Cavaliers and Co. Dog Blog

Mother Nature says NO

2012-01-09T10:11:00.000-08:00

Today we had Pixie's scan. We were so sure she was expecting as she is ever so clingy (beyond her normal cuddly self) and her coat so lustrous! But there was not a single puppy to be seen on the scan. We will rescan in a couple of weeks just in case she was a little later with her ovulation that was indicated on the Idexx test, but its not looking good. Never mind, it just means Bailey will be getting another visit from his 'wifey' in a few months!

We hope you are all having a good New Year so far!

Watch this space for more news from us soon!

The Beauclarke Bunch! xx

And finally the news from Beauclarke Mews!!

2011-12-18T23:49:00.000-08:00

We are SO very sorry we have not blogged in ages...you know who to blame though eh? We have told Mum about making a New Year resolution to blog REGULARLY but don't hold out much hope. But Mum does have quite a bit going on at the moment folks. Both of her parents are not too good health wise and her Dad especially faces a New Year of daily radiotherapy and more chemotherapy so things have been a bit hectic for our Mum. Don't worry though fans, our Daddy had been brilliant looking after us all while Mum has been running around doing a great blue arsed fly impression. (We wanted to say headless chicken but Mum thought it might offend the vegetarians amongst us.)

And so on with the update from the past few months! Lilly is fully recovered from her bladder stones and apart from needing one more urine test this week sometime to make sure there are no crystals building up again, she is ok. What a year its been for her with the facial paralysis and the bladder stones! But she is still such a sweet girl and gets on with life in her own happy way. She LOVES rides in the car and Santa has bought her a pair of Doggles so she can have her head out of the window to her hearts content without Mum worrying about her getting anything in her eyes. (think of cavalier ears flying free in the wind and the theme tune to Titanic playing and you have a good idea of Lilly with her head out of the car window!)
LILLY ENJOYING HER 5TH BIRTHDAY CAKE (Dec 6th)

Charlie and Mum are now official Pets As Therapy volunteers and have been doing weekly visits at a local care home for the elderly for a few weeks now. Charlie loves all the fuss and attention and behaves impeccably. Mum wears her yellow Pets As Therapy T-shirt with pride and Charlie has his own uniform too. Anyone out there with a friendly dog should really think about having their dogs assessed to be P.A.T dogs and giving an hour of their time to this wonderful endeavour. It really is so very rewarding.

Mum had her Annual Winter Dog Show on December 4th and it was a great show too. There were 37 dogs in competition as well as a few along for a doggie day out. The funds raised went to Hounds For Heroes and a cheque was sent off to the value of £220. On December 17th there was the DY5 K9 Academy Christmas Pawty, Lilly and Charlie went along to represent the Beauclarke Bunch and had a lovely day. Those of us left back at the Mews didn't miss out though as the left overs found their way into our tummies. Oh, (whistful sigh), liver cake topped with cream cheese frosting and hotdog sausages is simply divine! The plan was to raise funds towards massive veterinary bills for a little Cavalier with hydrocephalus called Royston but sadly little Royston went to Rainbow Bridge earlier this month. The £120 raised will find its way to a deserving cause though. Little Royston we hope you are running proud and free at Rainbow Bridge, we will all see you there someday you brave little man.
CHARLIE AND LILLY ENJOY THEIR VERY OWN BISCUIT EATING GAME WHILE GUARDING THE MONEY TIN

And sadly Rainbow Bridge has claimed 2 more of our cat friends since we last blogged. First one of our stray cats friends, Bingo, was having problems breathing and so she went off to the vet. Sadly things were not looking good for her and Mum made the decision (in agreement with the vet) that it was time to say goodbye. Bingo was only a young cat and her loss came as a terrible shock, but in the end the right decision was made for her and her end was both dignified and peaceful. Then less than 2 weeks later, we had to say goodbye to Spike. Spike was special to us all because he was a cat that quite literally came in from the cold one icy February day some 11 years ago. He was so sick, full of fleas and ear mites and the tiniest little fully grown cat we had ever seen. (We called him Compact Cat too!) So Mum came home from work one day to find Spike snuggled up in Dad's arms and after a vet visit to sort out his problems and a short time in isolation so he did not pass on his respiratory tract infections he joined the Jezebell Cats. He was a gorgeous and friendly boy, his coat patten made him look like he was wearing a tuxedo, liking nothing better than a lap to snuggle on. Goodnight Spike, We all miss you so much. OUR HANDSOME BOY SPIKE
After such sad news we would like to end on a brighter note, and hopefully one that will culminate in more positive start to 2012 after the 'annus horribillis' (sorry Mrs Queen of England but the phrase just fits so well!) that 2011 turned out to be!! Drum roll please.........Pixie may be expecting pups! She came into season at the very end of November and went to meet her new 'husband' the rather grand Khatibi Angus Macoatup at Edenloch (Bailey to his friends). Lets just say they enjoyed each other's company and Pixie will be having a scan on January 11th to see if she is indeed expecting. There is a chance of all 4 colours in any litter that Bailey and Pixie would have, and Mum has decided that should we be blessed with pups in February, then the first born male will carry the name Beauclarke Royston The Brave in honour of little Royston Cavalier who lost his battle with his illness so recently. All we need is for Mother Nature to smile on us and of course we will let you know via the blog.

So to you all may we wish you a Very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful and Plentiful 2012.
PIXIE THE RED NOSED REINDEER

AND BUDDY CHRISTMAS

Poor baby girl Lilly

2011-09-02T02:34:00.000-07:00

Poor baby girl Lilly is once again at the vets having yet more invasive surgery. She has been having problem peeing for a while and has recently become incontinent. dipstick tests have shown blood in her urine and walk have become horrendous with her stopping every few feet and straining to pee. The urine was spun to check for crystals but nothing showed up. So today she has gone in for an x-ray and has a bladder full of calculi (large stones). Too large to be flushed out and so she will need a cystotomy to remove them. Lilly must be going for the record number of problems in one year!! The surgery itself is fairly straightforward and has relatively few complications (thankfully for you know what our luck is like!!) so she should be her old self in a few days. The stones will need analysing to see what they're made up of and it may be that she will need a special diet to prevent stones forming again. We'll keep you posted.

The BEST news

2011-08-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Just had a phone call from delighted puppy owners to tell me that the Cavalier Puppy stolen on Thursday has been returned safe and well. A happy ending!
Those of you who have dogs of your own, give them an extra hug tonight.

STOLEN PUPPY

2011-08-29T01:19:00.000-07:00

STOLEN from West Bromwich B70 on 25.08.11. King Charles Cavalier Puppy, male, 16 weeks, red/white, MICROCHIPPED. Attached is a still from CCTV footage of the theft. If you recognise the thieves or know where the pup is please contact K9 Search UK in the strictest confidence or alternatively contact West Midlands Police (West Bromwich).

