hello...I need your expertise

Hey guys. My name is Ian and I was the proud owner of a King Charles mix(I'll get to that in a minute) female named Maggie. She passed away last Tuesday night, and I'm thinking it was MVD. After doing some reading about it, I feel pretty confident that's what it was. My grandparents got her from a rescue when she was 1 year old and took great care of her....regular vet visits and stuff but was never diagnosed with it. Anyway, I fell in love with her and made my grandmother promise to give her to me if they ever had to get rid of her. Well that time was 2.5 years ago, when they moved to another state and could only take 2 dogs with them. But like I said, she passed last Tuesday. She hadnt been acting right the month leading up to that(have bouts where she wouldnt want to do anything, then perk up a few days later, only to go back down). Tuesday night I went to her doghouse when she didnt coming running around when we pulled up the driveway(she always ran around and barked for a minute, I guess protecting the place), and noticed something wasnt right. She could barely get out of her doghouse. I guess my instincts told me this was it. I brought her in and I'm thankful that she wasnt alone when she died(she was 10 years old). Me and my wife stayed by her side. Here's where I need your help. Ive always been a golden retriever/black lab owner until Maggie. Well, she was just so special that I want to find another one like her. Ive been doing some digging and it seems like the most probable mix based on her looks is a KC/Terrier mix(maybe Jack Russell?) or a KC/Welsh Corgi mix. Here's a pic....tell me what you think. Thanks so much!



If you guys need another pic, I have more, this was just the only one I had uploaded right now.

Welcome to the board, and I'm so sorry for your recent loss of Maggie. Thanks for letting us see what she was like!

On what mix she might have been -- good question! It is sometimes pretty hard without knowing the parents to guess the exact blend that goes into a mix, even when they look very much like one breed or another -- she might be a terrier or a collie mix for example, but even some very unlikely combinations you might not guess at! I had three puppies in rescue that were born to a cavalier I had in rescue and they all three looked like labradors. The dad was a labrador -- I know that was the dog belonging to the farmer who owned her -- but you'd never have guessed there was an ounce of cavalier looking at those puppies or the adults they became. Maggie definitely got mostly cavalier genes for appearance, going by your picture, which makes it a bit harder to guess.

In general what you perhaps enjoyed most was the cavalier part of her personality. A LOT of cavalier mixes are looking for homes with rescue groups -- why not have a look on www.Petfinder.com by searching for cavalier or cavalier mix and see what comes up?

Two things to keep in mind -- if you have a dog that looks very out of sorts it's always a good idea to get him or her to a vet -- if Maggie had MVD and she'd been diagnosed, you might well have had further enjoyable time with her. MVD is very well understood by vets and there are a range of treatments from early drugs to help ease the work of the heart to drugs later on that keep a dog comfortable. But sometimes they have sudden decline and failure too. A vet can let you know the situation in helpful detail.

The other point I'd note is that cavaliers are very much an indoor breed -- if you do think of opting for another mix or a pure cavalier, the breed is so much happier living indoors with their owners. They have hundreds of years of breeding to wish to be close to people and also the breed generally has a single coat that often doesn't keep them very warm outside at night, or when the weather is colder. They are very easily housetrained and crate trained though and will be so happy to have a cosy bed in the kitchen at night!

Good luck in finding just the right dog to be part of your household. :biggrin:

She looks like a terrier/cavalier mix to me, but it's so hard to be sure. She was really beautiful though and I'm sorry you lost her. It would be hard to find another puppy that will grow up to look like her but I'm sure another cavalier or cavalier mix would be just as nice.

Don't be too hard on yourself about her passing away. 10 is quite old and maybe it was just her time. At least she didn't suffer.

Cavaliers do really love their attention, but if you have to keep her outdoors I would suggest getting two, because they really keep each other company and they are much easier to look after in pairs, in my experience. Good luck!

I agree, a pair is always a great combination! (of cavaliers, mixes, or two different breeds) And 10 is a good age; she must have had many happy years.

I don't think cavaliers are an appropriate breed if someone has to keep a dog outdoors though, a point often made by cavalier breeders, trainers and cavalier breed rescue organisations. Generally I don't think being left out is a good choice for any dog while people are out at work all day, but cavaliers, because of their nature, are particularly prone to unhappiness in such a situation and it is no surprise that a common complaint with such dogs is the behaviour issues that typically follow on (barking, digging, chewing, destructiveness, escaping).

