Early Beginnings of The Papillon in America
By Roseann Fucillo
This article first appeared in the September 2009 AKC GAZETTE SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

To subscribe to the Gazette, please visit akc.org/pubs.

Mrs. de Forrest Danielson, of Massachusetts, was one of the first prominent Papillon exhibitors in America.  More of a collector than a breeder, she helped gain Papillons recognition.  Many of her beautiful exhibits came from Mrs. Langton Dennis, of the Offley prefix, a breeder-agent who acquired her dogs from Europe.

Mrs. Danielson and her dogs made breed history.  She became the first PCA president in 1930.  She bred and finished the first AKC registered Papillon, Joujou, in 1915, and owned and in 1936 exhibited Am./Eng. Ch. Offley Black Diamond, the first BIS and BISS Papillon.  Her Am./Eng. Ch. Coquette was the first to gain international honor, for 10 years undefeated in both England and the United States.  Coquette represented the breed in many editions of the AKC’s Complete Dog Book.

In contrast, Mrs. Kemerer, of Princeton, New Jersey, of the Dulceda line, actively bred, exhibited, and imported Papillons, many contributing to the development of the breed.  Her Eng. Ch. Monamie Coquille was undefeated, winning 18 challenge certificates.  Unlike most top show bitches, Coquille made an enormous contribution to the progress of the breed.  After all, isn’t it the purpose of dog shows and the mission of judges to identify and reward the best breeding stock?

Published with permission from the AKC GAZETTE.  This article is not to be copied, whole or in part, without written permission from the author.

Roseann Fucillo