This little chap has a medical condition requiring surgery and needs to come home...
PLEASE psot this on your Facebook pages and send to everyone in your e-mail contacts. Lets see if we can't get this little fella home where he belongs...EVERY LITTLE HELPS

Farewell Felix

2011-08-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Very sadly we have to report that we have had to say a fond farewell to Felix Cat. He was a little over 12 and lost his battle with FIP on Saturday 20th August. He was gently put to sleep and gave Mum one last head rub before he slipped away. Felix enjoyed a short show career and won the Best in Show Household Pet accolade on several occasions, his show career ended prematurely when we were diagnosed with FIP in our cat colony. He was a huge boy before his illness robbed him of his size and weight, but his personality remained as large as ever. One of his favourite pass times was drinking from a running tap and he would miaow constantly until someone turned the tap on for him. He will be missed. Goodnight Felix, sleep peacefully and we will see you at Rainbow Bridge.

Not wishing to end on a sad note, Mum took Pixie and Lilly along to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club Show in Worcester today, both were entered but not for competition. It was a very very hot day most of it spent queueing for heart and eye testing, but it was all worth it as Pixie was clear of both heart and eye problems and has the certificates to prove it. So we are one step closer to becoming an accredited breeder! All we need now is Pixie to have her next season and to get together with her 'fella' so we will have a litter to register! Watch this space.....

The Northern Newfoundland Club Fun Day

2011-08-14T07:06:00.000-07:00

As you may know, our Charlie goes to regular Hydrotherapy with Jacqui Woodhall at Bearhugs Hydrotherapy. Jacqui owns, works and breeds Newfoundlands and is heavily involved in all aspects of the breed. She is Membership Secretary for the Northern Newfoundland Club (NNC) and was involved in organising a Fun Day held at Chasewater near Cannock on Saturday 13th August 2011. For a change Mum had the day off from her Training Empire (hehehehehehehe)and so roped Dad into going along with Lilly and Charlie. Mum and Dad would have liked to have taken us all along but just decided on taking 2 of us, Charlie had to go as he is Jacqui's Honorary Newfie and Lilly because she LOVES going out in the car. The plan was to enter Charlie in a couple of classes in the Companion Dog Show...but in the event Mum entered them both!!! Here are some pictures and clips of their day.... Lilly and Charlie wait their turn in the show ring
Lilly looking lovely
Charlie asks if there is a pinkest tongue competition
Lilly wants to enter it too
Practising their cute look for the judge
Charlie perfects his just in time for his first class - Handsomest Dog
And here he is taking 3rd place in Handsomest Dog

Lilly enters Prettiest Bitch

And takes 4th in a large class!!

Charlie WINS waggiest tail!

Lilly is thrilled and wants to get in the ring to congratulate him

And here they both are taking 4th place in the 'Dog the judge would most like to take home' class....look out for next weeks foray to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club show......

Getting up to date!

2011-08-14T06:28:00.001-07:00

Well hello again Dog Bloggers! Very sorry we have been away for awhile again! (Blame Mum....always blame Mum!!) But we do have some things to share with you and some pictures and video clips to make up for us not blogging for awhile (again....MUM!!!) We are still waiting on the go-ahead from Pets As Therapy to begin visiting. They did warn us that the wheels of a charity run slowly and so it could be up to 12 weeks, but one of Mum's referees is on holiday at the moment so that could well be holding things up. Charlie is looking forward to his debut and can't wait to tell you all about it! Pixie continued on with her phantom pregnancy and mum decided to step in and get her to the vet to make sure there were no puppies. A thorough investigation and examination ensued and she was declared not pregnant and so she had to have some medicine to make sure stop the phantom pregnancy. Mum gave her the first dose and all was well until she came in from the garden a few hours later with this in her mouth.............

Mum and Dad almost had a heart attack! At first glance they thought she had a dead puppy in her mouth! As it turns out it was a chunk of Spookie Cat's fur (Spookie will NOT be groomed under any circumstances and is better off left to moult naturally, because she is long haired she moults like a camel!) Since this escapade Pixie has been good as gold!

Here are a few piccys and clips for you......

Charlie free swims at Bearhugs Hydrotherapy

Penny looks guilty and her devil horns are on display (look at the top of her head!)

Who shot Penny Pyewacket????

And who shot Louis?????

And Felix the cat!!!!!?????!!!!!!

Charlie, Lilly & Pixie's news

2011-07-21T03:50:00.001-07:00

Well, only Buddy, Penny and Louis have escaped having something to blog about this time!

We'll begin with Charlie who had his assessment for Pets As Therapy this morning. Mum is SOOOOOO proud of him. He was just BRILLIANT, no, PERFECT in fact. Not one negative thing on his report! But it was almost a disaster thanks to mum's bad planning. His assessment was over in Shirley near Solihull where Mum used to live 20 odd years ago. Its been a very long time since Mum had been over that way and so she forgot that the 17 or so miles to the place takes over an hour to travel to. She allowed and hour and 15 minutes just in case, and time for a quick run and pee in the park.....except the traffic was AWFUL and there were roadworks everywhere and it was pouring with rain so the run in the park turned into a lead dash on a grass verge...where Charlie decide to forage in the long grass and came out GREEN! Covered form head to toe in a million billion grass seeds! DISASTER!!!!!! So back in the car and a quick brush at every traffic light and traffic queue for the remaining few miles!!! But we arrived with seconds to spare and time for a thorough brushing to turn his coat a beautiful flowing Ruby again! There will be grass growing in Mum's car for ever though!! Soooo many seeds! So, the assessment went VERY well indeed. We will be sending in all the forms today and have a wait of up to 12 weeks for them to be processed and the final judgement to be received.

Lilly has yet another problem, poor love! Now she had a huge abscess on her bum which has burst and left a monster of a hole. She's on 2 types pain killers and 2 different antibiotics. She is being a very good patient for Mum when she has to clean out the wound.

And Pixie is being a monster! She's decided to have a phantom pregnancy! She has been nesting for the past week and has taken to 'mothering' a green rubber crocodile!!!

More news of Lilly

2011-07-09T03:43:00.000-07:00

Hello dog blog followers.....

We hope you are all healthy and happy this fine July day.

Our beautiful Lilly is having yet more problems. We noticed that her recall has become almost non-existent, unless she is looking at you, and she doesn't wake up even if you yell and drop things by her. The only way to wake her is to touch her and then she jolts awake. So off she went to see the vet today and he confirmed she is deaf. Also he checked her eyes and her 'good' eye has a cataract on it and he's surprised she has any vision in that eye as he can't see back to the retina with the opthalmascope. Lilly seems happy enough and is plodding along as usual. That's our brave big sister for you.

