My Very Best Gal Pal Looking For A Cavalier

Im going to try and use very delicate words here...and Karlin if Im breaking any rules Im unaware of please remove my post~

My Girl Friend of 9 years is looking for a Cavalier. She is just reciently Divorced, has three children, and horribly.... it was one of those messy things where the Husband traded in for younger...can I say Much Younger?

Gosh I hope this doesnt come out way to bitter, but for the past year my friend and her children have been thru the wringer~ and now the Jerk isnt even paying what he should in Child Support! So, She lives in a four bedroom home with plenty of room for a dog, no other pets but a cat~ The children miss their two dogs that stayed with husband...( Large dogs that are used to daily swims in the private lake, really she made the best decision on that...large trained hunting dogs that need tons of excersise)

So, her children and her have fallen in love with maxwell~ and now that shes gone for a year without a dog shes looking, but one problem....shes a single mom with three kids and hasnt the means at the moment to purchase at the going rate ....Please dont confuse this with inability to provide good food, vet care and anything else~ Shes got a very loving heart...her children are wonderful...shes just a bit cash poor at the moment...so if anyone knows of someone who might have an older dog, or a rescue in need of a home, Please P.M. me.

She is self employed at the moment, and can spend time re~training ...she has put her name in at the local rescue, but thankfully no cavaliers have shown up! This is a really good family, that just needs a break and a dog to love- To make all the hard stuff just a bit easier.

I do hope she is blessed with a cavvy soon, sounds like a little smiley face is just what she needs after such a bad time..

I have two directions of thought here:

First: You are right that she should perhaps consider an older cavalier -- one that has been 'run on' by a breeder who has decided the dog isn't show quality; or a retired breeding/show dog, or a rescue throgh Petfinder.

There are options for finding lower cost dogs that are either from very good breeders, or are very deserving (the rescues) -- but generally there will be significant costs with these as well and often many hidden (health) ones, so I'd wonder whether this is actually a good option in the bigger picture. For example the average rescue price seems to be about $800 -- and these are dogs that are typically more likely to have significant health problems. Hence they are not really a lower cost option by any means. Likewise an older dog is more likely to start having MVD issues and need a range of testing and medication -- also potentially very costly.

So, second: Maybe waiting til circumstances are better for her would be a better idea. Given that a single health issue could easily approach $1-2,000 in care, and that this IS a breed with some potentially costly health problems, I'd be concerned because vet care has to be paid up front, too. How would this money be found if there's a health problem? This could introduce many additional strains at what seems a tough emotional time.

It might be better to save getting a cavalier for a better time and opting for a mix or breed that might be less likely to have something costly come up? I just think this is a breed that needs a commitment from the start to potentially costly health problems, not least given the very high rate of early onset MVD.

That's all IMHO of course but as someone working in rescue and someone with a dog with syringomyelia I am very wary of this issue as I can't seen how there's any difference between paying up front for a quality dog from a good breeder and paying up front for the unexpected halth problem or emergency that might come up only weeks later. Not least as making the investment initially for a dog from a good breeder lessens the possibility of the latter happening on many fronts, and guarantees support and advice if bad things do happen. Help and advice won't be forthcoming from petfinder or someone rehoming their dog.

If they are going to insure the dog that gives them some better options though.