Mario was such a sweet boy. Always willing to please and full of love. On Labor Day weekend 07, I was grooming Mario and he acted a bit nervous. He calmed down within a few minutes but when I repositioned him he acted a bit nervous again. So I decided to move him to a bigger table. When I picked him up he started having a seizure and his heart stopped. I was mortified. We did CPR on him for 30 min. and restarted his heart twice but it eventually stopped again for good. I was so devasted. My vet thinks it was possibly an aneurysm. I know in my heart God has a reason for everything but sometimes it is difficult to accept. We will never forget our precious Mario.

We will miss you always!

Marlee was such a sweet, adorable girl. She had a huge loving heart and was a super great Mom. One week before Christmas 2009, Marlee went into labor. I could see a puppy's head was stuck. So I whisked her up and took off for the Vet. Once there, Dr. Randall realized he could not get the puppy out so he did an emergency C-Section. That puppy did not make it but there were 3 others that did. At first, Marlee seemed to be overly groggy but was trying to care for her new babies. The next day she started throwing up so I took her back to Dr. Randall. He said she had Toxemia and gave her fluids and numerous shots. He told me to keep a close eye on her and bring her back in the morning. I checked on her all through the evening up until 2 AM and she was stable. I took a 2 hour nap and by 4 AM she had passed away. I was devastated and not prepared for this. Dr. Randall was in shock as well. We both thought she would be ok. I will always remember my beautiful Marlee girl. I kept one of her females from this litter to carry on her fabulous looks and terrific personality.

We will always love you!

Cami was my first Cavalier (along with her sister Carly) She was so sweet and always had a gentle soul. She was the one that would stand back and let the others go first and wait patiently for her turn. This worked out well since her sister Carly always had to be first. Cami was a wonderful Mom as well and gave us some gorgeous puppies during her time at Kingston. Once we retired her we found a wonderful family who gave her the best retirement home imaginable complete with a young girl who loved Cami to pieces. They also had a Beagle who became Cami's best canine friend. Sadly Cami started having severe back issues and became unable to walk. She was peacefully put to sleep under the Vet's recommendation. We will never forget Cami and enjoyed the time the Lord allowed us to be with her.

My grandson, Garrett with Cami and Carly. Our first two Cavaliers. Cami is on the right.

You are always in our hearts!

Cami

In loving memory...

Lend Me a Pup

I will lend to you for awhile, a pup,
God said,
For you to love him while he lives
and mourn for him when he's dead.
Maybe for twelve or fourteen years,
or maybe two or three
But will you, 'till I call him back,
take care of him for me?

He'll bring his charms to gladden you
and (should his stay be brief)
you'll always have his memories
as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise how long he'll stay,
since all from earth return
But there are lessons taught below
I want this pup to learn.

I've looked the whole world over
in search of teachers true
And from the folk that crowd life's land
I have chosen you.
Now will you give him all your love
Nor think the labour vain,
Nor hate me when I come to take my puppy back again?

I fancied that I heard them say
"Dear Lord Thy Will be Done,"
For all the joys this Pup will bring,
the risk of grief we'll run.
We'll shelter him with tenderness
we'll love him while we may
And for the happiness that we've known,
forever grateful stay!
But should you call him back
much sooner than we've planned,
We'll brave the bitter grief that comes,
and try to understand.
If, by our love, we've managed,
your wishes to achieve!
In memory of him we loved,
to help us while we grieve,
When our faithful bundle departs this world of strife,
Please send us yet another Pup and we'll love him all his life.

author unknown

Hi Becky,

I don't know if you'll remember me, but my name is Shannon Graham. I used to be Shannon Neary. I live in Virginia, and I bought a beautiful Blenheim puppy from you back in 2004 when you had your first 2 litters of Cavaliers. I named her Emma. Maybe that rings a bell? :)

