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To: Smokey Valley English Toy Spaniels For Sale
For many centuries small aristocratic spaniels have been known to exist. They
have been the much loved favorites of ladies at court, who esteemed their
decorative qualities and their small size, gentle temperaments, quiet nature and
pleasant playfulness. Many of them can be seen in Old Oil Portraits of the times
in as early as the 1400's, calmly sitting on the laps of queens and the
little princess's alike, or romping in the gardens and lawns.
In 1903 an attempt was made to give the breed a name which conformed with
the fact that it was spaniel and a toy dog, and the Kennel Club of England
offered "Toy Spaniel" and so they were named. The English Toy Spaniel
Club has been in existence there since then, 1860.
In appearance the English Toy Spaniel has changed little. The average
show spaniel weighs 10 to 18 pounds, with a few smaller or larger as quality
is more important than actual weight. The aim is for a small compact dog.
The head should be globular, high and broad, with a slight stop, it mist
not appear nosey. The lips should meet exactly, giving a sweet expression.
He should be cobby and compact, and his tail may be docked though some
are born with it naturally short, all heavily feathered. Ears and
feet are heavily coated also.
This breed comes in four colors, two known as the brokens and two known
as solids. The principle broken color is the "Tri" which is a white dog
with even black patches distributed over the body, and tan lining the ears,
over the eyes and under the tail. This color is know as the "Prince
Charles" color, but is more commonly just called "Tri". The other
broken color is again a white background with rich red patches all over
the body and head this is known as the "Blenheim" color.
Attempts to breed out the white resulted
in the two solid colors, The Black/Tan also known as the "King Charles"
in color, a black dog with tan highlights on legs over eyes and on cheeks
and under the tail. The fourth color is know as the "Ruby" and is
a solid rich red, no white allowed on the solid colored dogs.
As you would expect with a breed which has for centuries been associated
with human beings ( the ET's as they are fondly known), have strong affinity
with people and their families. He is very clean, good with children
and other animals, most appear to love cats. He is meant to be part
of the family. Where his personality develops, and he thrives on
your attentions. He is one of the quietest/cleanest dogs you will
ever know.
English Toy Spaniels are
NOT the same as Cavalier King Charles spaniels. In everywhere else but the
United States and Canada our Et are actually called King Charles spaniels.
Cavaliers are a much larger, longer, taller dog with a long nose and tail.
It can all be confusing but remember the Et are much more like a very small
cocker with a short nose and tail. We get alot of calls about this confusion in
names but there are no others like our ET so do get it right and you
will never be sorry, they are wonderful dogs.
Thanks for your interest in our dogs. Rick
and Michelle Shannon, Smokey Valley.