My husband and I have always had at least 1 dog in the house, as children and adults. We started out with a female English Springer Spaniel, named Cleo. She was a loyal companion for many years. At the age of 13 she sadly passed away.
Shortly after we lost Cleo, my husband's mother was looking for a new puppy. She has always loved Shelties, and my husband and his siblings decided that we would get her one for Christmas. When we took his mother out to choose her pup, we came home with two; this is how Teddy came into our lives.
A few years back when my daughter started working security with a K-9 partner, many dogs passed through our house. We were able to show these service dogs what it is to have a home and a family if only for a weekend. We had Dobermans and German Shepherds, one of which touched our hearts and bonded with the family more than the others. When she was retired from service we were given the opportunity to adopt Brighthope's Enchantress "Tess", a 5 year old German Shepherd. She made instant friends with Teddy, and was a loyal friend and a loving dog for almost 3 years. Sadly Tess was diagnosed with Lung Cancer (from many years on the job), and passed away 5 days after her diagnosis.
I have always longed for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and after a year of research and searching, we finally decided on a companion for Teddy. We were fortunate to meet Ricki and Arnold of Gooseberry who allowed us to bring Aiden into our home. Aiden is an affectionate Tri-colour female who has become my constant shadow. She is a loyal, friendly girl who loves snuggling, the Dog Whisperer and her tennis ball. We started into show handling with Aiden and have continued showing our own dogs in the ring.
About a year after we got Aiden, my husband and I decided it was time to look into another Cavalier for our family. Melva of Tallygold Cavaliers happened to have a beautiful black and tan boy born December 31, 2008. In February 2009 Tallygolds Xcalibur Protector "Merlin" joined our family. Aiden and Merlin are inseparable; Teddy accepted him right away, and he loves to torment the cat.
In mid December 2009, Aiden was bred to Ch. Rabymar Adonis "Geordie" of Brinklow Cavaliers. As we were preparing for the birth of Aiden's first litter, we sadly lost Teddy .Teddy was in a lot of pain and we did not want him to suffer. We know in our hearts that Teddy would have been a great "uncle" to Aiden's babies, and he has been sadly missed.
Aiden had her litter of 6 black and tan pups on February 11, 2010. The 5 boys have now gone to their new homes and the little girl, Midsummers Lady of the Lake "Viviane", remains with us at Midsummer Cavaliers.
A special thanks goes to Norma and Lang of Brinklow Cavaliers for all their support and advice throughout the breeding of Aiden. We are grateful to Norma for her honest opinions and answers to our many questions. She has also entrusted us with Brinklow Midsummer Blue Angel "Morgan", a beautiful blenheim female born February 17, 2010.
Raising two puppies of the same age has presented some challenges but the benefits by far have exceeded our expectations. Viviane and Morgan have been able to grow up together and they have become best buddies.
Viviane has now moved in with our daughter and the pair are enjoying life experiences together.
Morgan has proven to be a natural in the show ring. She is Midsummer's first Champion and we are proud that she was owner-handled to this achievement. Morgan completed her Canadian Championship January 22, 2011, the same day her mother whelped her next litter. From this litter came Brinklow Midsummer Wild Thyme "Pebbles". Aptly named, Wild Thyme she constantly amazes us with her antics and has become the mischievous part of the pack.
"Cavaliers are like potato chips - you can't have just one."
