Greetings from Jasmine! September 21, 2007

 

 

 

Hi everyone!

 My name is Jasmine and I am a very young dog of about a year old.  Shirley adopted me from Cavalier King Charles Spaniel rescue a week ago today.  

I have had to work very, very hard, but I finally have my humans trained just the way I want them. They let me up on the bed. They feed me special dog food. I have to share the house with two cats that it took awhile to convince I wasn’t an enemy but cats are not as smart as dogs as you all know.   

Tuesday Shirley let me take her to obedience class so I can further train her to obey.  Our instructor, Kari, has her hands full with Shirley but says that I am very smart.  (She is a little bit prejudiced as she has a CKCS herself.) 

I want to thank everyone who helped with me finding just the right humans. Their daughter, Cathy, took this picture of me this morning and let me meet my cousins, Macy the Doberman and Spice the Whippet.  We bonded immediately as none of us really like squirrels.  

Sloppy kisses to everyone —

Jasmine

Top Ten Reasons You Need a Cavalier September 20, 2007

by Kim C. Thornton
1. The constant wagging tail is as good as air conditioning on hot days.
2. The body heat generated when they sit on your lap saves on heating
bills in winter.
3. You won’t have to wash your face or your dishes.
4. They’re chick magnets.
5. The feathering on their feet sweeps up all the dust on the floor.
6. You’ll get extra attention from flight attendants if you’re
traveling with one.
7. It’s nice to have company in the bathroom.
8. They’d rather cuddle than watch football.
9. Petting one will lower your blood pressure.
10. And the No. 1 reason to live with a Cavalier: Each day you’re
reminded to face life with a Cavalier attitude.

Real Men Love Their Cavaliers March 17, 2007

by Dorothy Rosa Durkee

Every now and then we hear of a Cavalier who has attached himself to a man who has been heard to insist, over the years:

“Dogs belong outside, not inside.”

“No dog will ever sleep in MY bed!”

At some point thereafter, we hear that not only is there a dog in his house, but sooner or later, one in his BED.

Often it is a Cavalier that changes this man’s mind about dogs in the house — and in his bed.

What follows is the story of what happened today with one of those men. First, some background:

Every year we fly to the national NCAA collegiate wrestling finals, held in a different mid-western city each year. Every year when we return, John, a Lehigh graduate and former collegiate wrestler, makes airline reservations for the following year’s trip. He books (and pays for) a hotel room ($22/night, via Hotwire) and car rental, orders our tickets ($150+), and eagerly awaits the passing of the year. John has been doing this for the past 35 years or more.

So this morning we got up, dropped the dogs for boarding at the Vet, drove 90 minutes, stopped for lunch, drove to off-airport parking, parked our car, rode the shuttle to the airport, made our way (wheelchair and all) to the ticket counter, checked in, negotiated first-class upgrades — and at the last possible moment before proceeding to the gate, changed our minds.

We reversed our route, arriving at the Vet’s shortly before they closed.

We’re home now, and Taz is dozing at my feet. In a few minutes I’ll slip into bed, and Taz will follow me, settling into John’s right arm, which will remain wrapped around him till John falls asleep.

We changed our minds because Detroit in March wasn’t all that appealing (sorry, Detroiters, it’s a seasonal thing), because the airports are jammed with spring breakers, because John sadly didn’t expect much from Lehigh this year — and because John missed Taz!

We now have two sets of tickets for sale, to be posted on e-Bay tomorrow unless I hear from someone here who wants to buy them at a BIG discount … if they can bear to leave their Cavaliers.

Note: Doro and John adopted Taz via Barb Cooke. They are also owned by Tess, 14; Bailey, 2; and Cooper, 15 (at The Bridge).

Winter Warmth March 16, 2007

Here’s a photo of former foster Dora (Blenheim) and  current foster Maggie Mae (tricolor), cuddling together for warmth.

