The Cavalier Matters Crufts team

[meljoy]

Looks fantastic....well done to all who have obviously worked so hard.

[Autaven]

I was there yesterday and today - bought things both days and I'm proudly wearing my SM Awareness bands, I bought 3! I was too shy to say anything really and no doubt will be by spending more money tomorrow :P

Stall looks lovely!!

[Karen and Ruby]

I was there yesterday and today - bought things both days and I'm proudly wearing my SM Awareness bands, I bought 3! I was too shy to say anything really and no doubt will be by spending more money tomorrow :P

Stall looks lovely!!

I'm going to listen out for a Scottish accent today then!! Make sure you introduce yourself!!!

[Autaven]

I was again too shy and again bought more stuff! Was my last day today after a long drive I'm home. Next time you should put on name tags as I'm not sure exactly who it was who served me! :P

Hope you have had a successful weekend, I'm sure of it as the stall was always filled with people

[lindylou]

hi
it looks fantastic i wish i could have been there and well done to everyone that was involved

[Karlin]

Funny, I have found few truly health focused breeders who are afraid of groups or individuals working for breed health.

But many breeders will be 'tarred with the same brush' as long as the clubs do so little that the only way people get accurate information is by going to pet owner-run websites and while there's still so much denial about SM, or while you have a couple of well known US breeders this week on a public email list (including the main list admin!) telling pet owners they really needn't bother finding MRI-testing breeders (they can recommend their friends instead who have 'never had a case of SM'...they'd rather 'trust the line and what they've seen'... sound familiar? At least UK breeders, who have done a lot of testing and know the reality of how many are affected, are far better than that and credit to them, absolutely, for using testing programmes) and using totally misleading 'statistics' about the likelihood of affected dogs from certain types of breeding.

As more breeders make their commitment to health more visible by having dogs in MateSelect and listed with the BVA/KC CM/SM scheme, the easier it will be for buyers and those concerned about health to celebrate the good ones. I really look forward to that being a meaningful database.

Even as a pet owner I have picked up very strongly that there is no love lost.

I've always thought that as a pet owner you have always had a curiously high famiiarity with individual show dogs and breeders and insight into what breeders might be thinking and doing!

Next time you should put on name tags as I'm not sure exactly who it was who served me! :P

That's a great idea -- it's always great to find out who people are in 'real life' . Maybe they'd also need to use their CavalierTalk username on the nametag too...

[MadeleineSarah]

I had a great time on Friday.
My friend Kate and I shopped till we dropped. I very much enjoyed meeting everyone at the Cavalier Matters Stand and am happy to say I am now a member of the Companion Club offered by Margaret and was very interested to talk to Carol.

I must say Margaret and Carol it felt like I was meeting someone famous as I had seen you both on the telly!

I think everything you are doing is brilliant and will help in anyway I can.

Madeleine

[cavluvver]

Hiya, haven't been on for a while as some of you will remember my son had a large thyroid tumour in his neck and yes it was malignant and he has had to have two surgeries to remove it and the thyroid. He has to go to Christies in afew weeks to have a radioactive iodine drink and then, fingers crossed, he will be ok. So I haven't had a lot of time to chat. But I'd like to take a moment out to congratulate Tania and the others on the stall, also Margaret and Carol, on all their hard work and constant struggle to create awareness of syringomyelia and mvd and to also thank them for all the support that they have given to me and many of us on this forum. It's people like you that really make a difference and may someday hopefully make cavaliers a healthy and pain free breed again. Also, someone told me today that there was a piece on the Crufts coverage about cavaliers and syringomyelia. Is this true and, if so, is there a link to it as I missed it and would love to see it.

[BIZA]

I wish i had been able to go to Crufts but couldnt this year. The stall looks brilliant maybe it a good thing i didnt go otherwise i would have spent too much.Its really good to know that there are more breeders that are doing the health test and are really trying to improve the health and not letting this lovely breed die out because of health. Is there a list somewhere of the breeders that are testing as i lost my young boy aged only 6 yrs and am now worried about getting another one and have said never again but the thought of living without a cav just isnt right as i have had them for over 30 yrs now mainly pets but did a bit of showing but never bred

[Kate H]

Margaret C on this forum knows most of the health-testing breeders and keeps a private list. Send her a private email and she'll probably be able to suggest someone.

Kate, Oliver and Aled

PS to Cavluvver - so pleased your son is doing well.