History of King Charles Spaniel in Timeline

The King Charles Spaniel is a small spaniel breed created in 1903 by The Kennel Club's merging of four separate toy spaniel breeds: the Blenheim, Ruby, and Prince Charles Spaniels. Each original breed contributed one of the four coat colors now found in the King Charles Spaniel.

1903: Kennel Club Combined Toy Spaniel Breeds

In 1903, The Kennel Club combined four separate toy spaniel breeds (Blenheim, Ruby, and Prince Charles Spaniels) under the single title of King Charles Spaniel.

1903: Kennel Club Attempted Amalgamation

In 1903, the Kennel Club attempted to amalgamate the King James, Prince Charles, Blenheim, and Ruby spaniels into a single breed called the Toy Spaniel, which was met with strong objection. The argument was only resolved following the intervention of King Edward VII, who preferred the name "King Charles Spaniel".

1904: American Kennel Club Follows Suit

In 1904, the American Kennel Club combined the four breeds into a single breed known as the English Toy Spaniel. The Japanese Spaniel was not merged and was recognized as a breed in its own right.

1911: Judith Blunt-Lytton's Theory

In her 1911 work, "Toy Dogs and Their Ancestors", Judith Blunt-Lytton, theorized that Charles II took his sister Princess Henrietta's dogs for himself after her death in 1670.

July 1918: Romanov Family Shooting

In July 1918, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia owned a King Charles Spaniel at the time of the Romanov family shooting. Eight days later, the corpse of a King Charles Spaniel was found at the site where the Romanov family had been burnt.

1926: Roswell Eldridge's Competition

In 1926, American Roswell Eldridge offered a prize fund for the best male and female dogs of "Blenheim Spaniels of the old type," which led to the origination of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

1928: First Cavalier Breed Club

In 1928, several breeders created the first breed club for the new Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, with the Kennel Club initially listing the new breed as "King Charles Spaniels, Cavalier type".

1945: Kennel Club Recognizes Cavalier

In 1945, the Kennel Club recognized the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed in its own right.

1960: Princess Margaret at Birthday Party

In 1960, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, attended Princess Anne's tenth birthday party with her King Charles Spaniel, Rolly, continuing the connection between royalty and the breed.

1988: Finnish Breed Club Survey Begins

The Finnish breed club started conducting surveys between 1988 and 2007 to find that patella luxation occurrences in King Charles Spaniels ranged from 5.3% to 50% in some years.

1997: AKC Recognizes Cavalier

In 1997, the American Kennel Club finally recognized the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

2003: Vulnerable Native Breed

In 2003, the King Charles Spaniel was identified as a Vulnerable Native Breed by the Kennel Club to help promote the breed due to low registration numbers.

2006: Docking and Cropping Illegal

Since 2006, tail docking and ear cropping has been illegal in the UK and some other European Countries for breeds like the King Charles Spaniel.

2007: Finnish Breed Club Survey Results

A survey conducted by the Finnish breed club between 1988 and 2007 found that patella luxation occurrences in King Charles Spaniels ranged from 5.3% to 50% in some years.

2008: Pedigree Dogs Exposed Documentary

In 2008, the BBC documentary "Pedigree Dogs Exposed" was critical of the breeding of pedigree breeds, including the King Charles Spaniel, highlighting issues with syringomyelia. The RSPCA ended its sponsorship of Crufts dog show and the BBC declined to broadcast the event after the programme.

2010: Breed Popularity in 2010

In 2010, the Cavalier was the 23rd most popular breed in the US, while the English Toy Spaniel was the 126th, according to American Kennel Club registration figures. In the UK, the Cavalier was the most popular breed in the Toy Group, with 8,154 puppies registered, compared to 199 for King Charles Spaniels.