introduction

[ChasCAVILVR]

Hello all...I am new to the site and joined to read about other cavi owners and issues they are dealing with or have dealt with, care and grooming tips, breeder information and thoughts, etc. My first beloved cavi, but not first dog, had to be put down at 11 yrs old last year. He was a rescue from an amish puppy mill. I got him at 4+ months old. He was underweight and had lived his life until then in a large cage. Unknown to us until later, he was also deaf. He was not at all attached to humans when he first came to us, but became very attached to our other mixed breed rescues. He watched what they did and that's what he did. He was the sweetest, most gentle dog and everyone loved him--humans and animals alike. You know a dog is special when two little neighbor boys drop by and ask if Charlie can come out to play. He started to love humans when he found kind, loving ones. When I lost him there was a hole in my heart that only another cavi could fill. I searched for a rescue but the only availability were quite old ones with multiple health issues. Having spent the last three years of Charlie's life dealing with orthopedic issues and high vet bills, I needed something younger with perhaps fewer issues. Unfortunately, I just couldn't wait so I purchased a puppy from a breeder. Thus far, he has been one of the easiest dogs to train. He is my little shadow and is somewhat distressed when I walk out the door, but he settles down fairly quickly. He makes me laugh every day. He loves to chase bubbles outside, play in the water in his little swimming pool which we filled with plastic balls for winter which "splash" out of the pool when he jumps in and he then jumps out to retrieve and put back in his pool. He loves his walks and is learning to" leave it" when squirrels and rabbits and birds capture his attention. He loves the mental stimulation of finding his food behind sliding or moving parts. I could go on like most of you when speaking about your fur babies, but I will end for now.
I want to thank whoever posted the info on neutering of male cavis. My puppy is almost 11 mos. old and we had planned to wait until at least a year before neutering him, but will now try to get closer to the 16-18 mo. mark. Also, to the person who asked if anyone else had a big cavi --yes! My pup is 26-27 lbs and when we picked him up at 9 wks he was over 5 lbs whlie his sisters were 3 lbs. He is definitely larger than most other cavis we have encountered. The only drawback to his size is that he can't fit into any airplane carrier so we are looking at airlines that allow pets to fly in cabin. Being bracheocephalic dogs, I won't put him in cargo! Thanks to all for their interesting posts. I look forward to reading more soon!