Maggie has been in foster care for six weeks or so. She is going to be a great dog for the right person.  She has the most adorable face and an endearing personality — the Cavalier in her is coming out more and more each day!
 

Chelsea’s Busy Weekend March 13, 2007

by Sandi Prince

Please allow me to gush once again at how amazing Chelsea is: She’s wonderful!

On Sat. morning we had a visit with Cheryl and Scott, who previously adopted another foster dog, Keeper. Chelsea and I went out to greet them when they arrived, and I believe that it was love at first sight for all of them. They were so focused on her that I don’t belive they would have noticed if a herd of stampeding buffalo passed by. Boy, do they want her!

Cheryl and Scott are both vet techs in NY state. Cheryl works in emergency and Scott works in physical therapy. Scott already has plans to put Chelsea on the treadmill at work so she can lose the last few extra pounds and tone up. Right now she is one flabby little girl! We made plans for Chelsea and me to go to their house on Friday and get her settled in with them.

After they left on Sat., a good friend of ours visited with her great dane, Clementine. My guys know Clementine pretty well and are usually unfased by her at this point. Clementine is the biggest dog that Chelsea has ever met, and she did beautifully meeting her. She showed a healthy dose of hesitation, but no real fear or shyness. Very quickly Chelsea was walking around Clementine as if she were only a piece of furniture.

Sunday evening our former foster, Dickens, came over with his family to have dinner and meet Chelsea. Dickens looks wonderful, and he and Chelsea immediately hit it off. They played noisily together all evening.

As you can see, our little Chelsea has become quite the social butterfly. I am very proud of her. Her new life will begin this weekend.

Chelsea and the author’s son, Jerry

HRH Crumpet February 3, 2007

Here’s the regal look of Her Royal Highness Crumpet, currently being fostered in Pennsylvania.

Nick: Love at First Sight February 3, 2007

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by Sue Amon

Nick left this morning for his new forever home on Cape Cod. (Poor little guy!) Rick and Patty arrived Friday and came over to meet Nick. There was no question that they hit it right off. After a short get-acquainted time the humans went out for a fish fry (something they can’t get on Cape Cod — who knew?) They said that was one thing they missed after leaving Rochester. (They actually lived in Henrietta about 2 blocks away from us for 20 years.)

When we went back to the house, Nick had already made up mind that these were his people. It was really love at first site. His new family couldn’t have been happier. Patty has had Nick’s picture on her computer at work showing everyone her new puppy. Rick couldn’t stop thanking Rescue for this gift. Every time we talked on the phone or email his enthusiasm was terrific. They couldn’t believe how lucky they were to get Nick.

This little guy is going to be King of his Castle in no time at all. We all agreed that this match was predestined.. so many coincidences:

– Rick is from the NJ town next to the town Nick came from.
– Rick and Patty happened to be at an event and were talking to people about getting a new dog and wanting a rescue. The people were related to Michelle and directed them to the web site.
– The couple lived in Rochester most of their married life.
– Nick came to rescue with a gorgeous collar and leash embroidered with “Nantucket.”
– Today in the comics the Fred Basset strip was about foster homes.

Again, SO many coincidences.

The sad part is that our Emma is brokenhearted. She cried the whole time Nick was leaving and watched his car drive away, crying all the time. We’ve never seen her do anything like that. Guess she’ll need some extra attention for a few days.

Anyway — looks like another good match made by the Rescue Mamas! Many thanks to Michelle for offering to do a follow-up home visit to the Cape this summer. I doubt it will be necessary but I’d be willing to share the responsibility with you!

Annie At Home January 30, 2007

Snuggled In

Father and Daughter

Maggie Comes to Rescue January 28, 2007

by Chris Bellezza

Maggie’s pick up went way better than I expected. We arrived, with no weather-related problems — despite some flashing signs on the highway advising of “winter weather ahead.” We were heading north of Syracuse, in the snow belt, and had to traverse some elevated roadways where last week there was a 30-car accident due to sudden icing of the road.

