The legend of the Blenheim forehead spot on a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel goes back some 600 years ago.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was a favorite of British royalty and aristocratic ladies. King Charles II loved these little dogs so much that it is said he was accused of ignoring the issues of his kingdom because he was so fixated on his dogs. The breed existed long before King Charles II, but was named after him because of his devotion to them. His Cavaliers would follow him everywhere and the King put forth a law that said no Cavalier could be barred from any public place.
According to legend, the Blenheim forehead spot came about when the Duke of Marlborough was away fighting at the Battle of Blenheim. His wife, worried sick that her husband may not return, sat in her garden and stroked her mom-to-be Cavalier, pressing her thumb on top of the spaniel's head. When the battle was over and the Duke was safe, the puppies were born and all were marked with a chestnut-colored imprint of the Duchess' thumb in the middle of their forehead.
