Meet Monkey, a fabulous King Charles Cavalier. I met Monkey today in Borough Market. I spotted him straight away as he was such a lively and vivacious dog.
Monkey is one and a half years old and he still has that fresh and happy air of a puppy about him. When I approached him, he seemed rather unhappy, whimpering gently with his big, brown eyes full of sadness. Monkey is the most friendly and sociable dog you can imagine, so when one of his pack leaves, he gets a bit upset. It turned out that the owner's friend has just gone away to get some coffee and Monkey, the soppy lad that he is, was missing him! I immediately offered some dog therapy by a way of treats but our sad Monkey wasn't at all interested. This photo, shows him, looking out, with a longing expression on his cute face. It was amazing to see what a friend's return does for a dog. Monkey was so happy that he kept jumping up and wagging his silky tail, utterly transformed.
Monkey is the friendliest of dogs, an absolute darling. He has one weakness though - cheese. He is not allowed it though, so he gets it by sneaking and making sure that no one is looking when he is at it. He has a companion, his best friend, who is another King Charles Cavalier, whom he adores.
It was such a pleasure to meet Monkey - he is such a charming and loving dog.
The King Charles Cavalier is an interesting breed. They are a toy breed off-shoot from spaniels, one of the oldest English hunting breeds. They were named after Charles II who, legend has it, had a fabulous head of hair, soft as spaniel's ear. They come in three varieties, Blenheim, tricolour, and ruby, which is the rarest and, incidentally, our Monkey's colour. They even feature in a famous Van Dyck's painting, The Three Oldest Children of Charles I. Cavaliers are extremely affectionate, loving and dedicated to their owners, so do not like being left alone, just like Monkey!
To find out more about Cavaliers, visit The King Charles Cavalier Club
