s white must not appear in either the King Charles
or the Ruby Spaniel.

It is regretted by some of the admirers of these dogs that custom has
ordained that their tails should be docked. As portrayed in early
pictures of the King Charles and the Blenheim varieties, the tails are
long, well flagged, and inclined to curve gracefully over the back,
and in none of the pictures of the supposed ancestors of our present
Toy Spaniels--even so recent as those painted by Sir Edwin Landseer--do
we find an absence of the long tail.

If left intact, the tail would take two or three years to attain
perfection, but the same may be said of the dog generally, which
improves very much with age, and is not at its best until it is three
years old, and even then continues to improve.

Although the Toy Spaniels are unquestionably true aristocrats by
nature, birth, and breeding, and are most at home in a drawing-room or
on a well-kept lawn, they are by no means deficient in sporting
proclivities, and, in spite of their short noses, their scent is very
keen. They thoroughly enjoy a good scamper, and are all the better for
not being too much pampered. They are very good house-dogs, intelligent
and affectionate, and have sympathetic, coaxing little ways. One point
in their favour is the fact that they are not noisy, and do not yap
continually when strangers go into a room where they are, or at other
times, as is the habit with some breeds of toy dogs.

Those who have once had King Charles Spaniels as pets seldom care to
replace them by any other variety of dog, fearing lest they might not
find in another breed such engaging little friends and companions,
"gentle" as of yore and also "comforters."

Although these dogs need care, they possess great powers of endurance.
They appreciate warmth and comfort, but do not thrive so well in
either extreme heat or intense cold. One thing to be avoided is the
wetting of their feathered feet, or, should this happen, allowing them
to remain so; and, as in the case of all dogs with long ears, the
interior of the ears should be carefully kept dry to avoid the risk of
canker.

In going back to a period long before the last century was half-way
through, we find that a great number of these ornamental pets were in
the hands of working men living in the East End of London, and the
competition among them to own the best was very keen. They held
miniature dog shows at small taverns, and paraded their dogs on t