Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
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| United Kingdom
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The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a small breed of dog.
The breed was developed by selective breeding of long-snouted King Charles Spaniels (also known as English Toy Spaniels). The development of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was partly due to a desire to produce a long-nosed toy spaniel, as are seen in the paintings of the great masters. Long-snouted toy spaniels no longer existed at the beginning of the 20th century, due to crosses between long-snouted toy spaniels and short-snouted breeds such as the Pug or mitral valve disease. This condition can begin to emerge at an early age, and is present in many Cavalier King Charles Spaniels by 5 years of age. Responsible breeders are attempting to breed only from dogs that exhibit a later onset of the disease. The increasing popularity of the breed has led to breeding of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel in puppy mills. Puppy mills are located around the world and are sold in the United States through brokers . Those interested in purchasing a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel should be very cautious about selecting a breeder and should never purchase this breed from a pet store.
Two breed clubs are found in the United States: the Cavalier King Charles Club USA and the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club. The latter club is the breed club of the American Kennel Club.
