Why you chose a Cavalier,your opinions please...

The fact that I already had (at the time, two) cats was actually the main influence on my decision to get a cavalier. The cats were here first and I didn't want to stress them out with a breed prone to chasing cats especially as the cats are indoor cats! I spent a long time researching various breeds and thinking about a mix from a rescue group.

I grew up with a giant breed (Great Pyrenees) and would love one again, but that was not possible in my house with no garden! So I was looking at small breeds, which I really knew nothing about at all. I didn't want a yappy small dog nor one that is mostly an inactive house dog. I also ended up deciding that getting a purebred was better for predictability of behaviour with cats as well as adult size, barking and so on. My mother had met someone on a train trip in Mexico who had pics of her cavaliers in her wallet so actually it was my mother who first told me about this breed I'd never heard of -- even though they are so popular in Ireland and the UK. I read up on them and other possible breeds in a couple of dog encyclopedias and on the web and weighed and weighed what to do. My mother really liked how they looked so she was voting for a cavalier once I narrowed down a shortlist of breeds. No one I knew had one.

Once I started researching cavaliers, MVD really worried me though and hence I started reading a lot about health issues and quickly discovered the added problems with puppy farm and backyard bred cavaliers and also discovered that Irish cavaliers had a terrible reputation as so many are imported into other countries from puppy farms or BYBs here. It was a real eye opener, the more I read and researched... and the things I began to discover about Irish cavaliers as I looked for a breeder, became the basis of the first puppy farm piece I wrote for the Irish Times

http://www.cavaliertalk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=366

and also the basis of a submission to the government's working group on puppy farms.

I really fell for the breed once I had a cavalier. Jaspar was everything I ever wanted in a dog (a lap dog ready for a 3 mile hike, a swim, or agility) and also of course was great with the cats -- and that led me to get Leo and now Lily. And at the same time, I couldn't believe how people could exploit this lovely breed and was horrified at the knock-on health problems due to casual breeding.

I never ever expected to soon after, be so involved online and offline with cavaliers...

I'd still like to get a pyrenees eventually but that will involve a larger house and a garden at some later point in my life. Between cats and cavaliers I have plenty to manage. :lol: I can't imagine ever not having a cavalier now.

My son 9 was having a terrible time sleeping and had just started dog obedience. His bedroom is also up a really steep set of stairs and the goldies werent impressed about climbing up there. We have cats but they dont stay there all night. The other issue was his 18 month old sister Trinity. So I researched several breeds and came up with the cavies. I had a terrible time trying to find a reputable breeder in our state that had a litter of pups available, most werent breeding until the next year. Then one day I was looking through a newspaper that doesnt usually have ads for dogs and there was an ad for them and better yet only 45 mins away from me. I live out in the country so 45 mins is like going to town for the weekly shop. I checked with some breeders on how reputable she was and they said she was good. So we all piled into the car to go see the pups. She had 2 available 1 tri girl and 1 blenheim boy. I wanted the girl, she was really out going, but when my husband picked up the boy, it was love.
I was also out voted because of my sons. So we have Jeremy and he is the best little dog. I think I will always have a cavy in my life now.

Like lots of the other contributors, There's always been dogs in my family home. After getting married we got a wire haired terrier from the local rescue home, he loves the outdoors and runs and runs in the fields near our home.
A couple of years later, some friends of ours gave us a present of ruby CKC pup (They lived with us, while waiting for their house to be completed). She was one of four from our friends CKC litter. The minute I saw here I opened my heart to her, and she now ( 2years later) rules the roost, bossing our wire haired terrier around and generally struts around with an air of happiness and confidence. I love both of our dogs, but CKC's make great house dogs and brilliant companions. She's also brilliant around children.

