In August, Arnie left us for the Rainbow Bridge.  He is so missed.

The English Toy Spaniel is having an identity crisis.
The perfect example can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Charles_Spaniel. The picture is not a Charlie – it is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I was looking at my grand daughter’s dog book – it said that the Blenheim pictured was the cousin to the Tricolor pictured. Wait a minute, both colors can be in the same litter. There are also the Black and Tan and Ruby variety.

The English Toy Spaniel has been recognized by the AKC for 125 years. The Cavalier was recognized by the AKC in 1995. Now don’t get me wrong, I like Cavaliers but that is not the dog that I have. By turning a blind eye to the errors between the two, it makes it difficult for those working in rescue, those looking for one of the breeds and animal health care providers.

Cavaliers are very popular while English Toys are the best kept secret. The Pet Gazette sponsored by PetVR.com recently sent out the popularity of different dogs: The Cavalier is number 25 while the English Toy Spaniel is the last one listed at 121.

The Charlie was first known as the Toy Spaniel. That is the name that was retained in the US and Canada. Charles, King of England, who had many Toy Spaniels requested that the dog’s name be changed to honor him, thus the Toy Spaniel is called a King Charles Spaniel in other countries. The “English” was added to the Toy Spaniel name to recognize the country of it’s origin This could be compared with the English Cocker and the American Cocker. What we call a Cocker in this country is known as an American Cocker outside of our country.

This is one of my English Toy Spaniels. In June, Torie died in my arms after she woke from a nap crying .  There had been no signs that she was sick .  I consider myself so lucky that I was with her and  she didn’t have to suffer.  Torie was eleven years old.

(To post a comment, click on the title)

Torie - Casarows Hilda Ogden