Our other news is that Charlie has his PAT assessment on July 21st so wish us all the best of luck for then. Mum has mentioned his 'thing' for having his lead in his mouth but the assessor doesn't think that will be a great problem.

We have to say a big thank you to Charlie's hydro therapist, Jacqui from Bear Hugs, who planted the seed in Mum's head and for the lovely comment in her recent e-mail saying
'Who wouldn't want our web footed wonder to visit them and make them smile'
She's exactly right! Charlie has whispered a poem to mum too about his swimming expertise......

My name is Captain Charlie Beau
I'm Captain of THE boat
I can swim for miles and miles,
While other dogs just float.

I practise all my swimming strokes
In water deep and blue
You can join me if you like
But I'm way faster than you!

I still refuse to chase the duck
That Jacqui likes to squeak
I prefer to swim and swim
I can't wait for next week....

I don't like the pesky jets
That make the water swirl
I prefer the languid strokes..
Just watch my silky fur curl
As I swim away the miles
With Jacqui close behind
I could stay in here all day...
I wonder if she'd mind?

An update on Lilly and Penny surpasses herself in the naughtiness stakes.

2011-06-27T00:06:00.001-07:00

Welcome one and all to our Blog. Its very very hot here already today at 8am we have 30 degrees C recorded on our thermometer! TOOOOOOOO HHHOOOTTTTTT! Already we are lying flat out under the ceiling fans and trying not to melt. Lilly is doing ok. She is no better really and still has a lopsided smile, but her appetite is back with a vengeance now she has learnt to cope with just one side of her mouth working. We have ruled out any ear disease as when she shakes her head she doesn't fall over, often dogs with vestibular disease will shake their head and loose their balance. So we are still none the wiser as to the cause of her facial paralysis but Lilly is coping really well and we are less worried about her now. Buddy has developed a lump near his 'armpit' area, the vet thinks this is possibly a swollen lymph node. We are keeping an eye on it. Buddy sees the vet every 4 weeks in any case when he has his allergy injection, so the lump will be monitored. Penny surpassed herself with naughtiness the other day. We were all in the living room having our morning treats (pork luncheon meat and Markies) and Penny had rather unusually disappeared into the hallway and was very quiet. Dad rolled her Markie out into the hallway for her and was concerned when Pixie went trotting out and came back in with Penny's Markie. This is what he found....... Penny in her cheekiness has raided Dad's work bag and stolen the swiss roll cake he was saving for his lunch break at work!!! We know Penny has a sweet tooth and you have seen evidence of her bin raids...but this really does take the biscuit...or should that be cake??....... Other news is that Mum is applying for PAT (Pets as Therapy) dog status for Charlie and hopes, if he passes his assessment, to be able to visit local hospitals, the local hospice and care homes with him to help bring a little joy to those people there. Charlie is such a loving boy so full of the joy of life, just being around him you can't help but smile. His lust for life in quite infectious. Also on June 19th Mum held her Summer Fun Dog Show. Pictures can be found at www.puppy-dog-training.co.uk. The event was very well attended with 87 dogs entered in the 25 classes. The weather was overcast and windy..but dry ...and so the show was held outside on the playing fields right outside the Community centre. The event raised £554 in all which went to DogA.I.D and some towards treatment for Royston the Cavalier with hydrocephalus (Lizzies Barn) And so we leave you with Lilly, Louis and Charlie in a perfect pose.... and the Jezebel Cats teasing Pixie who like to play chase with them...please excuse the muddy doors..with 24 muddy paws in and out we gave up trying to keep it clean!!

Lilly cav and Poppy cat

2011-06-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

Helloooo blog followers. We begin today with the sad news that we said goodbye yesterday to our cat friend Poppy. She was a noisy little creature and we will miss hearing her telling mum and dad off for not being quick enough getting her food to her. Night night little Poppy cat. We all miss you XXXXXXX

Our big sister Lilly is also not very well, if you have time, please send some healing thoughts her way to help try to make her better. It all began a few weeks ago when she seemed very stiff getting up so mum and dad took her to the vets and rather than her legs being stiff (she has had surgery on both knees for luxating patellae) the vet said it was her back that was hurting her, so we began some pain killers and cartrophen injections. Then she had a REALLY poorly tummy, so the pain killers were stopped. Then about 10 days ago the right side of Lilly's face became paralysed and her head tilted to the side. So off to the vet she went again. The vets opinion echoed mums'. It could be something as simple as a middle ear infection, or as serious as a tumour or Syringomyelia (SM). Hmmmmm. Lilly was booked for an MRI scan. Lilly has had her scan and a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)was taken. She has a huge bald patch on her neck where they shaved the fur to take the sample. The interim report from the scan has revealed glue ear both sides, an inflammed facial nerve and meninges (brain coverings) on the right, evidence of an old brain injury possibly a clot of some kind on the right side (although none of have have any idea what this could be)and perhaps most worryingly that she has mild Chiari Malformation (CM). And this is the INTERIM!!!! Mum is dreading the full report! For those of you who don't have Cavaliers, SM is becoming worryingly common and is the most awful disease. I won't go into detail here but you can find lots of very informative articles about Cavalier health in general on the website www.cavalierhealth.org. In a tiny nutshell SM results from the Cavalier's brain being too large for its skull. So for Lilly, there is the possibility that her problem are related to meningitis. But we won't know for sure until we have the CSF results back and the full MRI report. In the meantime Lilly is not eating and sleeping a lot. We will keep you updated.

There have been some brighter moments since we last blogged... Here is a rather gulity looking Penny after raiding the bin for her Dad's apple pie....

Our beautiful Lilly before she became unwell...

Charlie perfecting his 'cute' look.

Lilly and Penny adopt their usual sleeping position...

And more sleeping positions....

And finally, a Patient Pixie Peruses a Pork Pie!!

The end of the Beauclarke Puppy Diary

2011-05-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

Oh dear! Sadly the Beauclarke Puppy Diary has come to an abrupt end. Despite quite liking her rather gorgeous boyfriend, Pixie decided that there was not enough wining and dining, flowers or chocolates for the relationship to fully develop this time around. However she was very happy to snuggle up with him when she thought no-one was looking. So this time there will be no pups. She will be going back to see him again possibly later this year, but more likely in a years time. Obviously it all depends on timings of her season and when pups will be born, I have to be sure that I am around for her and the pups as much as possible. I will only be working 10 hours a week over 3 days the next academic year, but in the past I have missed a litter of kittens being born despite coming home every hour when she was due, I WILL NOT repeat that mistake again! I nearly lost one of the babies who was breech and ended up down the back of the sofa cushions, I found him bruised, stone cold and gasping his last breaths, luckily I did manage to revive him, thanks to the expert telephone help of a very good friend (that's you Heather!) but he was slightly brain damaged as a result. And so, Beauclarke Pups 2011 are now not going to happen.....watch this space for developments this time next year though!!

