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WHAT IS THE CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL RESCUE
TRUST?
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Rescue Trust was organized to help
homeless abandoned and abused Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. All of
the people in this organization are volunteers who dedicate their
time, energy and resources to finding suitable homes for homeless
Cavaliers.
WHAT IS A RESCUE CAVALIER AND WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
Rescue Cavaliers come from a number of places. Some may come from
shelters, others, through no fault of their own, need to find a new
home due to the divorce, death, and incapacity of their owners.
Others may come from people who have seen this cute little puppy in
a pet store window and bought it on impulse, giving little thought
to the fact that the puppy would have to be socialized, housebroken,
trained, and will demand the attention of it's owner.
As a rule, rescue Cavaliers are adults. We rarely get a Cavalier
puppy in rescue. Rescue Cavaliers may have health problems, may need
training, and most certainly demand your attention. These loving
little dogs want nothing more than to be with their family. If you
decide a rescue Cavalier is for you they will reward your kindness
with love and affection until the end of its days.
Since we never know what dogs will be coming into rescue, if you
have a strong preference for color, sex or age, a rescue dog may not
be for you. The more flexible you are about age, sex and coat color,
the more likely you will be to make a suitable match.
ARE RESCUE CAVALIERS READILY AVAILABLE?
The answer to that question is "no" there are not always Cavaliers
in rescue. Patience and determination, as well as keeping in contact
with the rescue organization, is the best thing to do if you are
determined to get a rescue dog. It may take a long time, but it will
be worth it.
HOW CAN I ADOPT A RESCUE CAVALIER?
The most important thing to do before you decide to adopt, is to
familiarize yourself with the breed. Go to a dog show or to the home
of someone who already has a Cavalier and get to know the breed.
There are many books on Cavaliers which can be purchased or ordered
from any large bookseller.
If, after doing your research, you still want a Cavalier rescue,
fill out the ACKCS Rescue Trust Preliminary Adoption Application and
send it in. We are all volunteers and get many inquiries each day,
therefore you will not be contacted when you application is
received. It is very important that you keep you contact information
current. This will allow us to contact you should a suitable
Cavalier become available. Please remember, obtaining a rescue
Cavalier may take a considerable length of time.
SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE CAVALIER
SIZE - The average Cavalier is 12 - 13 inches tall at the shoulder
and weight is between 13 - 18 pounds. However, you will find some
smaller and some larger than this average size. The Cavalier King
Charles Spaniel is registered with the American Kennel Club as a
member of the Toy Group.
PERSONALITY: Cavaliers are extremely people oriented and want
nothing more than to give and receive affection and attention. They
need to be with their family. Because of this, some people find them
to be demanding so if you are not a person who likes a dog to kiss
you on the lips, lick your ear, lie in your lap or next to you on
the furniture, or share your bed, a Cavalier may not be the dog for
you. Their greatest joy is to be with you.
As a rule they get along well with other dogs and also cats. You
must keep in mind, however, that they are a small spaniel and most
still have fairly strong hunting instincts so a gerbil, hamster, rat
or bird, may not be safe.
Cavaliers do not take well to extremes of temperature. They do not
like extremes of cold or heat. You must be sure that on hot days
there is always a cool spot and on cold days always somewhere they
can keep warm.
TRAINING: Cavaliers are generally not difficult to train because
they want to please their owners. However, a rescue Cavalier may
have some bad habits and/or issues due to their past treatment or
environment and may need to be retrained, which is a little more
difficult. Housebreaking could be an issue with a rescue Cavalier so
if you can't stand a few "accidents" while the training or
retraining is in progress, you probably do not want a rescue dog.
HEALTH: As with all breeds of dogs, Cavaliers do have some health
problems. Some health problems may be Mitral Valve Disease (MVD),
luxated patella, epilepsy and syringomyleia. Some of these
conditions may not show up until the dog is older and some dogs will
never have them. If one of these conditions does exist or does
develop, the dog may have to be under the care of a veterinarian and
on medication for the rest of its life. Although no one can predict
what the future may bring, when you adopt a rescue dog that has a
full medical exam, and sometimes a medical history, you can be aware
of the medical needs of the dog from the beginning.
All Cavalier rescue dogs are taken to a veterinarian for a complete
health work up. They are all spayed or neutered, brought up to date
on their vaccinations and given dental work if needed. Depending on
where the dog has lived, it may also have been tested for Heartworm
and put on Heartworm medication.
DENTAL CARE: All Cavaliers need dental care. They should have their
teeth brushed regularly and should have their teeth and gums
evaluated by their veterinarian as a part of their yearly check up.
Professional cleaning by a veterinarian may be indicated. If you do
have your Cavalier's teeth professionally cleaned, always remember
to put them on antibiotics one week prior to the cleaning and keep
them on it for one week after the cleaning.
FENCES AND LEASHES: Cavaliers MUST be kept in a securely fenced
yard. The fence should keep the Cavalier in and neighborhood dogs
out of your yard. Anytime you take your Cavalier out of the fenced
area for a walk or romp it MUST be on a leash. Cavaliers are
extremely social and friendly and will run after another animal, a
child on a bike, get into a car with anyone or go into someone
else's house. Cavaliers have no sense of danger and never learn to
stay out of the street or that a large dog may not be friendly. They
need your protection AND they need to be on a leash when out of the
fenced area.
Invisible fencing is NOT recommended. It is not secure and some
Cavaliers will endure the "zap" if they see children playing or see
another dog they would like to meet. In addition, the invisible
fence will not keep out other animals who could enter your yard and
cause harm to your Cavalier.
For walking your Cavalier, you should have a thin 6' leather leash
and a collar. Teach your Cavalier to walk at your side. NEVER,
NEVER, NEVER use a pinch color on a Cavalier.
CORRECTING YOUR CAVALIER: Cavaliers do not respond well to harsh
corrections. They are very sensitive and a stern "No!" is all they
will need. NEVER hit your Cavalier with your hand or with a
newspaper or any other object. This will only make him fear you.
Repetition, consistency, patience, kindness and love are all you
will need to train your Cavalier.
PREPARING TO ADOPT YOUR RESCUE DOG: There are some things you should
do before bringing your new dog home.
1. Purchase a high quality dog food from a pet supply store.
2. 6' thin leather leash.
3. Soft collar.
4. Stainless steel bowls for food and water.
5. Safe toys.
6. Soft doggie beds
7. Crate - 27" long x 20" wide x 19" high
BOOKS:
SECOND HAND DOG: HOW TO TURN YOURS INTO A FIRST RATE PET
By Carol Lea Benjamin
THE ADOPTION OPTION by Shari Kalina
DONATIONS: The American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Rescue Trust
does not sell dogs. We do ask for donations to help us with medical
and rehabilitation expenses for unfortunate Cavaliers.
When adopting a Cavalier, your donation of $350.00 or more helps us
cover these expenses so that we can help other Cavaliers in need. |
