My name is Jennifer Jones, and I am located in Carlsbad, New Mexico (yes, its in the United States, directly between Texas and Arizona....we are not in "Mexico")  It is 20 miles north-east of the wondrous Carlsbad Caverns and 20 miles to the west we have Sitting Bull Falls....and all the camping, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, four wheelin' and huntin' you can find time for.

I got my first Papillon in 2001 and so my journey began.  I hit the internet searching for more information and came across Toymaker's Peice of Cake, Paparazzo Forussi (who incidentally have the same sire), Alex First Choice, Sunshine Butterfly Xanadu and Mefath's Phoenix of Love.  I have never seen a puppy produced by these boys that I did not fall in love with....they are the reason I am breeding and showing today.  Though there have been plenty of obstacles along the way, they are the lines I've ultimately aspired to model my breeding program after. 

It is very difficult to get started in the show ring, because many breeders don't like to trust new-comers with their lines that they've worked so hard to produce.  It takes a good deal of determination to get into it, so most people get "fed up" and simply breed the dogs they love, contributing to the number of "pet breeders", which in turn, contributes to puppy mills, because the dogs are more easily obtainable. 

 I have spent a great deal of money on "show prospects that I could afford" that didn't turn out, but I figured that if I bred to excellent quality males, I would eventually get a show dog.  After several years of breeding, and only producing pet quality puppies, I decided "to heck with this" and began investing in better dogs and better lines, and to avoid making "alliances" that would burn bridges with other breeders, I chose to import from Europe, rather than play the game where if you buy from breeder "A", you're blacklisted from buying from breeders "B, C and D" and vice versa.  I felt that this was the best way to remain independent and hopefully to avoid much of the drama that goes on ring-side. 

I learned the hard way....the more expensive way, that I would have been much better off, and gotten much further ahead, if I'd spent the money and bought the quality dogs to begin with. What I learned from my mistakes was to save my money, don't buy on a whim and hold out for exactly what I'm looking for, rather than buying whatever was available that I can afford at the time and trying to work my way up from there.  I could have saved a mild fortune, had I realized this from the beginning.  If I can help anyone learn anything, I hope it is "don't waste your time trying to 'breed up' from mediocre dogs".

Aside from the Papillons, we are in a sort of partnership with my parents and their ranch in the foothills of the Guadalupe Mountains.  (And I don't mean one of those 5 acre "ranches" on the edge of town, with 30 neighbors within rifle range).  To put it into perspective, it is over 22 sections in size (one section equals one square mile, so their ranch spans over 22 square miles).  My brother and I each own 50 head of cattle, while my parents run 150-200.  Its very small in comparison to those ranches that maintain 500-1000 head or more, but it seems to be just perfect for us, because we can work it ourselves, and don't have to hire hands to help out.  Because of my husband job, we are not able to live on the ranch, but we sure do enjoy the time we get to spend there.

Before my life with Papillons began and before the family exploded in size, I co-managed a private animal shelter that was owned by a vet.  I was sent to some animal behavior classes, as well as to local groomers to learn how to groom.  On my free time, that vet started teaching me the skills of a Tech (Veterinary Assistant).  I relished those skills and later on, they helped me to get a job as a Vet Tech when we moved to another town.  It has been BY FAR, my very most favorite job.

Prior to that, I worked in a no-kill shelter.  What a horrific experience!  "No Kill" shelters are a noble idea, but completely, and enormously unrealistic.  On a good day, I only had to carry 15 dogs and cats to the dumpsters, and a bad day, it was closer to 30-35.  The dogs that were not killed by each other, were killed by disease.  The thing about no-kill shelters, is that they tend to be over crowded.   I can tell you from a very bad experience, that there are far worse things than death, and for a dog, living in a no-kill shelter is certainly one of them.  Working so closely with the rescues and shelters, I have found that, even though they mean well, it is not always the best thing for a dog.  I know too many "foster homes" for pets that have no business caring for another living creature, and I just won't take the chance of one of the pets that I am responsible for, ending up with one! 

Please also check out this article...it is a MUST READ for anyone who values the constitutional right to own and/or breed their pets:

"Mentoring: A way to oppose the Animal Rights Crazies" an AWESOME article about how to fight the Animal Rights Movement, and why you should.

Thank you for checking out my site, I hope you enjoy your visit.