In the meantime Pixie is back home and snuggled up on her favourite chair again, chasing the cats to her hearts content and having a good old bark with Louis....when she came back home, bless him, Louis brought her a half chewed cow's hoof as a present!! Usually he's stealing stuff off her not bringing her gifts!! but he came over and gently placed it down in front of her nose! Soooo sweet!

Charlie has to go and see Uncle Steve the vet on Monday as his hydrotherapist's report mentioned his 'good' knee 'popping' and so the vet wants to check it over to make sure its not in need of surgery....here we go again!!! In the meantime Charlie's stint as 'Captain of the Boat' has seen him loose 1kg in weight as well as putting on 4.5cm (cm NOT mm) around his thigh muscle! (No wonder the weight loss has been slower than I expected if he's gained that much muscle mass!! I don't know about Captain of the Boat...more like Popeye!!) We are continuing his hydro for another 10 weeks just because he loves it so much! Charlie Beau the water-baby!

We'll keep you updated of Charlie's progress.

Woofs and licks The Beauclarke Bunch

Replies to posted comments

2011-05-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

I am glad that people are enjoying the blog, I am enjoying writing it...I just wish we had more time to put paws to keyboard!!

In terms of Pixie's health checks....the plan was to have her MRI'd but the decision to mate her on this season kind of crept up on me! That said it is not a decision I have taken lightly or without thought, and this mating has been several years in the planning process (way before Pixie was even a twinkle in her mum's eye!!) IF I decide to breed from her again (chances are if all is well with her conception, pregnancy and birth this time, and that she enjoys being a mum, then I will) she will be MRI'd before her next litter. I feel it is paramount that only the healthiest dogs are used for breeding to eradicate and reduce as far as possible the inherent problems in this wonderful breed. As far as possible I have checked the health histories of parents, grandparents and other litters to ensure that as far as I can tell, Pixie is free from any hereditary conditions and the risk to her babies will be minimal. Of course there are no guarantees as genes can be fickle things and it is very much luck of the draw as to which genes are expressed in a particular puppy. (I am one of these sad individuals who will sit pondering punnet squares to determine possible outcome of coat colours!) In fact in my 'day job' as a part time lecturer in health & social care I get my students to look at Cavalier coat colours when teaching them about genetics!! (Far more fun than the usual things like babies eye colour!!) I am responsible for bringing these new doggie lives into the world and I take that responsibility VERY seriously and will do all I can to ensure that Pixies pup's will be as healthy as possible. They will be much loved, well socialised and well trained before they leave me and their mum to begin their own stories....

Louis birthday, Beauclarke Puppy Diary part 3 and Cavs doing what they do best

2011-05-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Louis reached the grand old age of 2 on Friday May 6th. As usual the event was celebrated with chocolate treats, chicken and a specially baked liver cake. The birthday boy is as handsome as ever and still running around like a puppy - well at least he was until his sister went on 'holiday'....Pixie went to stay with her boyfriend on Saturday morning. Stanley's photos really do not do him justice, he is far more handsome in the flesh than his photos show. He is the same size as Pixie and they took a liking to each other right away. Pixie is not quite ready to declare her undying love at the moment though and so will stay a few days to get to know him better!! (The reality is that she is likely a late developer in terms of her heat cycle, and ovulation has not yet occurred, until it does she will keep Stanley at arms length) She is ruling the roost at her 'holiday' home and has made herself comfortable on the laps of Stanley's family finding it much harder than I thought having her away from us. I knew I would miss her, she is such a larger than life character and a real love bug, but its like I've lost a limb! There was a huge space vacant on the bed next to me last night and I didn't like it one bit! Louis is REALLY missing her and so is Charlie. Taking the dogs out for a walk this morning was a really subdued affair without Pixie tormenting them all, and Louis was actively searching for her when we were out going to all the usual places....I can't wait to get her home, but must be patient. One thing is certain, if we are blessed with a successful mating, the resulting puppies will be STUNNERS..I don't say this just because Pixie is my baby girl, but because its a fact! As I hope you will all be able to see as the blog progresses! But in the meantime, here is a short video clip of Penny and Lilly taken today, doing what Cavaliers do best!
And here are Charlie and Louis looking glum missing their baby sister. Mark was soooo impressed with this footage of an electrical storm he took on Friday evening that he insisted I publish it on the blog, so in the interests of a harmonious marriage here it is....(be patient, the exciting bit is towards the end!!)

Beauclarke Puppy Diary Part 2

2011-05-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Pixie went for her booster vaccination today and saw a different vet, she was much calmer today and has received a second very clean bill of health, so its all systems go for Saturday's trip to see her boyfriend. In the meantime Charlie continues his hydrotherapy and here is a video clip of him enjoy his free-swim sessions....he's such a natural!!!

Beauclarke Puppy Diary Part 1.

2011-05-03T04:48:00.000-07:00

Today Pixie has been to see our vet for an 'in season check' and letter confirming she is fit for going to stud. Apart from Pixie deciding that she doesn't like Uncle Steve much and wriggling the whole time, she has come out with a clean bill of health. Her heart is fine, temperature normal and no sign of any problems with her hips or knees. Tomorrow she goes for her booster vaccination and then it is all systems go for going to see her boyfriend on Saturday. I have checked my whelping kit and all is in good order, except I have had to order some new milk formula as my original stock goes out of date this month. I have also ordered plenty of good quality puppy food for Pixie to eat during her pregnancy and for the pups to be weaned on when they are ready.

If all goes well on Saturday and Pixie and Stanley like each, then an ultrasound examination will be booked for 4-5 weeks after that to confirm a pregnancy. I am not sure I will be able to contain myself during the wait but providing Mother Nature smiles on Pixie and myself we will have cause to celebrate her future motherhood in early-mid July.

I plan to record all events in the form of diary entries which will find their way onto our blog. I do not plan to photograph or video the mating or the birth, some things are meant to remain very special and very private, but there will be pictures of Stanley and Pixie playing together (taken by Stanley's owner Sue) and pictures to chart Pixie's stages of pregnancy and of course (providing all goes well) pictures of the puppies as they grow and develop.

So for now I shall leave you with a photo of the prospective mum-to-be (middle) with her 'brothers' Louis (left) and Charlie (right).

Wish us luck on our exciting journey.

