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.
        Reservations should be made early for any upcoming litters.  We produce only a few top quality pups a year. All our pups are of course in home raised, with lots of love and special attention to socialization, for the discriminating dog fancier.
        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.