This jovial spaniel retains a sporting heritage in a loving, portable package.
No other breed of dog has evolved amid more drama than the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Small in size, gentle in nature, with a most sweet and appealing expression, Toy spaniels were not uncommon in European court society in the 15th century. In 1486, Dame Juliana Berners wrote a monograph called The Boke of St. Albans in which she included in a list of dog breeds described as “small ladyes puppees that beare awaye the flees.”
The palace physician to Queen Elizabeth I called these small spaniels “delicate, neat, and pretty kind of dogs, called the Spaniel comforter … These dogs are … pretty, proper, and fine, and sought for to satisfy the delicateness of dainty dames.” (De Canibus Britannicus, 1570). No one has adored the Cavalier as much as the English monarchs Charles I and Charles II, who championed these little dogs – and no one has reviled them as much as their courtiers, who often found them repulsive and unsanitary. Want to read the full story? Pick up the March 2007 issue of DOG WORLD today, or subscribe to recieve the best dog articles, dog news, and dog information every month!