Update on life the universe and everything

2011-05-01T01:48:00.000-07:00

Buddy Bear had his 8th Birthday on April 14th and Charlie was 2 on 26th April (Louis is next on May 10th). Despite our diets mum gave us a proper birthday feast! We had yummy chicken livers, meaty bones, lamb, chicken and liver cake topped with cream cheese and of course a scrummy birthday chocolate each! Mum rocks!!! Here is Charlie enjoying his birthday duck!!
Pixie is in season again and has a boyfriend lined up for next weekend. He is a rather lovely black and tan boy by the name of Stanley. Here he is She is going to meet him on Saturday to see if they like each other. She hopes he has flowers and chocolates waiting for her...or failing that.... he likes a good game of chase and will share his toys! We think Pixie is part Greyhound she is soooo fast when running, either that or she is made from Ferrari engine parts! Charlie is still LOVING his swimming and doesn't need to wear any floatation aids at all, he swims nearly a full hour with just one or two short rests. Mum will try and remember to get some video for you all to see him looking so lovely in the water and showing off his swimming skills. He is doing very well on his diet and has lost a whole kilo now. (That's 1000g or 2.2 lbs in old money!) He enjoys his swimming sooo much that mum says he can have another course of 11 swims straight after this one. We want to win the lottery so we can all have our very own swimming pool!!

Charlie's Progress

2011-03-15T02:31:00.000-07:00

We're handing over to mum this time so she can tell you all about our brudder Charlie...and probably Crufts too!

Charlie is doing REALLY well with his weight loss. As you can see he has started swimming again, this time at a different pool where the lady gets in the pool with him and he gets to have a fab time! She breeds and works Newfoundlands and was so impressed with Charlie's steady swimming action that she says he can be an honorary Newfie! An honour indeed if you know what wonderful and brave rescue dogs Newfies can be! Many a human life saved by this bold and beautiful breed.

Charlie's weight loss has now topped 650g....not much you might think but an excellent step in the right direction. As he can build up his swim time (he did 35 minutes last week), we are hoping that the weight loss will continue in leaps and bounds. I've certainly begun to notice a difference when I have to carry him upstairs. He remains a happy chappie and my beautiful big boy!

The rest of the Beauclarke Bunch are doing well, Buddy took a tumble over the wood the other day but seems none the worse for wear, Louis is his usual barky self as is Pixie who keeps us amused with her crazy antics bouncing around the place...and the other girls, Penny and Lilly remain their usual stately selves!

The highlight of the doggy calendar came around again last week with the annual Crufts dog show held over 4 days at the NEC in Birmingham. I went along on Day 1 for the Gundogs and Day 4 for the Toys. This is the first year I have done 2 days at the event and have to say it was much better doing it this way round. More time to see everything and also plenty time for shopping!! Next year it will be Day 1 (Toy) and Day 2 (Gundog) for me, I wonder if 2 days in a row will see me off!!! I'd better start my Crufts 2012 savings fund going now!
Here is Pixie sporting her free Continental Airlines towel (from their stand at Crufts)...she wants to be their mascot!!

My oldest human child is 18 today so I had better begin some decorating for her to come home too from college!

More soon.......

A birthday, a bath day and Charlie's leg.

2011-03-07T04:20:00.000-08:00

Well, so much for Mum promising to Blog weekly! We knew she wouldn't manage it! But to be fair she is not lazing around doing nothing and has lots to keep her busy.

One of the things she is working on is a children's story featuring us, The Beauclarke Bunch, but mainly about a magical spaniel (of the Cavalier variety ...goes with out saying!)at the moment called Spangle....but Spangle might become Dizzy....So far our lovely dearly departed Golden Retriever sister Ellie Bear has a mention as does Lilly, famous for her snoring, and some of the Jezebell Cats, but we'll all end up on there somewhere with Spangle, or Dizzy or whatever he ends up being called! Charlie and Pixie are modelling for Spangle and Dad is doing the illustrations for Mum's book. Here's on of the illustrations..... Dad's GOOD!!!

Annnyyyywaaayyy, the birthday was Pixie's. Princess Pixie of Beauclarke is now the grand old age of 1. We celebrated with some nice bones and a special doggie chocolate each. There are no doggie birthdays in March but we have 2 coming up in April. The Busdter will be 8 and Charlie will be 2.

Speaking of Charlie, he has been back under the knife again with his leg. He is still having problems walking and limps very badly, so the vet had him in to see what was going on in the joint as his knee is very stable after his original surgery. A new set of X-rays showed up a piece of bone floating around so the vet opened him up to take a look and remove it.....but as our usual luck goes, the bone wasn't free floating in the joint but is embedded in his tendon which is massively swollen. Its too risky to start poking around in the tendon to find the bit of bone as this could easily rupture the tendon. If his tendon ruptures he would most probably loose his leg, if he looses his leg he would have to be put to sleep because he would not cope on 3 legs as he's such a chunky boy (If it came to it mum would buy him wheels rather than loose her boy just because he likes his bones and had 3 legs!)

So he is on a serious diet...in fact all of us Beauclarke Bunch are on a serious diet! We get bones once a week and chicken or liver once a week, but other than that its a diet food for us....actually it tastes OK and we all will eat it. Mum has been hand feeding us so she knows that we are all getting the right amount each. Charlie has lost 300g in a month...it might not sound like much but he can't exercise fully yet, as he needs to rest the tendon. Mum is taking him back to hydrotherapy again this week, so I'm sure he will tell you more.

And today, mum made all us Cavaliers have baths!! Buddy gets away with it becasue he's too big for mum to lift up! Us Cavs had very muddy paws and tummies, so mum trimmed out feet and coats a bit yesterday and made us all have a bath today. Mum says she not sure that we are any cleaner...but we are much wetter as you can see..!!

A Very Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T01:19:00.000-08:00

Well, at long last Santa Paws has been and visited. Us pups had a nice early morning walkie in the crisp snow (and at minus 11 degrees it was VERY crisp indeed!)followed by an early breakfast of treats including luncheon meat, markies and two chocolate wuffles each! Bliss...we like Crimbo. We have all gotten into the spirit of things and so here are a few more photos of us getting into Crimbo mood. Before we leave you to see us in our festive photos, we would all like to wish you a very Merry Christmas (or Catmouse if you are of a feline persuasion) and a peaceful and Happy New Year.
Love from all at Beauclarke Mews.

Snowy Pics As Promised

2010-12-19T01:18:00.000-08:00

Well as we promised you here are some snowy pics, we have about 7-8 inches of the white fluffy stuff down at the moment and we are loving it! A big thank you to Dad who risked life, limb and hypothermia to snap these pics of us frolicking in the winter wonderland. (Mum has man-flu and was still in bed when Dad took us out this morning...twice!)But we still love her! OK, time for some pictures and video clips of us enjoying the winter landscape...oh, and by the way, Pixie has not eaten the Christmas Tree yet so well done her for containing herself! I wonder if it will remain all in one piece if mum and dad go out (not that they can at the moment because we are snowed in and at minus 9 degrees C, the snow isn't going anywhere either!)

