great strides in the last twenty-five years. Judges, when you find a Cava- lier which reflects the desired breed type its limpid, kind eyes will elicit a human response and your heart will melt. And that’s a promise.
uncommon to co-own initial breed- ing stock with your breeder. This is for the protection of the breed, the in- dividual puppy, the reputation of the breeder’s kennel name, and to make sure the new owner is mentored ap- propriately. In my opinion, it is a real “red flag” if a Cavalier breeder offers a puppy to a pet home with no breed- ing restrictions or without a contract outlining future plans. I have tried to breed healthy, well- adjusted and socialized puppies, be responsive to all puppy inquiries and help new owners for as long as assistance is needed. Most of my puppy requests come from previous puppy buyers or from referrals. I gen- erally have a waiting list prior to the whelping of a litter so don’t have prob- lems placing puppies in wonderful new homes. At what age do I start to see definite signs of show-worthiness? In the ear- ly stages (prior to eight to ten weeks of age), I look for more “eliminating” factors for a show prospect than posi- tive attributes. For example, since markings are of importance on a parti-colored Cavalier, a puppy with no white blaze between the eyes or a poorly marked boy is put on my “wait- and-see” list. This is not to say that these babies will be totally eliminated from consideration, but they will have to end up with outstanding structure and movement to overcome the lack of nice markings. With my litters, I watch and handle the puppies every day. How do they react to stimuli as part of the litter and when alone? Do they have that “look at me” attitude? At eight weeks of age, I use various tools to get a big picture—puppy eval- uations, taking individual puppies to different surfaces to evaluate body structure and movement, etc. By ten weeks of age, I usually have a good idea of which puppies (if any) will be kept back as a show prospect. What is the most important thing about the breed for a novice to keep in mind when judging? While I feel that most judges are fair and knowledge- able in their selections, I appreciate a judge that selects a well-made,
“at-risk” students, and as a Hospital- Homebound instructor. I have been a Past President and Judge for the American Cockatiel Society, Past President of the Mid-Florida Cava- lier King Charles Spaniel Club, and contributing writer for the Royal Dispatch ( American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club magazine) and Bird Talk magazine. My husband and I live inVenice, Flori- da. We participate in church activities, play “pickle ball”mostmornings, enjoy beach time and our grandchildren. We are also avid Auburn University foot- ball fans, take periodic trips camping in the SmokyMountains and spending time at Lake Martin (Alabama). Since retirement, I have made several trips toUganda andHaiti where I learned to cultivate a tropical tree, the moringa, that is used in developing countries as a food supplement. Is the breed’s huge popularity good or bad? As withmost things, you will find the good and the bad. Cavaliers make exceptional companions for young and old, alike. They adapt to most situa- tions, have a happy attitude and just want to “be with their people”. Cava- liers do, however, shed a moderate amount and require regular groom- ing sessions. These dogs will not adapt well to being left alone for hours each day. I do not place puppies in homes where everyone goes to work/school hours every day unless there is a care- taker in the home or arrangements are made for daily socialization. However, with the growing popular- ity of Cavaliers, the breeding of these beautiful, sweet dogs can be viewed as “easy money” for some people. Locating a responsible breeder that does the needed health testing, pre- breeding health checks, breeding procedures and appropriate pedigree (phenotype and genotype) research can sometimes be difficult. Do not rely on nice ads or low prices when selecting a breeder. Most puppy buy- ers will have to first find a breeder they have a rapport with and get on a waiting list. Because there is a real sense of “protectiveness” among responsible breeders, it is not
MALINDA M. POPE I have always had dogs but did not get into the world of pure-bred dogs until the 1990’s. At that time, I put my “toe in the water” with a beautiful black standard poodle. I had not seen or heard of Cavalier King Charles Span- iels until I saw one around 2001 at a Florida dog show. By 2003, I had not been able to locate a nice puppy (that a breeder would trust me with—I was a “newbie”) so used a handler contact in England to search for my initial dog. That Blenheim boy came from the Meadowpark Kennel (known for their Bernese Mountain Dogs) but also bred an occasional litter of Cavaliers from the old English lines. After much correspondence, “Roddy” was sent to me with a note from the breeder that said” Once you finish his champion- ship, I’ll send you a bitch”. That was in early 2003. By the end of 2003, Car- rie was sent over and I hadmy start. In the next few years, John Gammon and Robert Schroll (Ravenrush Cavaliers) advised me and also provided me with my first bitch bred in the U.S.A. I also received invaluable help from Rob- ert and Heather Lamont (Moorfields Cavaliers—Northern Ireland). I bred my first litter in 2004. My educational background was in Biology and Community/Fam- ily Public Health. I worked as a class- room high school teacher, Director of Science Education at an Alternative Education Center for court-ordered
50 • T op N otch T oys , D ecember 2019
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