By MARIE CARTER, Editor of Pets Magazine www.petsmag.co.uk
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are special. There, I’ve written it, and let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. I really do want to try to keep a little bit quiet about the fact that these ‘love sponges’ of the canine world are just the perfect little dogs. I should know, as I’ve now got two of them, and would love more. Perhaps all four colour variations – Ruby, Blenheim, Tricolour and Black and Tan – but I have got to be practical, unfortunately!
Special cargo: Nell and Sophie Carter
As with chocolate you can’t just have the one Cavalier, but I really don’t want to tell too many people what perfect little dogs these are, as, sadly, they are the victims of their own success, or popularity. Cavaliers are afflicted by two major inherited health issues in such overwhelming numbers that you could accurately describe the incidences of heart or Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) and Chiari-like Malformation / Syringomyelia (CM /SM) as endemic in the breed.
MVD is a terminal illness which may affect over half of all Cavaliers by the age of five years and nearly all Cavaliers by age 10. It is the leading cause of death in the breed. SM is reported to be “very widespread” in these dogs. Syringomyelia is a disorder of the brain and spinal cord, which may cause severe head and neck pain and possible paralysis. The breed is affected by other inherited conditions that have arisen as a results of extensive inbreeding from too small a gene pool.
In spite of all this doom and gloom, I wouldn’t choose any other dog breed. Why? Well, for starters Cavaliers are fabulous family pets and excellent ‘comfort’ dogs. In the 17th-century, the Toy Spaniel was called a ‘comforte’ dog that kept the feet of nobles warm in draughty castles and also diverted fleas from master or mistress to dog!
Sophie and Nell have very different characters but, like all Cavalier, love people
Cavaliers love their people and are very eager to please. We have two and while different in character, Sophie and Nell are both very loving. Both dogs adore their food rather too much and can be easily trained with suitably tasty treats – in small morsels, of course!
Nell and Sophie have very different backgrounds, however. I adopted Sophie, a Ruby, as a feisty pup of eight weeks and she attended puppy classes and has received lots of love and affection over the years. For the past two years, Sophie, who is eight, has been a regular ‘contributor’ to Pets Magazine as our Chief Reviewer and Taste Tester. She even has her own column called ‘Sophie’s Choices’ and it is a job she loves! She loves giving kisses, walks, snoozing and food! As well as her ‘Mr Tiger’ toy.
My fiancé and I have in the last month adopted Nell, who is 10 and a Blenheim Cavalier, from Dogs Trust. Nell came to the rescue centre from an Irish puppy farm where she was forced to have litter after litter in the name of profit. It breaks my heart to think about what she’s been through. Our vet said she’d had multiple litters, severe ear infections, most of her teeth had been removed and her muscles were hardly developed due to a complete lack of exercise over the years. Her pads, in contrast to Sophie’s who has enjoyed many long walks in her eight years, are puppy soft. I call her my ‘grown up puppy’.
After that description you would be forgiven for expecting me to write that Nell is a shy, traumatised and shut down kind of dog. On the contrary, Nellie is the most loving, gentle, trusting and people-orientated little dog I have ever met. She has been with us less than three weeks, and has settled in wonderfully. She has bonded closely to me but can be left at home with Sophie for a few hours without issue. We initially had a handful of ‘little accidents’ in the house, but these have vanished with a little gentle re-training.
Free to run at last. Nellie spent suffered years of neglect in a puppy farm
Nellie is abundant with her licks and nuzzles and also loves her walks, and is inquisitive about her new world. With Sophie, she has I suspect, visited more fun and interesting places that she has in her entire decade. She’s been on (albeit short) countryside walks, ran along beaches, and even had the wind her ears in a convertible. Nell loves rolling in the garden and she loves to smile. By the way, dogs do smile! And she has an enormous zest for life. We both hope to be able to give Nell several more years of the best life can offer. She deserves every moment of happiness.
I love Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. They are, in my humblest of opinions, the best dogs in the world. Active, people loving, intelligent and endearing little characters, I don’t think I will be ever be without at least one of these amazing little dogs. But I really don’t want to shout too loudly about that, of course!
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