Country/Date of Origin: Belgium/1400s
The progenitor of the Papillon, the Phalene made its dainty way into the hands of French royal ladies via Italy and possibly Spain. The Phalene came to its refined flowering at the French court of Louis XIV in the 17th Century. The dwarf spaniels were carried to England and then to the U.S. The breed was accepted into the American Kennel Club in 1935. (see Papillon)