Cavalier King Charles in flat?

Mely

Coolio...stick with your rapping, thats sh*t too....:rotfl:

UKTigerlily

Yes both the cat & dog are insured & i'm aware I could have problems but seeing as nobody on this thread knows ther exact reason I can't work, nobody can comment. And I may never be able to work, i've waited 23yrs for a dog I think now is as good a time as any. (In almost 24/7, more money etc) & yes I know how much dogs can be, what's !!! tho is if I said I have a kid would anyone be !!!!!ing saying why didn't I wait till back @ work? NO!

If I wasn't able to look after pets I wouldn't have any, I put them before myself & know alot about animals. My Nurse for both mental & physical said she has no worries as she's seen how well my pets are looked after. If you were told tomorrow for example you have cancer & may never work again would you get rid of all the pets (Especially if on more money!) no! I'd hope you'd make arrangements if you couldn't look after them for help. In my case i'm prefectly able to walk the dog & look after it & it helps mental health alot as it means I have to go out & could help me recover faster, tho it won't improve the physical it could improve the mental

And 15% of people with my mental illness work & I intend to be in that 15% but right now this is helping me to start getting out & giving me something to live for, without my pets I have no family & wouldn't be here & Bipolar is a secondary illness not my primary. And most with Bipolar aren't in hospital as it's treated like Schizophrenia & in the community, being in hospital makes it worse & most aren't.

And yes when I go in I have care sorted for the dog. But anyhow I don't have to justify anything, I have the time & money & love for a dog & have helped a rescue without a home & it's very well cared for & always will be. I may be ill but that doesn't mean I should live alone & give up on life

Kaida

pink_piggy17 wrote: »

Would you consider adopting a dog rather than buying one? There are so many lovely dogs in shelters and pounds looking for good homes and it sounds like you can provide a really nice home for a dog. Cavaliers are very sweet dogs but unless you go to a fantastic breeder you run the risk of buying a dog who may end up very unhealthy due to being bred for extreme looks.

I haven't read through all of this thread yet, but I had to pick up on this. Even going to a really good breeder won't give you a healthy cavalier, unfortunately, and it's not because of extreme looks. The genes that cause MVD (a heart condition) and syringomyelia (a brain/skull condition) are so widespread throughout the breed that it is impossible to get a cavalier that won't get MVD and hard to get one that won't get SM. They are unfortunately a very unhealthy breed.

Cavaliers are amazing dogs, though. Their temperament is top class, loving and happy and just wonderful (can you tell I have one? lol).

My recommendation would be to rescue. Many Tears rescue have cavaliers quite often, often ex-puppy farm breeding !!!!!es and studs. They will need housetraining (though some are in foster care so this will already have been started on), but you'd have to housetrain a puppy anyway. It is very rewarding seeing a rescue dog blossom.

Oh, just to add, you mentioned a collar. Bad idea. With small dogs, always use a harness, or they can damage their trachea.

foreign_correspondent

just got back in and had to read this - now I am late for work! aarrgghh!

Glad its all going ok so far cat and dogwise.

gotta dash!

UKTigerlily

Yeah not too bad, the cat keeps poking her head out to look at the dog & going closer tho the dog did have a chase last night by accident but didn't try to bite & the cat was ok lol watching them tho! Still no accidents & she loves her long walks

hethmar

Kaida, Lily didnt get a cavvie in the end, she got a small cross breed.

MrsTinks

Kaida wrote: »

Oh, just to add, you mentioned a collar. Bad idea. With small dogs, always use a harness, or they can damage their trachea.

Or train the dog properly so that it doesn't pull... Personally I think harnesses are great... provided that either the dog doesn't pull anyway OR you want a sleighdog Other than that use a collar, halti, gentle leader something else that doesn't encourage the dog to pull you no matter what it's size...

But that's as always just my oppinion!

UKTigerlily

I understand people being concerned, as animal lovers it's natural to worry about the pet being looked after correctly & in a life long home. I really did think long & hard over many years about this & if/when I do return to work i'll be having someone come in to walk her & it'd only be part time also. Right now with me being home all day I was at the point of giving up, no structure to my day, no motivation nothing.

