Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel originated in Britain around the 17th century. Toy spaniels had been around since the Renaissance era, but the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was better established by King Charles I and his son Charles II. They both loved the black and tan variety of toy spaniel, which was eventually named after Charles II. During the Victorian era, breeders crossed toy spaniels with Asian toy breeds, producing the English Toy Spaniel. These dogs became so popular that the Charles toy spaniel almost became extinct. They were only revived after Roswell Eldridge, a wealthy American, offered to reward any British breeder who could reproduce “Blenheim Spaniels of the Old World type.”