Zumie05
Well-known member
Hello fellow Cavalier fans. I just wanted to share why I decided to join this forum, even though I do not have a CKCS!
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a breed of dog I have been considering for at least the past 2 1/2 years. Really the only reason why I have not got one is because I am scared to death about choosing a breeder and worried I may end up with a pup that will not work out with my lifestyle.
When I got my first "pure bred" dog on my own, as a newbie I made all the newbie mistakes. I wanted a big, calm, intelligent dog (one that would take after my parents' dog, Zumie) and after a lot of reading about different breeds I chose a Rottweiler. I ended up with a horribly bred and sickly dog with a personality that I did not expect based of the breed description. My dog, Gary, I later on discovered was from a puppy mill. I was mortified.
By 7 months old Gary was limping and crying and was diagnosed with hip dysplasia in both hips, elbow dysplasia in both elbows, and both his shoulders were also bad. Basically it was so bad, it was 1) get him surgery on all his joints so he can walk again and have a quality life, or 2) put him down, because he could not walk even on pain meds and glucosamine. Now imagine the cost of surgery on 6 joints. Being a new home owner, I could not afford this.
Luckily for Gary, my parents in law adopted him (because I trained him very well and has a great personality) and got surgery for him. Rather than a Rottweiler personality, Gary is more like a Golden Retriever or a Lab. He is a great dog and a good ambassador for the breed; many Rottie critics that meet Gary realize that it is how you raise and train a dog which makes them a good or bad dog. However, he is very hyper and high strung even now. Not that it is a bad thing, I am just not a high strung person myself and need a more relaxed dog. Gary living with my parents in law ended up being a match made in heaven, because he fits in beautifully with them.
Because of this experience, I am scared to "buy" another dog. Over the past 2 years I tried a few different methods other than purchasing another pure bred. I tried a shelter dog. This for me did not work out. Unfortunately with dogs sitting in cages, there really is no way to tell what their personalities are like. I just am not meant to try living and training with a more dominant almost feral dog... so I regretfully and embarrassingly took him back to the shelter.
I felt like I have such bad luck with animals, and they are definitely not disposable. However, it is important to make sure pets are matched up with the right families instead of just letting any old person have any old pet. My parents have an awesome shelter dog, Zumie, that I rescued and trained when I lived with them. I love training dogs, I even worked as a novice dog trainer for about 3 years which was so fun and I learned a lot. I would bring Zumie to classes as the demonstration dog and it was great. Honestly we got lucky, she is just the most perfect dog and I wish I could steal her, but the reason why I got Gary was because my parents would not let me keep Zumie when I moved out.
Then I researched about how to properly select a breeder and instead of getting a dog (I was still scared to try a pure bred dog), I got a pure bred Ragdoll cat. My cat, Solo, is the most awesome cat in the world, has the personality I expected, is healthy, and I am so happy with him! One thing I believe that made a difference is that the breeder took a very large part in matching me up with the right kitten based off of my lifestyle.
Next I tried contacting a rescue group that fosters dogs so they know their personalities better. I fostered a dog which was a good experience, I like the idea of fostering because you LEARN about the dog, so that later you can find the perfect home for them... I also fostered a cat, and volunteered at the shelter that I got my first "shelter" dog from that didn't work out. I felt I had to do my part and give back. I took pictures of the pets and made them profiles on petfinder.com which was quite a rewarding experience
Now after trying other methods, I think I want to dive back into purchasing a pure bred since it worked out so well with Solo. I am still nervous about it, once you buy a pet its done. I worry most about finding the right dog that fits my lifestyle. I am hoping to find a great Cavalier breeder that will really help me in selecting the right pup for me.
I am still partial to Rottweilers too; I think that one day when I have a larger house I may get a real Rottie, a correctly bred one too For now I think I would really love to own a Cavalier.
Thanks for listening to my story
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a breed of dog I have been considering for at least the past 2 1/2 years. Really the only reason why I have not got one is because I am scared to death about choosing a breeder and worried I may end up with a pup that will not work out with my lifestyle.
When I got my first "pure bred" dog on my own, as a newbie I made all the newbie mistakes. I wanted a big, calm, intelligent dog (one that would take after my parents' dog, Zumie) and after a lot of reading about different breeds I chose a Rottweiler. I ended up with a horribly bred and sickly dog with a personality that I did not expect based of the breed description. My dog, Gary, I later on discovered was from a puppy mill. I was mortified.
By 7 months old Gary was limping and crying and was diagnosed with hip dysplasia in both hips, elbow dysplasia in both elbows, and both his shoulders were also bad. Basically it was so bad, it was 1) get him surgery on all his joints so he can walk again and have a quality life, or 2) put him down, because he could not walk even on pain meds and glucosamine. Now imagine the cost of surgery on 6 joints. Being a new home owner, I could not afford this.
Luckily for Gary, my parents in law adopted him (because I trained him very well and has a great personality) and got surgery for him. Rather than a Rottweiler personality, Gary is more like a Golden Retriever or a Lab. He is a great dog and a good ambassador for the breed; many Rottie critics that meet Gary realize that it is how you raise and train a dog which makes them a good or bad dog. However, he is very hyper and high strung even now. Not that it is a bad thing, I am just not a high strung person myself and need a more relaxed dog. Gary living with my parents in law ended up being a match made in heaven, because he fits in beautifully with them.
Because of this experience, I am scared to "buy" another dog. Over the past 2 years I tried a few different methods other than purchasing another pure bred. I tried a shelter dog. This for me did not work out. Unfortunately with dogs sitting in cages, there really is no way to tell what their personalities are like. I just am not meant to try living and training with a more dominant almost feral dog... so I regretfully and embarrassingly took him back to the shelter.
I felt like I have such bad luck with animals, and they are definitely not disposable. However, it is important to make sure pets are matched up with the right families instead of just letting any old person have any old pet. My parents have an awesome shelter dog, Zumie, that I rescued and trained when I lived with them. I love training dogs, I even worked as a novice dog trainer for about 3 years which was so fun and I learned a lot. I would bring Zumie to classes as the demonstration dog and it was great. Honestly we got lucky, she is just the most perfect dog and I wish I could steal her, but the reason why I got Gary was because my parents would not let me keep Zumie when I moved out.
Then I researched about how to properly select a breeder and instead of getting a dog (I was still scared to try a pure bred dog), I got a pure bred Ragdoll cat. My cat, Solo, is the most awesome cat in the world, has the personality I expected, is healthy, and I am so happy with him! One thing I believe that made a difference is that the breeder took a very large part in matching me up with the right kitten based off of my lifestyle.
Next I tried contacting a rescue group that fosters dogs so they know their personalities better. I fostered a dog which was a good experience, I like the idea of fostering because you LEARN about the dog, so that later you can find the perfect home for them... I also fostered a cat, and volunteered at the shelter that I got my first "shelter" dog from that didn't work out. I felt I had to do my part and give back. I took pictures of the pets and made them profiles on petfinder.com which was quite a rewarding experience
Now after trying other methods, I think I want to dive back into purchasing a pure bred since it worked out so well with Solo. I am still nervous about it, once you buy a pet its done. I worry most about finding the right dog that fits my lifestyle. I am hoping to find a great Cavalier breeder that will really help me in selecting the right pup for me.
I am still partial to Rottweilers too; I think that one day when I have a larger house I may get a real Rottie, a correctly bred one too For now I think I would really love to own a Cavalier.
Thanks for listening to my story