10 Cool Facts About Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

We want to know everything about dogs. Everything! But there are countless breeds of dog out there, and each one is a unique animal with its own history. That’s why every week, we shine a spotlight on a different breed. This week, learn some fun facts about Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

THE CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL IS NICKNAMED “THE COMFORTER SPANIEL”

Cavalier King Charles spaniels are consummate lap dogs. Known for their friendliness and affection, they love nothing more than cuddling up with their owners. In fact, Cavaliers bond with their masters so strongly that they are not recommended for people who are often away from home. Otherwise, this breed is perfect for families and gets along very well with children.

CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIELS COME IN MULTIPLE COLORS

You can find Cavalier King Charles spaniels in four distinct color patterns. They include Blenheim, or chestnut/tan and white; tricolor, or black, tan, and white; ruby, which is a solid red-brown color; and the self-explanatory black-and-tan pattern.

Pictured: Blenheim (left) and tricolor (right) Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIELS ARE NAMED AFTER KING CHARLES II OF BRITAIN

King Charles II, who lived and ruled England in the 17th century, was an extremely devoted fan of the toy spaniels that came to be named after the monarch. It is said that the king instituted a law that said no King Charles spaniel could be barred from any public place, not even the House of Parliament, where animals otherwise were forbidden. His decree is still in place today.

THE CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL IS A “RETRO” VERSION OF THE KING CHARLES SPANIEL

Around the same time as King Charles II reign, breeders began to cross the spaniel — to which the monarch gave his name — with pugs. Before long, this gave the King Charles spaniel the pug’s signature short muzzle and domed skull shape. It wasn’t until the 1920s that an American named Roswell Eldridge showed interest in “rebuilding” the breed the way it appeared in 17th-century portraits of Charles II. Eldridge even offered prize money to whichever breeder could successfully reverse the “pugization” of the King Charles spaniel and restore its snout.

THE FATHER OF THE MODERN CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL WAS A DOG NAMED “ANN’S SON”

Roswell Eldridge did not live to see his dream of a long-snouted King Charles spaniel come true, but in 1928, just a month after Eldridge died, a woman named Mostyn Walker won the promised prize money for her dog, Ann’s Son. Before long, this revival of the “original” King Charles spaniel gained enough popularity for its fans to found a club for the breed. It was given the name “Cavalier Kings Charles spaniel” to distinguish it from the still popular, pug-faced King Charles spaniel.

THE AKC RECOGNIZED THE CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL ONLY RECENTLY

Although its history goes back centuries, the Cavalier King Charles spaniel as it exists today dates back only to the 1920s. The canine is a relatively new entrant of the American Kennel Club. The AKC first recognized the Cavalier breed in 1995.

DESPITE BEING SPANIELS, KENNEL CLUBS CLASSIFY CAVALIERS AS TOY DOGS

Spaniels are gun dogs by definition, but Cavalier King Charles spaniels have never truly been used for hunting in their modern incarnation, and even very rarely back in King Charles II’s day. Cavaliers are lap dogs first and foremost, so it makes sense that the AKC categorizes them in the toy group rather than the sporting group with other spaniels.

CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIELS ARE AMONG AMERICA’S MOST POPULAR BREEDS

In 2012, the Cavalier King Charles spaniel broke into the top 20 most registered dog breeds in America, according to the AKC’s registration statistics. Last year, it moved up two more spots to 18. That’s up from 25 in 2008 and 35 in 2003. There’s no reason to think this breed won’t continue to get even more popular in the years to come.

LAUREN BACALL OWNED A CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL

Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall was a lifelong dog lover. Bacall died Aug. 12, 2014, making headlines for leaving $10,000 to provide for her papillon’s care. In the 1970s, though, she owned a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Blenheim. After Blenheim died, Bacall kept a portrait of him hanging in her home.

RONALD REAGAN OWNED A CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL DURING HIS TIME IN THE WHITE HOUSE

Ronald Reagan gave first lady Nancy Reagan a Cavalier King Charles spaniel as a Christmas gift in 1985, during his second term in office. They named the dog Rex. He was a year old and originally belonged to William F. Buckley Jr. Rex lived in the White House through the rest of the Reagan administration and then with the Reagans at their home in Los Angeles. The pooch passed in 1998.