LilCav
Active member
Hi everyone!
I am new both to this forum and to Cavaliers. I grew up with a beagle and collies. I never thought about owning a toy breed, and never really educated myself on breeds in this category the way I did with other groups. My mind made the silly conclusions that one can draw about teacups and pursedogs, and I'll admit I was terribly biased; I hope you all can forgive me. Well, my girlfriend's chihuahua and my little cavalier changed my mind on that!
Anyway, how I got my Cav.
I was looking for an Aussie. I know, I know, nothing alike. I was looking for a dog to serve the purpose as my service dog; I suffer from various medical conditions that will make it difficult when I need to live without any sort of housemate in a couple of years. My doctor urged me to look into getting a service animal, and due to the specificity of my disability, it made the most sense to hire a private trainer.
Every time my trainer found a pup, I would go with her to look at it, and second guess myself too much to say yes. She was concerned about me handling a larger dog with my health/stature, and as my health declined over the course of the search, the energy of a shepherd seemed an impossibility. So I told her: you make the decision.
Long story short, she picked out Naomi for me.
I got her at 8 weeks. Naomi is now 18 weeks, and weighs in at 13 pounds. She's going to be a big cav!! She's the sweetest thing and loves to learn; even my trainer is impressed with her progress. We spend 90% of our time together, and that number is only going to go up!
I'm looking forward to learning a lot on this site. I've never owned a spaniel before, and certainly not a cavalier. I might have my trainer helping me with obedience and what not, but breed specific health and behavior I am really in the dark about. I have many questions I can think of, and thousands more I haven't thought of yet.
I can't wait to meet everyone here and share Naomi and My's story as she progresses (hopefully) to a full working dog!
I am new both to this forum and to Cavaliers. I grew up with a beagle and collies. I never thought about owning a toy breed, and never really educated myself on breeds in this category the way I did with other groups. My mind made the silly conclusions that one can draw about teacups and pursedogs, and I'll admit I was terribly biased; I hope you all can forgive me. Well, my girlfriend's chihuahua and my little cavalier changed my mind on that!
Anyway, how I got my Cav.
I was looking for an Aussie. I know, I know, nothing alike. I was looking for a dog to serve the purpose as my service dog; I suffer from various medical conditions that will make it difficult when I need to live without any sort of housemate in a couple of years. My doctor urged me to look into getting a service animal, and due to the specificity of my disability, it made the most sense to hire a private trainer.
Every time my trainer found a pup, I would go with her to look at it, and second guess myself too much to say yes. She was concerned about me handling a larger dog with my health/stature, and as my health declined over the course of the search, the energy of a shepherd seemed an impossibility. So I told her: you make the decision.
Long story short, she picked out Naomi for me.
I got her at 8 weeks. Naomi is now 18 weeks, and weighs in at 13 pounds. She's going to be a big cav!! She's the sweetest thing and loves to learn; even my trainer is impressed with her progress. We spend 90% of our time together, and that number is only going to go up!
I'm looking forward to learning a lot on this site. I've never owned a spaniel before, and certainly not a cavalier. I might have my trainer helping me with obedience and what not, but breed specific health and behavior I am really in the dark about. I have many questions I can think of, and thousands more I haven't thought of yet.
I can't wait to meet everyone here and share Naomi and My's story as she progresses (hopefully) to a full working dog!