I am always able to look after my pets, they keep me going. I guess it's like parents of kids, even if you're sick you may not look after yourself but you'd move heaven & earth to make sure the kid is fed etc. She's giving me reason to be out of bed at 8am every morning for 'my' walkies & motivating me & could really help.

If I or any of my Dr's had concerns then I wouldn't have got her. But all three of my illnesses are life long & I can't have kids & couldn't live alone with no pets. I'm not someone who has hundreds that you see on TV in a stinking home & flea ridden. My cat i've had 8.5yrs now & she's 10.5yrs old & she's been awesome, is awesome.

She's flea treated & wormed, vaccinated, insured etc & tho I qualify for PDSA Pet Aid I only register it as an absolute emergency. I asked around & found a Vet which will claim direct from the insurers if over £400-£500 which I have in cash. I have both insured.

I don't do anything such as smoke, drink, have a car, go out clubbing etc I have no social life/friends (Violins!) & my animals is what I spend my money on. I worked out what I should earn when/if back at work as I know it'll be less (Crazy YES I know, not something I agree with but I don't make the rules) & I can afford her on that.

Being a rescue she is vaccinated until November 2009, microchipped etc I feed her JWB which is good food & she'll be going to Hydrotherapy, Obedience etc & Flyball & Agility if we can get there.

Yes, i've heard (In case anyone mentions) taxpayers money etc etc all of us on benefits get that lecture but hey, ANYONE can fall ill & in my case it's genuine & I ask everytime I see my Consultants when i can work. I should be trying Voluntary work soon to see how I go but day to day varies, I can't guarantee the day before how I am which is why I had to leave my job.

Way I see it is it benefits the dog, she's not in kennels freezing cold & homeless but in a nice warm & loving home with what will be a full & active life. All of my Pets go straight to the Vet if showing any sign of illness as the Cat did the other day, even tho she maybe didn't need to.

It benefits me because she is helping me to recover in many ways not just motivation but with my physical problems also. She's also giving me responsibility & if I was hospitalised which is rare for all three problems, I have support in place to care for her until i'm out. For instance on Saturday I have to be out for 11 hours as my Mum has booked a day out for an early birthday present & is coming over to drag me out!

Chaya will spend the whole day with a wonderful lady with many years experience of dogs on her barge all day & being taken for long walks in the fields. She'll be with the lady all day & fussed to death not stuck at home. There's a reason many hospitals use PAT animals (Pets as therapy) because they can help people to recover or stabilise.

I'm sure those who work with animals will know of cases where this is so. My Vet is also happy with how my animals are kept & knows they are spoilt brats! I would never have got a pet, ANY pet, if i'd had any doubts about being able to provide for it for it's life. I know Chaya could live 10+ years yet & I know the cat alone costs quite abit.

And no, i'm not proud to be on benefits, I don't also have foreign holidays/widescreen tv's etc I have no TV & just had my first holiday in 8yrs. Pets is all I do! lol hope that essay cleared anything up? lol

hethmar

There have been times when my dogs have kept me going - when things are dark, you have lost a loved one, you feel desperate - the dogs are always there, always your best friends. I love my dogs to bits and I hope I give them the best lives I can.

foreign_correspondent

Well said Tigerlily - although I think anyone who has read the thread will know that are a very responsible pet owner who has thought this through long and hard, and have also taken every reasonable step (including asking the council - how many peple actually bother to do that at all!?) and also that you are not the sort of person who makes a lifestyle choice to live on benefits.

However, I don't think you should have to explain yourself here for the benefit of people who have clearly not read the whole thread. This thread has actually been a refreshing change from the 'I work ten hours a day and have just decided I want a puppy for christmas!' sort of threads we sadly see all too often.

The very reason we have a benefits system in place is to support people who are unable to work for any reason - some people do exploit that, but people should not judge others on the behaviour of a few.

It sounds like your little dog is settling in very nicely - but we do need piccies as soon as possible please!

How do you pronounce Chaya? I ask because my last dog was called Che (like Che Guevara) pronounced 'shay'