Sadly, my sweet girl passed away in my arms yesterday. About a month ago, Emma began coughing and hacking sporatically during the day, but at night, it was much worse. We took her to her vet, and they confirmed that she had fluid in her lungs and diagnosed her with congestive heart failure. I was told by the vet to prepare - that Emma could "go" at any time. I took her home, loved on her a lot, gave her lots of table scraps and belly rubs, and we had family portraits done with her. She was continuing to take her heart meds (Vetmedin) and a diuretic (Lasix), and we prayed that we'd have more time with her. Depending on how you look at it, we were fortunate to have 1 more month with her to take photos and have them to remember her always, and we were unfortunate in that it was only 1 month and not enough to celebrate her 9th birthday in May.

I just want to say, first, thank you so very much for letting a 20 year old college student purchase a puppy from you. A lot of other breeders wouldn't even deal with me, but you did, and I am forever grateful for that. Because you didn't hold my age against me, I gained the most wonderful friend I could have ever had. Em stuck with me through 4 moves, through multiple changes in my life (losing my dad, getting engaged, getting married, losing a pregnancy, and then having a baby successfully), and she was always the biggest ray of sunshine. It's like she could tell I needed someone, and she would just come sit in my lap and look up at me with those big eyes. She was the sweetest. I had been preparing myself for what would happen when I would have to say goodbye, and over the past month, I argued with myself over whether I would know when to say it was time to put her down, but my little miss was such a selfless girl, she went on her own and spared me from having to make that choice. Even in the end, she was the greatest friend to me. I miss her so much, it's hard to even explain. I'm sure you know, though.

Over the years, Emma had been my sweetest companion. I married a wonderful man who loved Emma so much that I felt like she replaced me with him as "her person." He created a voice for her, and she would have conversations with us on a regular basis. We took her everywhere. My in-laws adored her, and my mom used any opportunity to "puppy-sit" for us. Last fall, my husband and I had our first baby, and I was thrilled to see how Emma took to the baby as if he was her own. We called her our son's guardian because she would lie on my side of the bed, overlooking his co-sleeper, watching him while he slept. If he played on the floor, she was right there beside him. If I put him in his car seat, she escorted him out of the house. He's almost 7 months old now, and I have pictures and video of him playing with her, grabbing her fur and reaching for her paws. Never once did she snip at him, bark, or act out. She would simply wiggle if his grasp was a little tight, and then give him a good lick on the face. Best surrogate mama ever!

Anyhow, I don't mean to send this or tell you my sob story for nothing. I truly want you to know how much Emma has meant to me. I will mourn her for the rest of my life, no doubt. That girl stuck it out with me through the roughest times of my life, and she was always a beacon of joy that everything would be okay. Now that she's gone, in the 24 hours since she's passed away, our lives have been rocked by how different it is. Our house feels so empty without her. Had it not been for you, I wouldn't have had her.

Thank you, oh so much, Becky. You have no idea how thankful I am. (I'll keep an eye out for upcoming puppies - particularly blenheim girls - on your website this fall and next year.)

Love,
Shannon 04/17/13

PS - I attached the family portrait that we had done. Look how happy she is! The picture was taken just the weekend before last. She was like a little puppy again, running around everywhere, jumping up on the couch, and barking at everyone.

JUST A DOG

From time to time, people tell me, "lighten up,
it's just a dog," or, "that's a lot of money for just a dog."

They don't understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for "just a dog."

Some of my proudest moments have come about with "just a dog." Many hours have passed and my only company was "just a dog," but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by "just a dog," and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of "just a dog" gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's "just a dog," then you will probably understand phrases like "just a friend," "just a sunrise," or "just a promise."

"Just a dog" brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy.

"Just a dog" brings out the compassion and patience that makes me a better person.

Because of "just a dog", I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not "just a dog" but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

"Just a dog" brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it's not "just a dog", but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a man or woman."
So the next time you hear the phrase "just a dog", just smile -- because they "just don't understand."

"Musings" by Richard Biby,