Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a small, silky-coated toy dog bred in the United Kingdom during the early twentieth century.

Toy spaniels served as favored royal companions across European courts from Renaissance times, particularly cherished by King Charles I and King Charles II throughout the seventeenth century. Over time, crossings with Pugs and Japanese Chins shortened the muzzle of the traditional toy spaniel, nearly wiping out original lines. In 1926, American enthusiast Roswell Eldridge offered financial prizes at Crufts Dog Show to restore the historical spaniel with an elongated snout, leading to the formation of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club in 1928. It is cataloged under FCI Group 9 as a Companion and Toy Dog.

Adults stand approximately 30 to 33 centimeters (12 to 13 inches) at the withers and weigh between 5.4 and 8 kilograms (12 to 18 pounds). The coat is long, silky, soft, and unclipped, with abundant feathering around the ears, limbs, and tail. Official colors consist of Blenheim (chestnut on pearly white), Tricolour, Black and Tan, and solid Ruby. The standard describes an affectionate, friendly, sporting, and fearless disposition that exhibits neither nervousness nor unprovoked aggression.

Care demands brushing multiple times per week to prevent tangles in the feathering, along with routine ear cleaning to counter moisture accumulation. The breed faces notable health predispositions, most notably myxomatous mitral valve disease, syringomyelia, episodic falling syndrome, and patellar luxation.