In Jan. 2005 we had to euthanize our beloved retired racing Greyhound because she had bone cancer. It was extremely difficult and left a huge void in our lives. We decided to wait a while before even considering another dog.
Well, eventually I needed to fill the void she left, but we wanted a different kind of dog and one that we could travel with. The research began! I even enlisted the help of an APDT trainer/behaviorist to help us find a really good match. During our search, the CKCS kept coming up as a really good choice. So I started contacting breed clubs, going to dog shows and going online to learn all I could about the breed. When I finally met these little dogs, I fell in love instantly with thier sweetness, constantly wagging tail, happy outlook and beautiful faces. I knew that our next doggie was definitely going to be a Cavalier! :luv:
Okay fast forward to Jan. 2006, I was put in contact with a reputable breeder who had puppies available and the visits to her house began. On Jan. 29th she called me to see if we wanted to take home one of her boys, we said YES. It was the same day that 1 year before we had to euthanize our Greyhound. Funny how life works, I couldn't help but think that it was a sign somehow and just meant to be. *ng*l :d*g:
2 months later Riley came home to us and we adore him! :lotsaluv: He is my baby boy and such a wonderful little dog. He had added so much to our home and lives. He's my best little buddy and cuddle pup. I couldn't imagine a better companion.

Just leaving a comment so this gets bumped up the list as I'd like to hear from all the new members too. :flwr:

hi

i had gone out one day a brought a hanging plate with a tri cavalier on it i thought that the dog was so beautiful i got a book about them and thought they were perfect for me i waited a while as i had to get the money together and it was funny on the day i thought i would have enough my local paper came through and inside the pet section they had 4 tri puppys for sale at exactley the same amount i had so that was it i phoned up on that day and had molly home by tea time and i loved her straight away and now i have charlie who is such a lovable boy and if i had a bigger place i would have more i wouldnt have any other breed now it will always be cavaliers

I lost my beautiful baby Ally (female daschund) on new years eve 2004…she was the love of my like and my first dog, my best friend..i cried for weeks and started to go off eating…and now instead of new years being a happy occasion for me it fills me with sadness and I start to cry in rememberance of her

…I couldn’t bear to have another dog because I wanted to preserve her memory (stupid I know..but it was a bad time)..so I waited for a year and finally decided it was the right time 2 get another dog…after lots of research and the recommendation of cavy’s from my uncle whose a vet)I fell inlove with the cavvy breed I decided to buy a cavvy…

I seriously thought I was over Ally but when I got my two I couldn’t help thinking that they were the best things that happened to me but id still rather get Ally back..for months when I had them I loved them like anything and all but found myself now and then thinking of Ally and comparing my cavs to ally which was not fair to them but I couldn’t help it. i always told them they were the best boys in the world..i could never bring myself to say best dogs because then in my opinion they weren’t..then anyway…

only about 3 months ago (they are 11mnths now) I have fully let go of Ally and have truly become 2 love monty and milo and think they are the best dogs in the world..i couldn’t imagine myself without them now and am so thankful I got them..

also since I got two I feel its double the love from them (even though it may be double the work!)..i love my boys more than anything and getting them was the best decision I ever made…im sorry to drag on like this but I have never said my feelings about this to anyone before..it all just seemed to come out.. :flwr:

That's why I made this thread Nisha. We all love the heart felt stories. Your two are among my real favourites. I hope my pup grows up looking like yours. Are they really only 11 months in your lovely avatar.

As much as I hate to admit it, I never knew what cavs were until I watched Sex and the City and Charlotte's character had a little blenheim girl named Elizabeth Taylor :lol:. My family used to breed Springer Spaniels, and spaniels have always been my most favorite dog, so I was instantly in love with cavs.

That was probably about 2 or 3 years ago. I was living with my parents and we had a black lab, so I knew they would not be keen on me bringing home another pet. So I thought I would be slick and start buying things with cavaliers on them (calendars, books, Christmas ornaments, etc.) so that hopefully they would get the hint that I really wanted one and I would probably be bringing one home soon. My mom would just laugh like I was kidding when I would say "I'm getting a puppy!" :roll:

Thank God that I bought everything I did. It really helped me research the breed and know what I was getting into.

