In 1945, the UK Kennel Club first recognized the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. By then, not many of the old type were left, but there were still a few breeders who could breed them, and so their comeback began. It wasn’t until the 20th century that an American dog-lover named Roswell Eldridge decided to bring back my ancestors’ old-school look.Įldridge offered a prize to British breeders who could recreate the old look, which he called “Blenheim Spaniels of the Old World Type,” in 1926. Charles II was so obsessed with us that he made it illegal to ban my ancestors from any public place, including the House of Parliament! Over the next few centuries, the English began to breed my ancestors with flat-faced toy breeds like the Japanese Chin and Pug, which completely changed their look. This became the English Toy Spaniel, known as the King Charles Spaniel in England. In the 17th century, England’s King Charles I and his son, Charles II, became especially fond of my ancestors and bred a black-and-tan version. They even slept with their humans in order to attract fleas so their humans wouldn’t get bitten! If you need any evidence of how beloved my ancestors were, these little dogs are immortalized in many famous portraits of their royal parents. They served as companion dogs for European royalty, literal lap dogs who sat on their humans to provide warmth and comfort. My earliest ancestors were the toy spaniels, favored by the royal courts of Europe as far back as the Renaissance.

Cavs as you know them today took a long time to develop. We Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are a young breed with a long history.

King charles cavalier puppy