From Pietoro’s Historical Dog photobucket.
An English toy spaniel.
The British use a different term for this breed, but it’s the more exaggerated ancestor of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
In the late nineteenth century and very early twentieth century, this was a very common breed among dog fanciers, especially women.
While sporting gentlemen were busy showing off bassetized sporting spaniels, their wives were show extremely brachycephalic toy spaniels.
The fashion died out, kind of like Disco and the Macarena, but the flat-faced toy spaniels still do exist.
They haven’t changed that much either.
Because spaniels are the smallest of gun dogs, they got a lot of the bizarre conformation breeding in early on.
Toy spaniels have been around for centuries, but this type of toy spaniel was something that could only be created in the mania of the British dog fancy.
And just like all bizarre fashions in dogs, this bubble burst almost as quickly as it began.
There aren’t very many of these dogs left at all.
As a breed, it’s a fascinating artifact about what can happen when fashion dictates selection pressures.
I don’t how good it is for the dogs though.