So a year ago October my parents went out of town for the weekend. Josh and I drove to Nashville to pick up my little man Spencer on that Sunday. Unfortunately we took all day going around to everyone I know to show him off (grandparents, friends, etc.) and my parents were already back by the time I got home! :shock:

So I wrapped him up in a baby blanket that the breeder had sent home with him and walked in the house. My dad was sitting right by the front door watching tv, so he was completely oblivious to anything I was doing. So I walked right past him and upstairs to my mom. Well, I walked in her room and took the baby blanket off Spencer and my mom got sooooooooo mad! She started saying "He will be my responsibility, I will have to feed him, You won't take care of him, He will upset our other dog" Typical mom things.

So I just walked over and plopped him in her lap (keep in mind he was 10 weeks old and at the height of cuteness) and that was it for her. She was in love too. She was like "He is pretty cute! But I'm still mad at you!" I told her I could deal with that. The funny thing is, the next day was Monday and I had to go back to work (at the time I was working at a swimming pool store and I didn't want him around the chemicals) so she was like "I'll take him to work with me!"

We got Izzy after I moved out into my own house in April of this year. Spencer had majorly bonded with my lab who stayed with my parents and he became quite the mischeif-maker in his first week alone in the new house. So Izzy came to stay and we have been a happy family ever since! :flwr:

Nisha said:

also since I got two I feel its double the love from them (even though it may be double the work!)..i love my boys more than anything and getting them was the best decision I ever made…im sorry to drag on like this but I have never said my feelings about this to anyone before..it all just seemed to come out.. :flwr:

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Nisha, I could't agree more. I feel exactly the same about my boys too They have made me so happy little icon_devil 's that they are!

I had been thinking about getting another dog for a couple of years as my lab who had gotten me into performance events was getting older and was thinking of retiring him...he then bloated twice withing 6 weeks (stomach twisted requring emergency surgery)..and I was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to compete after that (he has since finished off 2 agility titles) but in the meantime I was thinking of getting another performance dog...because I live in a condo I was thinking a smaller breed as I just couldn't imagine 2 labs in the condo..I also wanted something that wouldn't require alot of grooming as I Hate grooming..LOL...and I wanted something with a similar attitude to a lab...kind of the happy go lucky attitude....LOL..I became friends with a woman from our Kennel Club who bred Cavaliers and the more I saw them the more I liked them..in fact the in the litter she had before Robbie's she had a boy that I just loved and really wanted to steal..(she was keeping him for her breeding program)..well her next litter was a year and half later and I was really thinking of adding my next dog the following year because I was working with Riley still and at almost 8 years I was wondering if he would accept another dog..Robbie's litter had only he and his brother..I went to look and play with them but the breeder was thinking of keeping them both so I wasn't even thinking one of them might be mine even tho I kind of took a shine to one of the boys who was a little more out going than the other..so right around when they were 8 weeks old she called and said she was probably only going to keep one of the boys and was I interested in the other boy..(at the time she wasn't really sure which one she was going to keep)..well even tho it was a year earlier than I thought I wanted one I couldn't pass up the opportunity...and thank goodness I didn't because I ended up with my Robbie Bug..(and he was the one I originally liked the best)

I'm not even SURE how I got on to the CKCS. I have always been a lover of larger dogs, until I had some bad experiences with larger breeds, so I knew I wanted something smaller. And I don't know if it was something on tv or WHAT triggered it, but I started looking into the CKCS and everything I read and heard was so great! I knew it'd be the perfect dog for me. And then the hard part was finding a breeder near me that had a litter or one coming up that would product the Blenheim color I really wanted. Ultimately I found a breeder about an hour from me and visited and she had the most adoreable, sweet, Blenheim boy. And I just knew that was it. So, here I am, in the waiting, to get my little man in early December. Now we're just still on the hunt for a perfect name!

