“IN TERMS OF AKC REGISTRATION NUMBERS, IN 2017, THE CAVALIER RANKED AS THE 19TH MOST
POPULAR BREED IN THE UNITED STATES, TRAILING ONLY THE YORKSHIRE TERRIER.”
In 1994, the AKC made it clear that Cavaliers would be recognized with or without a parent club. The Border Col- lie Club went through a similar situa- tion andwas recognizedwithout a par- ent club. Faced with this inevitability, twelve concerned breeders (including those with many of the top-winning and top-producing dogs) organized a club, wrote a standard, and gathered the support of over one hundred other new members. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels became AKC’s 140th recog- nized breed on January 1, 1996. In terms of AKC registration num- bers, in 2017, the Cavalier ranked as the 19th most popular breed in the United States, trailing only the Yorkshire Terrier. ACKCSC has chosen this article to re- print in honor of the author and the history of our breed. Robert Schroll was selected by the ACKCSC Board of Directors to judge Best of Breed at the club’s 25th Anniversary Celebration in April 2019. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert Schroll (Ravenrush Cavaliers): Robert met his partner, John Gammon, while working for the legendary handler Ted Young, Jr. After moving to Tennes- see in 1977, they got their first two Cava- liers, littermates, a black and tan dog and a ruby bitch. They attended their first Cavalier show in 1980, where the ruby bitch became the first in theUS of her color to win a specialty! Since then, they have bred, owned, and handled four ACKCSC National Specialty winners and five all- breed BIS winners (including the breed’s first BIS). Additionally, Ravenrush has nine Registry of Merit and three Legion of Merit Cavaliers. Robert and John were both founding officers of the ACKCSC. Robert continues to serve on the Judges EducationCommittee.
“Study of a King Charles Spaniel” by Chalon, c. 1800. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)
(Photo © Downey)
“A King Charles Spaniel” by Manet, c. 1866. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)
T op N otch T oys , D ecember 2021 • 49
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