Cava-lon Dog Breed Pictures, Characteristics, and Facts

The Cava-lon is a mixed breed, so they don’t have history as their own breed. Both parent breeds, however, are well known and loved.

Cavaliers are descended from the toy spaniels depicted in many 16th, 17th, and 18th century paintings by famous artists such as Van Dyck and Gainsborough. Used as a hunting dog, the athletic Cavalier was bred for both work and the ability to curl up on a lap at the end of the day. However, the breed itself is fairly new. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was recognized by the UKC in 1945, after much pushing from devoted breeders and fans. However, American Cavalier fans still had to wait longer before the breed became popular or recognized in the US. In 1954, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club was created, the official breed club and only registering body for Cavaliers in the United States for more than fifty years.  The AKC officially recognized the breed in March 1995 – meaning that the breed has been able to be registered in the US for less than thirty years.

Interestingly, despite their vastly different appearances, the Papillion descends from the same ancestral breeds as the Cavalier. The word papillon, meaning « butterfly » in French, refers to the breed’s fringed ears, which somewhat resemble a butterfly’s outspread wings. It’s believed the breed was first developed in the 17th century court of Louis XIV, and have changed little since that time. The drop-eared variety of this breed, known as the Phalene, still exists, although they are much less common.