In earlier centuries this breed was sometimes called King Charles’s Dog, or the Black and Tan Spaniel. Its nickname was the King Charlie, or simply the Charlie. Outside England it has often been referred to as the English Toy Spaniel, but when this is done it is lumped together with all the other forms of dwarf spaniel, including the Prince Charles, the Ruby, the Blenheim, the Toy Trawler and the Cavalier King Charles.
This tiny spaniel was the favourite dog of the English king, Charles II, and later took his name. He is reputed to have imported it from Spain in the 17th century, but the fact is that dwarf spaniels had been present in England for many years. Whether he added new blood from abroad is a matter of debate, but it is unlikely that he started an entirely new breed.
Whatever its true origins, the king became an avid breeder, and his palace at Hampton Court was overrun with the little dogs. Samuel Pepys, in his famous Diary, comments that the king’s dogs went everywhere with him and accompanied him. `even upon State occasions’.
In colour this breed was traditionally always black-and-tan. Essentially it was a black dog with limited tan markings, and some early Toy Spaniel enthusiasts found it too sombre in appearance, preferring instead the showy, white-and-red Blenheim. (King Charles also had black-and-white Toy Spaniels, and pure black ones, as we know from portraits, but these seem to have been conveniently forgotten.)
During the Victorian period this breed, along with its close relatives, underwent two anatomical changes, imposed upon them by the fashions and whims of the day: they became smaller and flatter-faced. This trend persisted until the 1920s, when a group of breeders rebelled against it and set about returning to the original, large, long-muzzled type. They called their `recreated’ breed the Cavalier King Charles (see separate entry) to set it apart, but the flat-faced King Charles did not die out. Instead, it continued in favour, alongside the Cavalier, and today these two breeds are both still recognized by the Kennel Club.
One other change has also occurred and that concerns the coat colour of the breed. Today, both the King Charles and the Cavalier King Charles are available in four coat patterns: black-and-tan; tricolour; red-and-white; and solid red. Traditionally they should both be seen only in black-and-tan, but it was decided to add the other three coat types when the old breeds associated with them (the Prince Charles, the Blenheim and the Ruby, respectively) disappeared.
In personality, this is a cheerful, devoted and extremely affectionate dog. In many ways it is the ideal pet, especially for urban families. It is only 1011 in ( 25-27 cm) tall and weighs no more than 14 lb (6 kg).
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