Its Snowing!!!!

2010-12-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

Oh dear, its snowing...our bellies are covered up when we go out! We're quite jealous of Buddy Bear with his long legs when its like this outside! Mum and Dad are going to take some pictures of us in the snow when we have our walkies again tomorrow. We're all snuggled up for the day now. But here's one mum snapped of Penny investigating the white stuff..

Mum and Dad have been putting up the crimbo decorations, Pixie helped lots!

Here are the Beauclarke Bunch Official Crimbo Photos 2010

Watch out for more snowy pics of us soon!!!

A series of fortunate and unfortunate events!

2010-12-13T01:25:00.000-08:00

Mum has a lot of explaining to do....so we'll let her go first...... Life has once again been rather hectic here at Beauclarke Mews. But I need to back track to Easter 2010 to begin my explanation of things as they have transpired.... One day I woke up and decided that I wanted to be a dog trainer. I went to Crufts and found a couple of associations that offered training to become dog trainers. I chose The British Institute Of Professional Dog Trainers and booked to do a week long residential course. I was told that as I had no training experience that I would likely not achieve qualification, most of their students come from training schools already set up and running. I quickly booked Louis into a local training school and went along to see what went on, from session one I decided that I could do things a whole lot better.... I went away on the residential course and it was such hard work it very nearly killed me. I took my boy Louis with me and it was an eye opener to say the least. We arrived and everyone there was walking around with perfectly trained border collies, German shepherds and the like...and there was me with a tiny Cavalier who had just mastered 'sit'!! I very nearly got straight back in the car and came home again...what was I thinking??!! But I'm proud to say that I hung in there and despite being physically, mentally and emotionally wrecked I did in fact pass the course!! (Not everyone passed, some with years of training experience did not make the grade, to say the course and examinations were tough would be an understatement. It wasn't all good though, as part of the week we got to do Bronze Level Citizenship with our dogs and Louis was the only dog there who failed!! He just would not wait to go through a doorway!

When I got home again I decided that because the course had nearly killed me I was not going to waste the qualification, and so I went about setting up a dog training business. Enter DY5 K9 Puppy & Dog Training Academy which opened its doors to the first students on June 22nd, with a one hour training class once a week. Things have moved on since the and now we run 5 training sessions over 3 days a week. I have some wonderful people helping me, so a special mention goes to Rob and Nicki. I have taken and passed with Distinction a level 3 diploma in Canine Studies and also a Diploma in Dog Psychology, again passes with Distinction. I am currently studying a Diploma in Canine Communication, another in Animal Healing and also a Canine Massage Diploma. DY5 K9 has expanded to incorporate The Dizzy Pup Pet Care Shop and now SoulCandyK9 - massage and complementary therapies for dogs and humans. Interested parties can see more at the following websites:

www.puppy-dog-training.co.uk
www.dizzypup-petcareshop.co.uk
https://sites.google.com/site/soulcandyk9/

DY5 K9 has just hosted its first annual dog show and raised a wonderful £300 for the PDSA. It was a HUGE success with 37 dogs entered...way beyond the 15 or so we were anticipating! Here's a short video clip of the show.

Mum went back to work part time in November after a long battle to get her angina better controlled, but both her parents are not well and so she made the decision to leave work to look after them. She has her training empire to keep her busy and also will do some hourly paid teaching a few hours a week to make ends meet.

Lilly had her 4th birthday on December 6th and Louis is fully recovered following his knee surgery. Charlie on the other hand is still struggling with his leg and is back at the vets this week...Mum has PROMISED to blog at least once a week now that she has more time available to do so..., so watch this space.....

Charlie goes under the knife, Pixie is in season and Penny is 3

2010-10-16T00:02:00.000-07:00

Finally Charlie has his surgery. Its been a looong wait in the hope that he could lose a little weight first but he managed to gain weight despite swimming twice a week in addition to his walkies. He had his operation on Wednesday and today has to go back and see uncle Steve for his bandage to be removed and a cartrophen injection. Brudder Louis will be going along with him for moral support and his cartrophen injection as well.

Pixie came into season for the first time earlier this month and has handled the whole thing rather well. The boys have been pretty good with her too, but they are all neutered!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Penny who is 3 today! Special Chudgy Chocs all round...in fact Penny was singing this morning...'Happy birthday to me, today I am three, I'm going to eat chocolate for breakfast and tea!' Hmmmm, she probably would if we'd let her, she's a chocolate monster!

Butter wouldn't melt.....

2010-09-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Especially for Daddy....

The Wild Beastie Louis gets his appetite back...

The Wild Beastie Louis gets ready to sleep off his meal....

2010-09-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

Brudder Louis has had his bandage off. Uncle Steve the vet is very happy with his progress so far.....but he's had to be prescribed a sedative as he's still being a nutter! Despite having a broken leg, all pinned and wired, he's still going nuts for a walk and keeps jumping onto his favourite spot on the back of the sofa. So he has an extra pain killer and sedative to try to calm him just a little bit...its not working! Mum has put him a t-shirt on so that he doesn't get at his leg wound, and take out his own sticthes. She may have to chop off all 4 legs to keep him still and rested! Oh poor Brudder Louis..he just wants to run and run and run and run. He'll be up and playing with his frisbee in no time..Here he is modelling his 'Santa's little helper t-shirt...only 16 weeks to Crimbo by the way!!

Daddy came to see Charlie swimming yesterday and ended up buying mum some Cavalier goodies in the form of a metalwork bust and a lead holder with a Cavlaier head on it...Mum says its Dad's fault for noticing them becasue she hadn't seen them there! Of course she's very happy to add to her Cavalier goodies collection

Louis gets Surgery and the Rest of us a Bath!

2010-09-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Beauclarke Fans, What a crazy couple of days its been.... culminating with Louis needing surgery today. On Monday we had all gone for a good old romp at the Bark and Louis and Pixie had bolted off chasing their Frisbee (well its Louis' Frisbee, but Pixie gives him a good run for his money...she's quick for a little pup) Any way, when they were running back mum noticed that Pixie was well in front of Louis, unusual as they normally keep pace. When he got a little closer mum noticed he was running on 3 legs, his back right leg was off the ground. When she had a look, his knee was dislocated (same knee as our brudder Charlie is having trouble with). She popped the knee back into place and popped Louis on his lead for awhile, he seemed OK so she let him off again, off he went running and out came the knee...this happened three times altogether so when we got back home mum took Louis to see Uncle Steve our vet. Uncle Steve gave him a good check over and an appointment was made for surgery on September 14th. Louis wasn't allowed out again that day. The next morning mum took us all out and Louis leg dislocated again before we had even crossed the road, but his leg stuck out of joint this time, so she carried him home and phoned Uncle Steve who agreed to operate today. Here is Louis post-op today....we know he's feeling poorly but we lurve his lime-green bandage! Buddy went off to the groomers....Here he is before..... and after....... and mum and dad stuck 3 of us in the bath...only Penny survived the multi groom... .... but only because there was no more room in the bath!!Charlie didn't really need a bath seeing as he's getting 2 a week when he goes swimming at his hydrotherapy sessions, but he is a real water baby now and insisted he got in with Lilly and Pixie! So we are all clean and tidy (except Penny who will get groomed tomorrow) and our brudder Louis is all bandaged up. He will be OK but he can't have very much exercise for several weeks, until his leg has healed properly. So no more mad dashes at the Bark for a little while. And that's all for now folks... Lots of love The Beauclarke Bunch.

