INTERESTING AND OBSCURE CKCS FACTS

• Today's King Charles Cavalier Spaniel was revived in 1926 by an American named Roswell Elderidge who offered a cash prize for dogs that met the standard and could be bred.
• In 1985, President Ronald Reagan gave his wife a Cavie named Rex for Christmas. His first job as first dog was to turn on the Christmas lights with his paw.
• 1995 is the first year the CKCS was admitted to the AKC for registration.
• In 2019, this was the 18th most popular breed with the AKC but rank 6th in the UK.
• During the early part of the 18th century, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, kept red and white King Charles type spaniels for hunting. The duke recorded that they were able to keep up with a trotting horse. His estate was named Blenheim in honor of his victory at the Battle of Blenheim. Because of this influence, the red and white variety of the King Charles Spaniel and thus the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel became known as the Blenheim.
• The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the English Toy Spaniel can be often confused with each other. 
• These dogs were occasionally featured next to their royal owners in paintings by some of the greatest artists of the time, including Titian, Van Dyck, and Lely.
• Historically, Cavalier King Charles spaniels were often brought into beds of their owners to attract fleas and be bitten (instead of their owners), thus saving their humans from the plague or other diseases.​