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including one by the famous painter Sir Edwin Landseer called The Cavalier’s Pets . He thought those dogs appeared more robust—more like the sporting dogs toy spaniels descended from—and was hop- ing to acquire a few in Britain. He was disappointed. So he challenged the King Charles Spaniel breed- ers of the day to produce “Blenheim Spaniels

of the Old Type, as shown in pictures of Charles II’s time, long face, no stop, flat skull, not inclined to be domed and with spot in center of skull.” He offered prizes at Crufts

for the next five years of £25 for the best dog and bitch of that type. At first most breeders were not inter- ested; they had spent too many years breed- ing the longer noses out.

The first year there were only a few entries, but interest soon grew and a small band of determined breeders took up the challenge. In 1928 a Blenheim Spaniel called Ann’s Son, owned by Mostyn Walker, was awarded first prize. The very same day, a breed club was founded for these King Charles Spaniels with a muzzle, and they added the word “cavalier” (a reference to Landseer’s painting) to distinguish the two types. Anne’s Son was placed on a table, and the breed club members brought in all the reproductions of pictures of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries they could find, and they wrote the breed standard. Sadly, Roswell Eldridge died a month before he was due to travel to Crufts, so never saw the results of his challenge prizes. Although Ann’s Son does not look much like the Cavaliers of today, he was just what the breeders of yesteryear were looking for. He won the Eldridge prize three years running, from 1928 to 1930,

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