over the years we have had several breeds of dogs, each one of them were members of our family. We loved each one dearly and they remained, as part of our family, long past their normal years of living. The loss of our last 16 year old dog was so painful we thought we'd never get another.

However, after our own personal survival and overcoming the challenges presented by Hurricane Katrina we knew we needed to somehow take our medically challenged child's mind off of what was before us. We decided to do this by granting him the deepest wish of his heart: his very own puppy, specifically, a Papillon.

Today, a year later, without a doubt, it was the best decision ever made! Not only has our Papillon been the best therapy for all of us, he is the greatest bundle of JOY that we could have ever hoped to receive.

If you are considering a new addition to your home, think PAPILLON.