Our AKC Cavalier King Charles Spaniel junior handler graduated from high school this week. She’s going to go on to do great things though I’m not sure how she’s going to handle college calculus without her study buddy.

♫ Because I’m happy. Clap along if you feel like a room without a woof. ♫

Cavaliers come in four colors – two are called “parti-colors”, and two are called “whole colors”. At Mokido, we are working toward creating better whole colors. To do that well, rules of genetics necessitate we also occasionally breed quality parti-colors. These are the four colors:

This drawing was done by our daughter, Kaitlyn.

Blenheim (a particolor)

Blenheims are the most common Cavalier. It is a white dog broken up by chestnut markings. The head of a blenheim cavalier has a white muzzle going up into a “blaze” between the eyes and onto the head. This blaze is often broken by a “blenheim kiss” or a ruby spot in the middle of the head – like an island in a sea of white. The name, Blenheim, comes from Blenheim Palace in England where the Duke of Marlborough used to fancy these dogs. Our Valentine and Doug are both Blenheims.

Tricolor (a particolor)

The Tricolor, or tri-colour for those of you who speak British, has three colors. Black, white and a few accents of the chestnut, ruby coloring. Most notably, the ruby colors appear as “eyebrows” above those adorable eyes. The neck of a tricolor is generally an unbroken white band forming a collar. The forehead of a tricolor cavalier has a white “blaze” going between the eyes and onto the head.

Ruby (a whole color)

Whole colors are more uncommon in the Cavalier world, with the ruby being the more common of the two colors. The ruby cavalier is a solid chestnut color. There is no black in the coat of a ruby, and there is very little white. Sometimes the chest of a ruby, or the chin of a ruby will have some white hairs, but by and large, this is a red dog.

Black and Tan (a whole color)

The black and tan cavalier is the most uncommon variety of cavalier king charles spaniel. This beautiful dog is all black with some chestnut or tan markings. The eyebrows are tan, giving a B&T so many expressions and making them so forgivable. They also have tan on their chest, muzzle, and feet. Our Lulu is a black and tan.

Others

There are rumors of an elusive Chocolate cavalier. These are much like the Tri-color, however, instead of black, white and ruby, they are a deep chocolate, white and ruby color. Other varieties have been known to exist as well:

• Chocolate and tan
• All black
• Black and white

None of these dogs are accepted varieties by the AKC or by the CKCSC and therefore are spayed or neutered before they can be bred.

Learn more about these two puppies at this link.

There is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. This film features an amphibious Lotus Esprit which has a rather thrilling chase scene in and out of the water.

As Roger Moore’s Agent 007 and Barbara Bach’s Agent xXx emerge from the water, a Blenheim Cavalier is frightened by the car driving out of the ocean.

You can see her again in the crowd just after she runs away in fear. This is a continuity error not mentioned on IMDB’s page for this movie. Unless of course there were two Blenheim Cavalier King Charles spaniels on the beach that day.

There you have it. The real Bond girl of The Spy Who Loved Me. Isn’t she beautiful?

Did you know there was a Blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel at the Last Supper?

Please reference this beautiful painting by Leandro da Ponte Bassano, 1557-1622

Did you know there was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who lived in the White House in Washington, D.C.?

Rex was born on December 16, 1984. Unfortunately, his breeder is unknown. As a puppy, he lived with his brother Fred in the home of commentator William F. Buckley, Jr. Mr. Buckley named Rex after Rex Scouten, the White House chief usher in 1985.

Rex was the First Dog from December 1985 until President Ronald Reagan left office in 1989. One of Rex’s first duties while in the White House was to light the National Christmas Tree. Rex was also said to regularly bark outside the Lincoln bedroom, fueling the rumors that the bedroom is haunted.

The Washington Children’s museum built an ornate colonial style dog house for the Cavalier which included portraits of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. The floor was some carpet from Rex’s favorite spot in Camp David.

This blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel lived out his days with the Reagans in California. He passed away in August 1998 after living almost 14 years.

Ronald Reagan and Rex, Blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Ronald and Nancy Reagan with the Presidential Pet, Rex

Rex bounding across the White House lawn to meet Ronald and Nancy Reagan. Just returned via Marine One.

We had great fun today watching the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels at the AKC Westminster Dog Show. Wholecolors won the Winners title for both sexes! Tracie Laiberte and Leila Grandemange’s beautiful homebred ruby girl, Grandville Butterscotch Kiss, won Best of Winners. She is the stunning ruby Cavalier pictured below. Winner’s dog, Ca Cambridge Dream Weaver, was a gorgeous Black & Tan boy bred by Elaine Mitchell. Bonitos Companeros Halli Galli (Blenheim) won the breed. 😉 What a great day for Whole Colors!

USA Network and the Westminster Kennel Club have provided almost a full hour of footage of today’s breed judging online. Check out the replays of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and other breeds online here.