The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Phenomenon

Few fans of Sex and the City will forget the classic episode where Charlotte York, prim and proper Upper East Side socialite, adopted an incredibly adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Elizabeth Taylor. Viewers convulsed in their living rooms as the sweet and intolerably cute Elizabeth Taylor folded into Charlotte´s arms and looked up at her with those big, dark and watery eyes. And just like that, a revival in interest for this aristocratic breed was started. Inquiries and adoptions regard CKCSs surged exponentially and has continued to remain high as the now syndicated TV show maintains its popularity. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel phenomenon is but one example of the larger link between the magic of the movies and trends in dog breeds.

From the earliest days of television and film entertainment, this link between entertainment dogs and peaks in adoptions has existed. Cairn terriers enjoyed significant attention in the decades after The Wizard of Oz featured the intrepid and intelligent Toto, Dorothy´s puppy companion. The iconic status of the film as an American classic has helped give the same reputation the little Cairn terrier, who still is seen in the American psyche as the ultimate homestead animal. In many ways, Toto was the first breed to experience the type of fame the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has recently enjoyed.

Other dog breeds have been highlighted and popularized by this link over the past fifty years as well, such as Saint Bernards thanks to the Beethoven film series and Dalmatians due to the popular Disney films. The nineteen eighties saw an increase in the popularity of "Benji" adoptions and the adoptions of pugs due to the popularity of the film Milo and Otis. Collies, cocker spaniels, and German shepherds all became common household dogs thanks to Lassie, Lady, and Rin Tin Tin. Really, Elizabeth Taylor from Sex and the City is really just one link in a long chain of popularized breeds due to television exposure.

The message that can be taken from the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel phenomenon is that film producers and television writers need to be conscious of the four legged friends they place in the spotlight. Just as cartoons have a responsibility to what they represent to children, Tinsel Town has a responsibility to canines everywhere regarding what types they choose to glorify in their productions. One of the ways they need to exercise this responsibility is not to draw attention to types who experience significant health problems due to breeding practices. Several large breeds, such as Great Danes and Bullmastiffs, have life expectancies below ten years because overtime their bodies have been bred to be just too large for their hearts. These animals experience serious physical pain in their joints and hips, and in many ways the continued efforts to breed these dogs is cruel. You are just creating an animal to amuse you and die young. Similarly, some of the tea cup varieties are too small to survive long without serious structural issues, creating cute but pained pets.

Who knows how long the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel will reign as top dog before some other film or TV show draws attention to yet another breed. What is important is that Hollywood reviews this unique phenomenon and recognizes the power it has to influence the life of thousands of animals across the country. Hopefully the next trend in film dogs will be the happy adoption of unwanted mixed breed shelter dogs. Now that is a fad all dog lovers can support!