PAPILLONS: A BREED Q & A
LOU ANN KING My husband, Terry, and I share our home with our Papillons, 4 cats and a canary. We have two daughters, Stephanie (and son-in- law, Clay) and Danielle, and four grandchildren, Adam (17), Trin- ity (15), Sophia (9) and Stella (2). Terry and I are very fortunate to have them all living nearby. Both my children and my grandchildren have all grown up with the Papil- lons so it truly has been a fam- ily affair. For me, my involvement with dogs in general and Papillons in particular, has always been a deeply personal experience, one that I feel has made me a broader minded person with wonderful friends all over the world, all connected because of this delightfully enchant- ing breed. I am a member of a number of Papillon organiza- tions, including The Butterfly Dog (Papillon) Club (England), the Greater Chicagoland Papillon Club, the Papillon Club of Iowa, where I served as President while we worked and gained show giving status, and the Papillon Club of America, where I currently serve as the Treasurer and Judges Educa- tion Chair. My involvement with Papillons is now in it’s 40th year, with well over 200 homebred champions. SANDRA SCHUMACHER
and bred her first litter in 1999. Since then, numerous multi- titled Papillons bear the TopFlite name, including High-in Trial, National and specialty winners in the US and Canada. Particular highlights include winning both BBE classes at a recent National, chosen Best BBE at several Nationals and spe- cialties, as well as producing the Top Obedience Papillon in PCA rankings and competitors on multiple Canadian Agility World teams. I served on the board of the Papillon Club of America for 16 consecutive years, holding office as Treasurer and President. I am also active in my local obedience/agility and all-breed clubs, fulfilling numerous positions and duties over the years. My husband and I live in Montana. He spends his time golfing and tending to his hobby vineyard, while I train and travel to dog shows. 1. What is the first thing you look at when you are evaluating a Papillon? LK: The first things I look for are head shape and expression, but that does not mean that is the whole of the dog; but if they are not pretty, with proper head shape and expres- sion, why go any further? SS: Attitude is important. Is he happy to be here and ready to do what his handler asks? 2. What special features of the breed do you prize? LK: The head as a whole must be small with the proper pro- portion, a well-defined stop, the dark rounded eyes must be placed properly, as well as the skull being not too wide or too narrow, along with being slightly rounded between the ears. The skull should not be flat. The pig- ment needs to be black. There is no differential between the sexes—they should all be Papillons. “ATTITUDE IS IMPORTANT. IS HE HAPPY TO BE HERE AND READY TO DO WHAT HIS HANDLER ASKS?”
I started in 4-H with an English Springer Spaniel and switched to Papillons because a smaller dog was easier travelling companion. Showing in obedience (prior to the introduction of agility and all the many other events that AKC now offers), I soon realized that Papil- lons were mostly owner-handled in the conformation ring and many entries had titles at both ends. I acquired my first Papillon in 1979
Photo by CPM
222 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , A PRIL 2017
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