The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s nickname – the Merry Monarch’s Dog – originated with King Charles II; he was so closely associated with the breed that the dog not only took its name from the monarch, but its nickname as well: Charles was renowned for his love of fun, games and plays. His advisors, however, were less than impressed.

One source we found even suggests that the slogan, “Beware of the Dog,” originated in Charles’ court not to suggest that the dogs were dangerous, but to alert visitors to the court of the small dogs underfoot so as to not tread on them.

On this, we can’t agree. The term, “Cave Canum,” Latin for “Beware of Dog,” was found in a floor mosaic in a famous Pompeiian house known as the House of the Tragic Poet. The tiles depicting a chained dog wearing a red collar and baring his sharp teeth at would-be intruders was created between 62 AD and 79 AD, long before Charles II.