Now for the main attraction! What you all have been waiting for! Presenting their Royal Highness, The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Who are these canine aristocrats that have so captured the hearts of so many? If it isn’t their looks that get you then its their personality.
I remember my first encounter with these lovable creatures. My mother had always hated the idea of owning a dog, mainly because she loathed the idea of getting dog hair all over the house furniture and it getting stuck in the carpet or couches. She was always a clean freak and she held the attitude that nothing could change her mind regarding dogs. To her they were all equally dirty and not worth the trouble.
Then one day one of her best friends had asked her the unthinkable, she had asked my mother if we could take care of her dog while she went away for the weekend to visit family. Duty to her long time friend began to override her built in programming to avoid all dogs and she agreed that for the weekend we would watch “Pebbles” the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Little did we know what we would get into.
I myself had always loved dogs, like a lot of people I just could not resist puppies, but any dogs in general really made me smile. When I had heard that for one weekend I would have the chance to have a dog in the house I was ecstatic. When the day came and my mothers friend had entrusted with us her most valuable companion I fell in love. This was different then my general adoration for dogs. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a dog that will be a puppy forever. For that one weekend taking care of Pebbles I had for the first time in my life had been aware of my shadow. She followed me endlessly from room to room, either to watch me or snuggle with me. On occasion she was torn between two masters and she would go from one room to another taking turns on who to snuggle with. No words could describe attention and love she gave to a group of people she had never known in her life except for that weekend. I knew from that day the only dog I would ever want to own would be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
My first Cavalier was named Robbie, I live in Hawaii and finding a Cavalier is actually a really hard venture. During the process of locating a puppy my family and I had made the rookie mistake of rushing to find a puppy we snapped at the first offer we got. Which was to be known as our first Ruby Cavalier named Robbie, we had gotten him from a neighbor island with no papers just the word of the seller saying that he was of good health. For 7 months of his life Robbie had shown us more love then we have ever known was possible for a dog to give, but in that short time he was gone. He was diagnosed with a heart problem known as Mitral Valve disease which is the number one health problem and killer in Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Robbie had inhaled his last breath lying in the corner of the family room while everyone was eating dinner, not even making one sound telling us that he was leaving to a better place. I cannot stress the importance of obtaining a Cavalier or any dog for that matter from a responsible breeder who can back up his credentials. If you make the rookie mistake of rushing the process like we did, you will have a great dog for sure, but a broken heart in less than a year. After Robbie we did not have another Cavalier for the next six years.
Two months ago we got Bella Marie a blenheim female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. This time we were sure that we were obtaining a quality Cavalier, we had waited for months and searched endlessly to find the perfect breeder to get our puppy, we dearly did not want to repeat our mistakes before. Our breeder knew what she was doing, having obtained their strains from Europe we were sure that we getting a quality puppy. They had papers to back everything up and a pedigree that listed all of her ancestors for the past three years had been heart murmur free and certified by a vet. Not to mention that 6 out of the 9 dogs listed on the pedigree were Champion in the AKC Confirmation Trial.
Bella is the most energetic lovable Cavalier and by all accounts by others who have experienced the breed an embodiment of what the breed is. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel are known to be lovable and affectionate if you allow one they will lick your face for hours upon hours not wanting to stop for even a moment. They will literally become your shadow and will follow you from room to room watching your every movement. For example with me and my Bella when I lay down she lays down when I get up to walk into the next room she follows, if I stop to do something she will sit patiently and watch. Cavaliers are dogs who just want to be with you, but with the love and affection they give you there are some drawbacks.
Like any dog actually if you can’t give them enough time everyday you shouldn’t have one, this especially rings true for Cavaliers. They thrive on affection as I type this Bella is nuzzling the side of my leg trying to get me to rub her belly. Cavaliers need affection or else they develop some serious problems, if you have never seen a dog depressed before leave a Cavalier alone for a day and you will find one when you get home. When I step out of the house for only an hour I sometimes find Bella sulking in the corner of my bed trying to surround herself with a wall of my clothes. I watch her there for a good 5 minutes from the corner of the door so she doesn’t notice me and you can just tell that shes in dire need of her person. When she finally sees me she goes crazy trying to close the gap between me and her as quickly as possible and when I finally sit down she resumes her position on the side of my leg nuzzling.
Cavaliers are absolutely lovable canines. They don’t ask for nothing but your love and attention and are totally content with just walking around the house. They are even suitable for apartment style living simply because they much rather be laying next to you then out for a walk. Don’t get me wrong Cavaliers love their walks, but they love their people more.