Welcome to Little Man Doug

2010-09-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Beauclarke Bunch would like to say a big hello to little Chihuahua Doug! A new mwmber of the Lilley household..until mum steals him away that is..hehehehhe

Charlie swims and a sad farewell

2010-09-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hello Beauclarke Fans! Well, not too much to report. Charlie has been swimming to help build some muscle tone in his legs and also to help shed some excess weight. As you can see, the little fella LOVES it

He's swimming twice a week until Uncle Steve sees him again in October. We'll let you know how he gets on.

Mum's still not well enough to work but we like having her home so we don't mind, but we think she will be leaving us again in October. She'd better buy us some big bones to keep us happy!!

We have had to say a very sad farewell to our cat brother and bestest cat friend Rumblepuss. He was 11 but had been FIP symptomatic for about 2 years. He battled long and hard against this horrible disease, but mum took him for his last vet visit on August 3rd, it was time to have to say a dignified good bye to the most cat-like, friendliest puss ever. The humans laps are empty without him and we miss his furry cuddles too. He loved us pups as much as we loved him and could often be found curled up asleep in Buddy's fluffy tail, or next to us in our basket.

Goodnight little brudder cat, we all miss you
XXXXXX

We've been to the BARK!

2010-08-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

Hello Beauclarke Fans!

Today we went to the Bark.....ok, it is our local PARK..but mum and dad call it the bark....this video clip might explain why...

And here we are having a sniff around!!

As you may well know we have a few catty friends (15 to be precise) Now we have lots of toys and things, and love to curl up on someones lap or the sofa's...but honestly...cats!!! What do they love most of all?...cardboard boxes.....Here's Mr P (aka Peigan) in his special box

and this is Felix, Willow and Millie all snuggled up

and finally...move over darling...it's Mr Socko, Spike, Willow and Donut all loved up.

and we thought felines were supposed to be fussy.. Mind you, Dad did get the fright of his life the other day when the watering can moved and out crawled Willow! Quite how (or why) she managed to crawl into that tiny space is anyone's guess

Poor Charlie is in trouble again. Both his back knee caps are dislocating. Subluxating patellas (slipping knee caps) is not uncommon in the breed. Lilly has had both her knees repaired in the past and now it looks as though Charlie will be following suit...but, our little man isn't quite little enough and had to shed a few kilos before he can have his surgery...here is he with a typical snack

Now we have to cut down on all the treats and he gets carrots instead of his usual treats....trouble is mum likes raw carrots too so its kind of one for you...and one for me...when mum dishes out the carrots!

Pixie is growing at a rate of knots and is looking more and more like a proper Cavalier every day.....here's double trouble...

Mum's been busy organising a fun dog show for this Christmas to raise funds for the PDSA Pounds for Pets appeal.....its going to be really fun with lots of classes to be entered....I wonder if its cheating if we all go???

Well, that's all for now fans..

Love THE BEAUCLARKE BUNCH xxxx

Uh Ho!

2010-07-09T02:44:00.000-07:00

Uh ho ...Where does the time go???....Its been a month and not a peep from us...we're so very sorry but it has just been sooooo hot that all we have wanted to do when we come back from our walks is sleep, sleep and sleep some more!

Charlie is still having to see the vet for his leg as one minute he is walking just fine and the next he is limping really badly again. He is having weekly cartrophen injections and pain killers. The vet thinks that it should be fine in time, and that Charlie is not likely to need surgery...lets hope so!

Louis has had a bad ear as well, but that's all ok now. He hasn't been able to have his booster while he's been on his medication but he can have it next week all being well.

Mum took Lilly to a companion dog show the other day. It was their first time at a dog show of any kind (except Mum has been to watch Crufts a couple of times but that doesn't count!!) Lilly was entered in 3 classes all with a large number of entries (13,13 & 17) but she came 5th in the class for the Prettiest Bitch and won a nice rosette and a couple of chewy treats. The main reason Mum went along was because she wants to organise a dog show in the future to raise funds for a charity or two, and now she knows what goes on, she has set the wheels in motion and begun the process of organising a show. There's still much to sort out, but its all going well so far. The main problem will be finding a suitable venue (if anyone has any great ideas then they would be most appreciated!. We're also wanting a vote on which charity/charities to choose, so far we have come up with....
The Blue Cross, Bromsgrove Adoption Centre
Hounds for Heroes
Pets as Therapy
CAARS Animal Sanctuary, Essington
Sunnyside Kennels (Birmimgham Dogs Home)
PDSA
Dogs Trust
If anyone has any ideas or would like to cast a vote then let us know at
info@beauclarke-cavaliers.co.uk
THANK YOU!

If anyone has Your Dog magazine then look out for Mum and all us pups on Page 15 of the August edition (out now)!! We will be organising autographs to be sold on E-bay in the near future!! LOL!!!

Well that's us all updated!

Woofs and Wags from The Beauclarke Bunch XXXXX

Charlie

2010-06-06T23:13:00.000-07:00

Just to let you all know that Charlie is still limping and his leg is still turned outwards but is improving. At the moment he's playing tug with Pixie which is a sign he's on the mend! He hasn't been sick at all since he started his new medication and he's only been a very short walk of a few yards along the grassy gully way at the side of our house. The rest is doing him good.

Lilly had a bath yesterday in an aloe vera based shampoo and seems more comfortable now. Mum will sort out getting her shaved into that summer cut now she has her new clippers and blades. Now its a little cooler it will be a more pleasant task as the groom room gets quite warm in the sun! We'll get some pictures for you when its done.

Love The Beauclarke Bunch

Update

2010-06-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

We are very sad to have to tell you that Scoobie bunny was put to sleep on Wednesday. Its a relief to know that he is no longer in any pain or discomfort and that he's now happily playing with his cage mates who have gone to Rainbow Bridge before him. Us pups all said our goodbyes to him when he mum was holding him while dad sorted out trying to make his cage more comfortable for him. Scoobie was a gentleman of a bunny rabbit and we will miss him. Of our rodent family there remains just Bubble the Gerbil now. While mum and dad would love another family of piggies and bunnies, they have enough to be getting on with looking after us 6 pups and the 15 resident kitties and 2 regular strays that they feed.

