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fourth
place ribbon by a
breeder/judge. The next
day, at the regular
classes Oliver was
shown in the 9 to 12
class under all
around Judge Mr. Joseph
Gregory and he showed
like a dream, enjoying
himself every
moment that he was in
the ring while
exhibiting the butterfly
traits that he
possesses. He had
matured into a lovely 9
¾” male
with
huge ears, an abundant
silky
white
coat, and strong
movement. He had all of
these qualities plus a
zest for life that makes
him such an enjoyable
dog. Later
that day, he went into
the Winners Dog lineup
and wound up being
awarded Reserve Winners
Dog
behind an older open
dog.
We
were so proud of his
performance as the
applause from the crowd
was deafening. You could
look into his dark eyes
and
see
how
his demeanor never
changed whether he just
won or not Oliver was
the same dog we had all
come to love so dearly.
Time would pass and
Oliver embarked on his
Specials Career with his
new handler, Tray
Pittman, and the
accolades and wins
followed thereafter. He
would soon become a
multiple Toy Group
Winner and, in October
2004, at just over two
years of age,
he
would go on to Best of
Breed at the Tulsa
Papillon Club Specialty.
All through these
wonderful wins and after
his BISS,
you
could see Oliver
becoming more and more
focused on his time in
the ring. With a limited
amount of showing in
2004,
he
would finish the year as
the #8 dog while
amassing quite a string
of impressive victories.
There was a great
anticipation for
the coming year, 2005,
as Oliver was surging
and the team of Oliver
and Tray
were confident
that they were going to
an even
higher level of winning
in the New Year.
On a beautiful Saturday
afternoon, March 19,
2005, at the Skyline Dog
Fanciers Show of San
Mateo County in
California,
Oliver
and his handler were
competing in a Toy Group
with Multiple Best In
Show dogs after going
Best of Breed
under
Mrs.
Joan P. Scott but they
never felt outdone by
such a high level of
competition. He went on
to win the Toy Group
under
Mrs.
Vicki L. Abbott in this
arena of top dogs. He
would go on to compete
late in the afternoon
with six other top dogs
in the
country, all Multiple
Best In Show dogs,
including the Number 3
dog in the country and
two dogs who had won
their respective
groups at the
Westminster Kennel Club.
To say the least, he was
amid formidable
competition but the team
put together
a
sparkling performance,
wowing the crowd of
leftover dog show
people. He moved around
the ring with the ease
that he has
become so use to
exhibiting and also
maintained his
playfulness and zeal. He
was a picture of
brilliance and was
awarded
Best
In Show under Mrs. Joan
P. Scott, who would
later go on to comment
that she was mesmerized
by this little
butterfly
and
that he was a
masterpiece in the ring.
The total Oliver team,
which consists of owners
Donna G. & Michael
S. Garofalo,
Elyse ( Griffin )
Vandermolen, and Sharon
&
David Newcomb were
overwhelmed by this
prestigious win. We were
elated to hear that he
had become only the 37th
Papillon
to be awarded an All
Breed Best In Show in
the U.S.A. He is the
consummate show dog,
always giving more and
more every
time in the ring while
still maintaining the
wonderful qualities that
make him such an
enjoyable Papillon. He
is truly a joy to live
with, and to show, and
we are in awe of his
very being. He never
stops surprising us with
his antics and we
can’t believe
the
little puppy we whelped
such a short time ago
has become such an
incredible Papillon.
Baby O, as we
affectionately call
him,
is a pleasure to behold
and we are so proud of
him.
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