Because the King Rat is a new hybrid breed, he doesn't have very much information regarding his origin. Thankfully, we can glean a few important details about why this breed may have been created based on his parent breed's backstory. Both the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Rat Terrier have been around for quite some time, and have a lot of history about the what, when, where, and why of their creation. For instance, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel originated just like all spaniels; from Spain. Over time, these popular dogs made their way across the world and the predecessors of the Cavalier landed in England. The toy spaniels (as they were known) were popular all throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th century as royal companion dogs. Some of the most famous people to own the little spaniels were monarchs such as Queen Mary and her son, Charles I. Both Charles I and Charles II loved these spaniels and took them around everywhere, thus this breed was quite the symbol around England. Unfortunately, just like many royal trends, when King Charles II and King William came to the throne, the King Charles Spaniel almost faded out of existence. This was because the new king's favorite dog was the Pug and people began to breed the two breeds together; creating the Cavalier's appearance that we know and love today, with a more squashed nose and domed head. The once beloved toy breed of spaniels would have been completely forgotten, if it wasn't for a certain rich American by the name of Roswell Eldgridge. In the year 1920, Eldgridge offered a reward to anyone who could re-create the Spaniel breed that Eldridge had seen in 17th and 18th century portraits. Eight years later, a breeder by the name of Mostyn Walker presented the first Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which were so named to distinguish them from the flat faced, domed headed version of the King Charles Spaniel. While it took quite some time for this breed to be accepted once again, in 1945 the American Kennel Club recognized the breed and they are now used as show dogs and companions all over the world. The Rat Terrier is an all American breed who came about due to the combination of the Fox Terrier, Bull Terrier, Manchester Terrier, and the Old English White Terrier. All of these unique traits were combined into one in order to create a small, lightweight terrier who was excellent at catching vermin and other prey on farms. In the Midwest, the Rat Terrier was also bred with Whippets and Greyhounds to boost the breed's speed and athletic nature in order to keep up with the jackrabbit problem in that area. You would think that this versatile little dog would stop there, but he didn't! In order to increase his sense of smell, the Rat Terrier was then bred with the Beagle to increase his oriented nature and allow his sense of smell to be extremely on point. Needless to say, all of this mixing and matching allowed the Rat Terrier to be a strong, intelligent, and quick little breed; perfect for hunting. In fact, the Rat Terrier was so good at his job, that he even earned himself a place in the White House! President Teddy Roosevelt loved the Rat Terrier, which is why another name for the dog is the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier. Surprisingly enough, the Rat Terrier is a relatively new breed at wasn't recognized fully by the American Kennel Club until the year 2013. This dog has always been a companion and working animal, and he still is to this very day.
13-25 lbs
10-18"
United States