My husband chose the breed. After being dogless for many, many years due to work constraints we finally decided we could take care of a dog properly. My husband wanted a Lab or Golden Retreiver. I wanted a small dog. He started researching dog breeds on the internet. When he came across Cavaliers, he just thought they were so cute (which they are!!!) and were supposed to be smart and calmer than most small dogs. Then he discovered one of his co-workers had two of them. When he asked her about them, she like most cav owners went on and on about how great they are. I really was completely unaware of the breed but after he showed me pictures it seemed like our destiny. I started seeing them everywhere! Finally, "Elizabeth Taylor" showed up on "Sex in the City" and that was it. We had to have one! We researched and finally found one. Audrey came to live with us 2.5 years ago. She has changed our life. My husband has three kids from his first marriage that are all grown up. But he and I have never had a child together. Well, Audrey is it!! She is our baby!! My husband just retired and I left my full-time job to spend time with him and our little girl!!!! We couldn't be happier!!!!

I grew up always asking to get a dog and always got told no, then my sister go a cavi boy called Pip( short for Pip Squeak). I totally fell in love, unfortunatly he was the runt of the litter and died in his sleep, after suffering heart and kidney problems, at around 5 years old. I was devestated.
A few years down the line my sister got another, called Charlie, who's a total cutie :l*v: I moved into my new house last year and rescued 2 gorgeous cats but decided at the begining of this year I was gonna get a dog. I showed my other half onto some sites that discussed the Cavaliers and he got hooked to. They are just brill :lotsaluv:
They are such enchanting characters, I've never met a nasty 1, they just want to love and be loved. They more you find out about them the more you gotta love them. I dont think I could own another breed of dog. The way Murphy snores, sigh's like life is just soooooo terrible, how he loves to snuggle and how he's never disappointed to see me :l*v:

What a nice thread.

I hope your spirits are up, or have been climbing up lately!!

I always wanted a dog. When we were young, growing up we didnt have any pets. We travelled every holiday and my parents were just not "animal people".

My husband who is so loving and would take a rock home to take care of it if need be, said I want a dog! And I said yeah me too. But we just said it, once we started thinking about it and all the responsibilities we decided the time wasnt right for us. (well I decided that knowing all the responsibilites would be on my head!)

I always knew Id want a Cavalier. I had a friend who grew up with 2 of them, and I had a friend who lived in my Building that had a ruby little boy. He was so sweet and calm and always just jumped up into my lap went I went for visits. Thats when I said to myself, If I ever get a dog, this is the breed Im getting.

So another time (it happened often) my husband said, lets get a dog, and this was it!

6 months ago I started doing my Cavalier Research (due diligence) I learned all about puppy mills, and many many things about Cavaliers and dogs in general.

I found from the AKC website the name of a breeder close by and called her. 2 weeks later I brought home what I now realize is the best thing thats ever happend to me in my life. (aside from my husband, he hates when I say that!) But even he is impressed by how devoted I am to this beautiful little creature. And we are both jealous of the attention she gives either of us!! But a good jealous!!

Thanks for letting my share my story!

I’ve never been a spaniel lover, let alone a cavalier fan. I had always had terriers growing up, little dogs that like to answer back to you. I had Suzy who was a peke/JRT who nowadays would be called a designer dog. She lived to the grand age of 21. She was apart of my life from nursery school till after I had my 21st.

Didn’t think I would get another dog after that as it was too painful, but six months later I took on Dizzy a 3 year old yorkie who was just a big a character as Suzy and was know as my shadow as she was always by my side. We had many happy years together till she became ill.

Dizzy became very ill with diabetes and later Cushing’s was found to be the cause. We had two years of fighting the disease when I got a phone call from the RSPCA hospital asking if I would think about taking on another diabetic dog that needed a home or they would have to put her down.

I live at home so taking in another dog was going to be a problem and my Mum said No at first because taking care of Dizzy was nearly a full time job as her diabetes was unstable and you had to be on constant watch with her all day.

And I didn’t know much about Cavaliers apart from one I had met at a family relation home of a friend, Who was a total sweetheart. All I knew about them was they had problems with their hearts and that was all.

