CISPAP Review
By Roseann Fucillo
This article first appeared in the September 2006 AKC GAZETTE

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The Complete Illustrated Standard for the Papillon and Phalene, written, illustrated, and published by Mike Foster and Deirdre Ashdown, is the first book to compare American, Australian, United Kingdom, and FCI breed standards.  CISPAP shows virtues and faults through text, photographs, and original illustrations, including 560 drawings and over 550 photos.

I was extremely impressed with the superior quality and workmanship of this book.  Although considered a soft cover, it is extremely sturdy, housed in a beautifully illustrated slipcase, and accompanied with two satin-ribbon bookmarks, each depicting a Papillon or Phalene.  The numbered and signed collector’s edition of 50 volumes ahs a variant cover design with gold lettering and butterflies, and comes with two additional special bookmarks.

Ashdown, a talented artist, teamed up with Foster, an accomplished English Papillon breeder and Dog World breed correspondent, to make history with their premier Millennium Book of the Papillon.  This latest volume is certainly a work of art, a feast for any Papillon and Phalene fancier’s eyes, and a must have for the discriminating collector’s library.  Each one of its 168 pages is adorned with a full-color drawing or photograph, along with text to illustrate its points and comparisons.

I especially like CISPAP’s attention to detail, covering every part of Papillon/Phalene anatomy from the head to the feet.  The head is not just discussed but dissected, including the skull, the mouth and jaws, the eye and expression, and the ears. (There are 14 pages devoted to the latter).  Using the same profile template, varying degrees of stop are illustrated and on slightly different head templates, 12 different muzzles are shown.

Variations of the eye were drawn on the same template, then repeated on alternate ones, to emphasize how color, shape, size, and placement contribute to an alert and sweet expression.  There is no other book on the breed that allows you to see so many examples of what can happen to the look of a head if one of the components misses the mark and varies to an extreme.

The authors are careful to note that many faults in puppies are due to developmental stages, and may be corrected later.  “Puppy tail-sets will never change, but tail carriage can and often does.”  Myths are dispelled here as well.  “A Papillon is never soft-eared because its ears are too large for it to carry them erect, or because the ears are too heavily fringed.”

CISPAP is also a great educational tool.  Many topics, such as breed comparisons and markings (which shows the effect of optical illusions) are invaluable for judges.  Also interesting is a section called “photography and the standard” with tips on how to photograph the best features of your dog.

The authors freely admit CISPAP is their personal interpretation and opinion of the various standards, but note they did not work in vacuum.  They consulted with and gave credit to many authorities, from noted authors on canine movement and construction to experienced Papillon breeders.  The variety of opinions among these experts only reinforced the authors’ purpose and confirmed the need for an original book of this kind.

For ordering information, see www.papilllons60.freeserve.co.uk/standards5htm.

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