There's a good explanation of a different way of thinking about this here :

http://board.cavaliertalk.com/showthread.php?t=31670

What a pretty girl. I'm so sorry for your loss. How neat that your grandparents rescued her and you got to spend a few years with her. She sure was cute.

Karlin said:

In general what you perhaps enjoyed most was the cavalier part of her personality. A LOT of cavalier mixes are looking for homes with rescue groups -- why not have a look on www.Petfinder.com by searching for cavalier or cavalier mix and see what comes up?

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awesome, I'll check that website out.

Two things to keep in mind -- if you have a dog that looks very out of sorts it's always a good idea to get him or her to a vet -- if Maggie had MVD and she'd been diagnosed, you might well have had further enjoyable time with her. MVD is very well understood by vets and there are a range of treatments from early drugs to help ease the work of the heart to drugs later on that keep a dog comfortable. But sometimes they have sudden decline and failure too. A vet can let you know the situation in helpful detail.

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well, when she started acting funny, I took her to the vet. She originally started out with what appeared to be joint/muscle pain in her backside. After 2 vet visits, she would just go up and down like I mentioned. The vet she went to is extremely reputable, but he didnt mention anything about it. The odd thing was that earlier in the day, we played ball(she loved to fetch) and even though she did seem to be having a slower day, she seemed ok until I went to check on her that evening. I guess when the heart goes out, it goes out.

The other point I'd note is that cavaliers are very much an indoor breed -- if you do think of opting for another mix or a pure cavalier, the breed is so much happier living indoors with their owners. They have hundreds of years of breeding to wish to be close to people and also the breed generally has a single coat that often doesn't keep them very warm outside at night, or when the weather is colder. They are very easily housetrained and crate trained though and will be so happy to have a cosy bed in the kitchen at night!

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the thing is, the only time she ever wanted to be inside was when it was storming out. As soon as the storms were over, she wanted to be outside. She loved being outside....wouldnt have had it any other way. Her doghouse had a nice thick fleece bed...in the winter you could stick your hand in there when she was in it, and it was very warm....she liked it. However, the next one we get, I am gonna train them to sleep inside at night. But yeah, I dont know how Cavalier's normally act, but she was one heck of a farm dog.

Good luck in finding just the right dog to be part of your household. :biggrin:

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thanks, I dont want to start just yet...seems a little soon, but probably here in the next month or so.

CiaraPatricia said:

She looks like a terrier/cavalier mix to me, but it's so hard to be sure. She was really beautiful though and I'm sorry you lost her. It would be hard to find another puppy that will grow up to look like her but I'm sure another cavalier or cavalier mix would be just as nice.

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I'm leaning toward a terrier mix as well. Any specific terrier?

Don't be too hard on yourself about her passing away. 10 is quite old and maybe it was just her time. At least she didn't suffer.

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yeah she didnt really. In a way, I'm almost relieved she's passed, simply because I saw how she went from a very energetic, lively dog, to one that was nothing like that(except at times). I could tell she didnt feel well. It was sad seeing her that way when Ive always seen her as her true self. But it's hard to see them go regardless.

Cavaliers do really love their attention, but if you have to keep her outdoors I would suggest getting two, because they really keep each other company and they are much easier to look after in pairs, in my experience. Good luck!

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yeah, my parents have a golden retriever, and we only live about 10 second drive apart, so they hung out alot together.

Karlin said:

I don't think cavaliers are an appropriate breed if someone has to keep a dog outdoors though, a point often made by cavalier breeders, trainers and cavalier breed rescue organisations. Generally I don't think being left out is a good choice for any dog while people are out at work all day, but cavaliers, because of their nature, are particularly prone to unhappiness in such a situation and it is no surprise that a common complaint with such dogs is the behaviour issues that typically follow on (barking, digging, chewing, destructiveness, escaping).

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I'm gonna disagree here. What she was mixed with must have overridden their need to be inside. Ive had outdoor dogs ever since I was a toddler, and if they are trained right(meaning they know their boundaries and what they can and cant do), then people shouldnt run into problems. Problems usually arise though when people just put them outside and dont take time to teach them their boundaries and what is acceptable behavior. Maggie tried to dig when I first got her....proper scolding resulted in her never doing again. She never chewed or had any destructive behaviors. She did bark, but only when something was out there, even if it was something small like a squirrel, which she loved chasing. Knowing what I know, I couldnt imagine keeping her inside and robbing her of what she enjoyed. Dont get me wrong, I realize that the breeders are more than likely right when they say they like to be indoors, but like people, all dogs are different.