Well I needed to go to the hospital to pick up some insulin and suggested we could just pop in to see the dog icon_whistling . (Won’t get away with that again)

We walked into the room where they were keeping the mother cats with their kittens and SiânE was laying in a small cage looking totally lost. She nervously came out of the cage not sure of what was going on. My Mum took one look at her and announces that we would take her on.

It wasn’t easy at first, Dizzy didn’t like having a new dog in the house, but we managed to keep a balance and things settle down for the next couple of months.

Then came the hot weather and poor Dizzy body couldn’t cope and with me by her side she passed away in the night. I always called SiânE my little Angel, she never complained about having to make room for Dizzy and that Dizzy had to come first. Her Diabetes has always been stable, she always ate her food and most importantly kept it down but after Dizzy died SiânE earned her wings with all the love and comfort she gave me that kept me going. I hate to think what would have happen if she weren’t around.

I wasn’t in to spaniels before but now I am and like all of you I totally obsessed with all things Cavaliers and would have another one in a second if I could.

I had at the time a 17.5 year old poodle mix and a 10 year old Lhasa. The mix was living on borrowed time although not really that ill, just out of it, I knew she really wouldn't even notice a new dog that much and I just felt I needed another dog, and started looking on Petfinder.com for a little mix of some kind. This rescue about 40 min away had one and they also were getting a Cavalier in from a neglect situation , no picture yet, so I thought I'd see them both. The rescue called me to tell me that the mix was not available, the foster was going to keep her and if I wanted to see the Cavalier, to get there first. So I did...she was shaved down, and just filthy and stained but a really sweet girl and I took her home, bathed her twice and took her to the Vet. He told me she was too thin (she wasn't) so I fattened her up no problem. I'd say she changed my life for sure, since I now have 2 adults, a 6 month old, and the litter of 6 at home now (3 went home). Oh , and my poodle mix's name was Coco and so was the Cavalier.....so I had 2 Coco's here but old Coco was deaf so it didn't matter, but it sure was fate!

I think it was about 7 or 8 years ago I saw one in a magazine or a book, so I read about them and that was it, I wanted one so bad. But, I was in school and money was tight. So, zoom ahead to the fall of 2005. My sister and I are taking care of our Dad, he was dying of congestive heart failure and was on home hospice care. It's soon to be my birthday, and my sister knows how much I've wanted a Cavalier, and I had been talking about a Cavalier puppy that I knew of that was for sale.....my sister asked me if I wanted to go look at the puppy, and of course I said yes. And I finally got the puppy of my dreams....Bentley helped me get thru an awful time in my life last year. And my Poodle also came to live with me too (my Dad adored our Poodle and Bailey had lived with my Dad till my Dad passed away), and Bentley has helped Bailey become a much more calm and relaxed dog. Bentley, and Bailey too, are my whole world!!

My husband's sister in CT had a gorgeous ruby named Chancey. I was really fond of him and thought he was one of the most beautiful dogs I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. He passed last Christmas, sadly, but lived a full life to 16 (which I understand is archaic for Cavaliers!)

I lost my Bull Terrier, Roxxy about 4 years ago and missed her terribly, and couldn't bring myself to get another dog for a few years. But, over this past year I've really been missing the pitter-patter of 4 feet and we made the decision to get a puppy. We started researching breeds, and had talked about getting a Cavalier, but found they were pretty scarce around here... we really didnt' think we'd find one. We just kept our eyes open for months, and I finally came across an ad from a breeder in Niagara Falls. That was it! We knew when we saw the ad we'd be bringing one of those puppies home.

Our little family is now complete :luv:

this is such a great thread! i love hearing all these stories!

That's why I made this thread Nisha. We all love the heart felt stories. Your two are among my real favourites. I hope my pup grows up looking like yours. Are they really only 11 months in your lovely avatar.

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thanks for the compliment...yea theyre 11mnths in that pic..but as you can see that was quite a bad pic they look very ungroomed!!!