We remain active in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club USA (Charlie has chaired several committees, including Ethics, By-Laws, and Policies and Procedures, and he is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club USA Judge Katie served on the Board of Directors for four years as CKCSC, USA Secretary) and we also register our dogs and show them in the American Kennel Club.Īlthough we originally became interested in breeding in order to insure that we would never be without a Cavalier, for the last few decades our goal has been to improve the breed by breeding healthy Cavaliers who, to us, embody the qualities of the breed standard. The foundation of Blackfire Cavaliers was acquired through the help and mentoring of Anne Eckersley-Robins, whom we consider to be one of the premier Cavalier breeders in the United States today. Today we have a wonderful Cavalier family, pictured below. We first joined the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, USA in 1981, and have always had at least one Cavalier since then. When she inherited Charlie (the other human in the house) two years later, he too fell in love with Winston and the breed. Its popularity continues to grow.We have owned Cavalier King Charles Spaniels since 1978, when Katie inherited Winston, an unbelievably good and lovable Blenheim male. In 1996, the AKC recognized the Cavalier. They were slower to catch on in America, and many Cavalier owners fought AKC recognition in an effort to control the problems that so often accompany popularity.
Ironically, these dogs, named Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in honor of the Cavalier King, eventually outstripped their short-nosed counterparts in popularity, becoming one of the most popular breeds in England. Breeders bred their old-type dogs together in an effort to gain the prize, and in so doing, many came to appreciate the old type. A twist of fate occurred when a wealthy American, Roswell Eldridge, came to England and offered outlandish prize money for the best “pointed-nosed” spaniels, most resembling the old type. The King Charles Spaniel continued to grace the homes of the wealthy for generations, but with time a shorter-nosed dog was preferred.īy the early 1900s, the few dogs that resembled the early members of the breed were considered to be inferior. After his death, the Duke of Marlborough took over as the major advocate of the breed the red and white “Blenheim” color, which was his favorite, is named after his estate. The dogs were so closely associated with him that they became known as King Charles Spaniels. In the 1700s, King Charles II was so enamored with his toy spaniels that he was accused of ignoring matters of state in favor of his dogs. In addition, they served the vital function of attracting fleas from their owners’ bodies! The toy spaniels became especially popular because they appealed to all members of the family.
These Tudor lapdogs, known as “comforter spaniels,” served as lap and foot warmers, and even surrogate hot water bottles.
The European toy dogs were probably the result of breeding small spaniels to Oriental toy breeds such as the Japanese Chin and perhaps the Tibetan Spaniel. As its name implies, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is derived from spaniel roots.