Pawsitively Sophisticated

Written by Bridget Williams / Photography by Andrew Kung

Interior designer Ron Wolz of Bittners has been smitten with the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed ever since he spied Nancy Reagan with Rex, a Cavalier who arrived at the White House in December 1985 as a Christmas present from the President. His affinity only deepened when he learned of Louisville’s ties to the breed.

Ron Wolz with Daphne (left) and Chloe

The first Cavalier King Charles Spaniel arrived in the US from across the pond in the 1940s. It took a four-decade push, started in the 1950s by Louisvillians Sally Brown and her sister-in-law Gertude “Trudy” Brown, to get the AKC to finally recognize the breed in 1995. Sally received a black and tan Cavalier puppy in 1952 from her friend Lady Mary Forwood of England. After learning that she couldn’t register this or subsequent Cavaliers with the AKC, Sally and Trudy assembled a core group of Cavalier owners to establish the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, USA. Recognized as the matriarch of the breed in the US, Trudy worked from English Kennel Club export pedigrees to keep a studbook, issue registration papers, and maintain breed records. Their club developed a breed standard and a point system and began holding breed championship shows in 1977, a tradition that continues today.

Ron’s current pack, fifteen-year-old Chloe, and three-year-old Daphne represent the seventh and eighth Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s he’s owned. He brought Daphne home as a companion for Chloe to reduce the separation anxiety she began to develop as she aged. “It totally improved Chloe’s quality of life,” he said.