Anyone From The UK PLEASE Help?

Hi, I was going to put this in the breeders section but I wasn't sure if I was allowed as there aren't any new posts in there.
I REALLY need some help from anyone in the UK, I am asking on behalf of my sister, Sadly her much loved cavalier died at the age of 13, though it was hard for her to think about it she has decided she is ready to get another.

Well the problem is we don't know of any good breeders around here in Norfolk where we live, Most I know of including where mine came from have turned out to be not as good as we thought they were so we do not know where to go

My sister is happy to travel in order to find the right baby, But it is so hard to know due to the fact of heart murmurs and other cavalier related illnesses that some breeders are not aware of.

ANY HELP GREATLY APPRECIATED, Will travel Up to 150 miles from Norfolk UK but happy to go further if the right place is found. THANKS xxx

Hi kaytee - if you go to The Kennel Club website there is a list of registered breeders, but please make sure you have a breeder who scans for SM and also has test for heart and hips.... also there are a number of dog magazines (Dog's Today, Your Dog and Our Dogs) which will have breeder information in.

Hi have you look at the cavalier club puppy site
---Aileen and the gang (Barney---Jazzie---Sam)

Finding a puppy

Hi there
If you go on the Cavalier Club website and check out puppy register, you will be given the phone number of your regional co-ordinator. They can tell you who in your area has puppies available and give you names and contact numbers. You also have the reassurance of knowing that you are contacting someone who follows a code of ethics, breeds lovely pups and does their utmost to breed healthy puppies, as they are usually involved in showing, so apart from thier commitment to Cavaliers as a breed, their reputation is very important to them as well. We found an excellent breeder this way, I was so glad that I spent the time going down this route.
Best of luck with your search and please post and let us know how you get on:xfngr:
Phobe Bo's mum

Can't help with the breeder question but would your sister consider a rescue ?

Definately agree with going through the club. The kennel club shows you people that have their puppies registered but they don't show you who is heart tested. If you go via the cavalier club their members all have adhere to a code of ethics which includes heart and eye testing I believe. Of course if you want me to personally recommend a breeder that carries out these tests then I can do so if you send me a message

Rescue dogs are a good idea or you could check the Club website

As others note, you should go through the club as a starting point but it will be up to your sister to do the appropriate research on the breeder. Club involvement should be the absolute minimum to start with in the search for a good breeder -- never use just KC registration or small ads listings.

Your sister should also ask to see the CARDIOLOGIST certs for the parents and grandparents( not a vet heart check!). If having a dog have a good chance of being OK for SM is also important, I would ask if the breeder MRI scans breeding stock and would want to see the scan grades on the parents as well.

I don't allow public postings for recommendations for breeders (see the board use guidelines in the Getting Started section) but if people have personal recommendations they may PM you *privately* please. I will delete any names posted publicly.

There are excellent guidelines here for choosing a breeder:

http://board.cavaliertalk.com/showthread.php?t=11335

anyone From The UK Please Help?

May I just say I agree with what Karlin has Posted ,but Could I also mention ,that buying from a UK Cavalier Club Member is no guarantee that Health Tests have been carried out on Cavalier Breeding Stock.

Some will ,but unfortunately some wont do Heath Tests .

For Prospective Cavalier Puppy Buyers ,always ask to see what Health Tests by the Breeder have been carried out on their Breeding Stock ,whether a UK Cavalier Club Member ,or an Accredited Breeder in the Kennel Club's Breeders Scheme .

Bet

Can I just back-up what Bet has said, please .

Kennel Club Accreditation is a good starting point, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the recommended health-checks are being carried out.

Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't buy a cav pup from anywhere that didn't MRI scan the parents, and have clear heart certification.

Having said that, some breeders are wonderful and do all this, and some even dispute that SM actually exists .

Good luck though

I PERSONALLY wouldn't use the KC list and neither would alot of very good breeders to sell their pups through, alot there are P/Fs, also small uneducated breeders and some just havn't a clue. The K/C is a registration list, there are no health demands made from it's clients dogs. With SM and heart conditions in this breed then you need to look further a field, do more homework.

....and as for the A/C breeders scheme.... well after what happened with my rescue that came directly from one then I'm glad that she doesn't hold that A/C any more. I personally have no faith in it.

Try your regional breed club, visit the main parent site, then ring the breeders, ask the questions that you need and want to know, visit them and meet the dogs and draw your own opinions up. This breeder may be a part of your life and family for a while after you have collected your puppy, they know the breed and will be able to help you with many problems and information later on. A good realationship with them is ideal.
A large show held in many areas is a good place to start, good breeders will be happy to help you and give you their time, a good breeder and a healthy puppy will be well worth waiting for, please don't jump into the first litter that comes your way, be patient.

Alison.

Alison_Leighfield said:

....and as for the A/C breeders scheme.... well after what happened with my rescue that came directly from one then I'm glad that she doesn't hold that A/C any more. I personally have no faith in it.

Click to expand...

How is she doing, Alison ?

Others have had problems with so call 'accredited' breeders, too. No checks are made on these people; their word is taken as fact.

It may be wortha visit to the UK toy Show , held at Stafford, in late March, as there will be lots of breeders there, who will be willing to chat, despite being busy.

Barbara she is doing very well, a good recovery from a stroke just before Christmas and holding her own with a grade 5/6 murmer (no meds and no symptoms) just amazing, she was nine last September.

Has put weight on slowly over the year and is now a healthy size not like the skin and bone that she was. Her coat is lovely now, thick and glossy and how she loves her little daily walk! she adores small children and would be in a passing pushchair in a flash LOL, makes me wonder if she knew children before somewhere? she enjoys the trip with Whitney to spectate at the agility club every week where she gets spoilt rotten! she has funny ways and a high spirit....she is just adorable. Here she is......little Lucy.



Alison.

Lucy is beautiful:w*w:


Aileen and the gang (Barney----Jazzie---Sam)

Awww Lucy is wonderful!

Let me reiterate that what I (and I think others) were saying is not that you just accept a breeder as being reputable and health focused simply because they belong to and are active in the club or on anyone's list -- but club membership and activity and registered puppies should be the *starting point* and bare minimum. There's plenty more work to do after that and I would never even take a personal recommendation as the final say on a good breeder -- a recommendation may well come from people who might not actually know how to find a good breeder themselves, or were taken in by misinformation, or who don't have the same preferences I would have in a breeder. So gathera lot of information and start working from there. A wide variety of breeders list puppies with the parent club so that is a good starting point for someone who doesn't have any other starting point. A regional club is a good idea too though I think some would probably just refer people to the puppy list with the parent club.

....Good Luck with the search!

Alison.

I would only ever recommend anyone that I knew was an active part of the cavalier official club and actively showed and health tested their dogs. Obviously it is very important as Karlin has said for your sister to do research on these people also and ask lots of questions to ensure you are happy with them. Knowing the problem with puppy farms (as I am a volunteer in rescue) and the health problems that Cavaliers suffer from I would never recommend anyone that I wasn't sure carried out the above as a minimum.

I wish your sister the best of luck when searching for her puppy, we did lots of research when we found our babies but they are so wonderful and make our lives so full!

Good to see Lucy looking so well.

Alison, she's lovely. You wouldn't believe she was the same dog.

Lucy is adorable!