Luckily today, there wasn’t any ice and only very light snow, but the warning signs seemed to have slowed the traffic and that made us more comfortable. My husband Jay insisted on coming with me, since I was heading to a stranger’s home, and the kids, by default, had to come along for the ride.

Maggie Mae’s home was warm and charming, and all of the kids were there, politely waiting to meet this woman who was here to take away their dog. The mom was kind and friendly.

The oldest girl was off to the side. Maggie Mae was barking at me, and even when I got down on the floor, she was really unsure about this intruder.

 We talked about Maggie, what she likes (belly rubs and stealing food from the toddler) and doesn’t like (some men, having toys taken from her mouth, sleeping late). She does have some bad habits, apparently (pooping in the house right after she’s been out, not liking to go potty on the grass – she prefers the driveway, screaming when she’s upset about something or you sleep too late, table surfing). I made good friends with the 3 young boys — two of them wanted to come home with me and meet my dogs — and all of them were adorable.

The oldest daughter offered some helpful tips, and I gave her a note with my contact information and assurance that she could call me anytime she wanted an update. I didn’t get to see the little baby, who was sleeping. (Drats!)

I then took Maggie’s stuff ( a big bag of food, a long leash, a crate and two nice blankets, a stuffed animal that the daughter slept with) out to the car and gave them some time to say goodbye while I gave Jay and our kids a quick update, and then I went back in. The mom said, with tears in her own eyes, that she was now upset. Thankfully, the boys were still ok with things, and after I scooped up the still reluctant, stiff-legged little MM, I said a quick goodbye and reminded them to call whenever they wanted.

And that was that. It’s a hard thing to give up your family pet, but all in all, it wasn’t as difficult a transition as it might have been, for all of us.

Maggie Mae, though, is getting braver by the hour and is much happier here, once she saw that we have treats and serve dinner!

A New Family for Shayne January 15, 2007

by Karen Sage

My daughter, Liz, graciously offered to do Shayne’s home visit this weekend, since I had to work and Katie and Rod were sitting on pins and needles waiting for Shayne.

Shayne was a bit stressed by the long car ride (a little over 2 hours) and was happy when it was over and he could get out and explore his new yard. He promptly claimed the yard as his own by taking a poo!

He barked at some neighbors who were outside and a squirrel passing by before going indoors. Once inside, he explored the house and even went upstairs, though he made Liz accompany him. (She said it was very cute, as he whined and looked up the stairs and kept looking back at her.)

It took him a minute or two (and a cookie) for Katie and Rod to lure him away from Liz’s side but after that, he was giving them kisses and checking out his new digs. At one point Shayne begged for a cookie by looking at the cookie tub and jumping up on Liz, but she told him his new mom and dad were in charge of the cookies and pointed in their direction, so he trotted over to them to beg! Of course, they HAD to oblige!

There were gifts awaiting Mr. Shayne from his new cousin cavalier, Seamus, who lives in New England. He had sent him a new matching collar and leash and some toys. There was also the jumbo-sized container of gourmet cookies of which Shayne seemed quite fond! He may need to be on his diet for a bit longer at this rate!

Mr. Shayne is now the king of his castle, with no one to tell him otherwise, and I believe he is going to be extremely happy! He was already watching out the windows and growling at the squirrels in the backyard, probably telling them, “Hey guys, I live here now, you’d better clear out!”

Later, I got a note from his new Mom, Katie:

Just wanted to let you know that Shayne is settling in quite well. He loves standing on the loveseat and looking out the bay window, because he can see everyone and everything that goes by and barks at them to let them know that he’s in charge now! Right now, he’s
laying next to me taking a little snooze. Before he went to sleep, I promised him that I would send you his first pictures so you can see that he’s doing fine and wouldn’t worry about him.

Liz – We took Shayne for a little walk and he was looking for your car when we got back from the walk. He certainly loves his Liz!

Take care and thank you again for letting this little guy join our family. He already has Rod and me wrapped around his paw!!