King Charles Spaniel

King Charles Spaniel

'King Charles' Colour
Other names	English Toy Spaniel Toy Spaniel Charlies Prince Charles Spaniel Ruby Spaniel Blenheim Spaniel
Origin	England
Traits Weight 8–14 pounds (3.6–6.4 kg) Height 9–11 inches (23–28 cm) Color King Charles (black and tan), Prince Charles (white with black and tan patches), Blenheim (white with red patches), Ruby (red) Litter size 5 Life span 10-16 years
Classification / standards FCI Group 9, Section 7 English Toy Spaniels #128 standard AKC Toy standard ANKC Group 1 Toys standard CKC Group 5 – Toys standard KC (UK) Toy standard NZKC Toy standard UKC Companion Breeds standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The King Charles Spaniel (also known as the English Toy Spaniel) is a small dog breed of the spaniel type. In 1903, the Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel breeds under this single title. The other varieties merged into this breed were the Blenheim, Ruby and Prince Charles Spaniels, each of which contributed one of the four colours available in the breed.

Thought to have originated in the Far East, toy spaniels were first seen in Europe during the 16th century. They were made famous by their association with King Charles II of England (1630–1685) and have been linked with English royalty since the time of Queen Mary I (1516–1558). Members of the breed have been owned by Queen Victoria, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, and Queen Elizabeth II.

The King Charles Spaniel and the other types of toy spaniels were crossbred with the Pug in the early 19th century to reduce the size of the nose, as was the style of the day. The 20th century saw attempts to restore lines of King Charles Spaniels to the breed of Charles II's time. These included the unsuccessful Toy Trawler Spaniel and the now popular Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The Cavalier is slightly larger, with a flat head and a longer nose, while the King Charles is smaller, with a domed head and a flat face.

Historically the breeds that were merged into the King Charles Spaniel were used for hunting; due to their stature they were not well suited. They have kept their hunting instincts, but do not exhibit high energy and are better suited to being lapdogs. The modern breed is prone to several health problems, including cardiac conditions and a range of eye issues.

The fact that dogs are always part of a royal Japanese present suggested to the Commodore the thought that possibly one species of spaniel now in England may be traced to a Japanese origin. In 1613, when Captain Saris returned from Japan to England, he carried to the King a letter from the Emperor, and presents in return for those sent to him by his Majesty of England. Dogs probably formed part of the gifts and thus may have been introduced into the Kingdom the Japanese breed. At any rate, there is a species of Spaniel in England which it is hard to distinguish from the Japanese dog. The species sent by the Emperor is by no means common even in Japan. It is never seen running about the streets, or following its master in his walks, and the Commodore understood that they were costly.