From Royal Origins

Discover how the Cavalier went from royal favorite to near extinction and back.

Every lady of the aristocracy cradled one in her arms. Every privileged child frolicked with two or three. Artists bedecked their subjects with them, and no upper-class household was complete without one. Toy spaniels have been an integral part of personal life in Europe for centuries, a mark of the privileged class who could afford a non-working dog purely for the luxury of comfort and companionship. Their beautiful, silky coats, melting eyes and adoring temperaments endeared them to kings and queens, as well as servants, shopkeepers and children.


Yet, the toy spaniels of yore experienced many changes throughout their colorful history, and the dog we know today as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was, at one point, almost completely extinct. Its revival and subsequent popularity has brought this toy spaniel full circle. “The dogs in the paintings are back,” says John Gammon of Clarksville, Tenn., a Cavalier breeder and former president of the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club. “Even though these toy spaniels weren’t called Cavalier King Charles Spaniels at the time, that is exactly what breeders were shooting for when they revived the breed.”

Click here to see how it happened.

--
---