Mum has had to go back to the vets for some different medicine for Charlie because his pain killer was making him sick. Instead of a tiny bit of liquid, he now has to have 2 BIG tablets instead twice a day!

With Lilly having 2 lots of tablets twice a day as well, we're running low on our stock of soft cheese triangles..what a shame! We all hope mum forgets to buy any more when she's shopping tomorrow because she'll have to hide the tablets in doggy chocolate instead!! mmmmmmm.

Update on Charlie

2010-06-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Last night, about 430am, Charlie woke mum up yelping. It appears that his shoulder had popped back into place on its own. He still went in to see the vet and had his x-rays done, and the good news is that the joint is as it should be and not out of place. He has some looseness in the right shoulder joint compare to his left, which is understandable as the ligaments and tendons will have been stretched / torn by the dislocation.

He has some anti-inflammatory pain killing medicine to have over the next few days and hopefully his lameness will improve. (It was already MUCH improved on yesterday when mum got him downstairs to check him over after he'd woken her).

Penny and Louis are happy to have him home

And here's the handsome patient himself

Lilly had to go and see Uncle Steve too today because her allergies don;t seem to have settled, she has some pills to take for 10 days and then we'll see how she is after that. Mum will have to shave her into a summer cut this weekend after she's had a nice bath in Aloe Vera shampoo. If she's still as itchy then she will need a second lot of vaccine with different allergens in as well as the one she currently has. We'll keep you posted.

Byee for now
xxxxx

Poor Charlie

2010-06-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Charlie has taken quite a tumble out on his walk today. He was dashing off after Pixie and suddenly decided to come running back when he just went tumbling over himself. We're not sure if his leg gave way or if he just tripped, or what happened.

Mum noticed his leg and paw was rotated at a funny angle and took him right to the vet and it transpires that he has dislocated his shoulder. He has to go back tomorrow for x-rays so that treatment can be decided on. In the mean time he's had an anti-inflammatory pain killing injection. Mum gave him a bit of Reiki healing earlier and he perked up enough to eat some nice juicy spare rib bones for his tea. He's having a lie down in the garden where its cool at the moment. He's still been trying to play with Pixie, but it hurts him so Louis has taken over for today, or until Charlie's well enough to take up his chief playmate role again.

Please keep him in your thoughts and send him a get well wish.

Lots of love
The Beauclarke Bunch XXX

June 01st 2010

2010-06-01T00:36:00.000-07:00

Once again its been waaaaaay too long since we got to use the computer. Sorry Beauclarke fans! Mum's fault again!

We're all a little sad at the moment because Scoobie Bunny isn't very well. He had head-tilt just before Christmas and recovered very quickly and completely, but he has it again now and he's not so good this time. Uncle Steve, our vet, is keeping an eye on him and mum and dad are giving him his medicine twice a day, so we hope he Will be better soon and back to his cheeky self. He's an old bunny. He's 7.

The weather has been very nice and we have lots of photos and video clips to share with you including one that mum had to get done because a journalist from Your Dog magazine has spoken to her about her experiences of having a new puppy and she asked for a photo of mum with all 6 of us! Poor photographer dad had his work cut out for him, but we think he did ok

Here we go....

Pixies first walk in the woods

Charlie's retrieve !

First time with all 6 dogs off lead

Lilly and Pixie

Buddy

Monster pup

Fetch

Hot dogs

Our family pawtrait outside

May 16th

2010-05-16T00:14:00.000-07:00

Hello peoples.

Well, what a disaster! Pixie had her final injection yesterday and we were planning a nice romp over the park with her today. The daises and buttercups are all out and the grass looks lovely and soft for her dainty little paws. BUT the weather has spoiled things, its all dull and wet and we wanted her first experience of the park to be a nice one in lovely warm sunshine. Never mind, we suppose that the park isn't going anywhere and so we can take her and show her the best places to sniff and play another time.

She has her final puppy party on Tuesday and then it will be time to say goodbye to her best friend Otis the Great Dane Akita cross. Otis has his sister to play with and Pixie has all of us so its not all bad.

Here are a few pictures to be going on with...

Cuddles with Louis

and with a soggy doggy Charlie

Discussing the new Parliament with Buddy?

Who cares about politics..did you say lunch was ready??

May 6th

2010-05-08T09:27:00.002-07:00

Today Mum turned mmuummmpphhhh years old and our baby brother Louis was one year old today!!

Here is Louis sleeping off the Chudy Chocs on top of Buddy!!

Here are Penny and Charlie enjoying a chocolate chew each..

May 4th

2010-05-08T09:27:00.001-07:00

Hello people.

Once again sorry for the delay, Mum's fault, she's been feeling a little bit rough again. She really should let us have our own computer!

Our Godmother Nicki joined Pixie and Mum for Pixie's first Puppy Party at the vets today. Pixie made friends with a tricolour Cavalier pup called Alfie and a Yorkie, Cocker Spaniel, Springer Spaniel and two huge Akita cross Great Danes! She has 2 more parties to go with the same puppies. She was very well behaved indeed and very friendly towards the other pups and people there. Mum was very proud of Pixie's EXCELLENT recall..its 100% even with distractions. This week we'll be working on her 'sit' and possibly the 'down' as well.

Here are some pictures and videos for your entertainment...

Sleeping Pixie

Sleeping Charlie

Pixie meets Scoobie the bunny

Giant pup!

April 26th

2010-04-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

Hellllllloooooooooo people!!!!

Mum's had a couple of bad days so we're behind with our blog. Sorry about that folks. She's feeling ok today though so here we are.

April 26th was a special day because it was Charlie's first birthday. We had a special tea of yummy lambs liver, kidney and chicken followed by a Chudgy Choc for desert.....if you doggy people have never given Chudgy Chocs to your pups then you really should! They're divine and specially made for us canines. But here's the birthday boy himself!

Charlie spent his special day being his usual lovable self and playing with Pixie...

Where do they get their energy from????

Yesterday Mum made Lilly have a bath. Lilly wasn't impressed!

We mean REALLY not impressed...

Wonder who's next for the soggy treatment? We all reckon its Penny's turn, but if Charlie keeps rolling in horse poo......

See you all soon

Love The Beauclarke Bunch xxxx

Saturday and Pixie's tortoise impression

2010-04-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hello people!,

We all hope that you are ok and enjoying this lovely weather that we have been having recently. Its nice to feel the sun for a change! Our Dad snapped this rather fetching picture of Pixie and her 'brother' Charlie a couple of days ago. Where Pixie goes, Charlie isn't far behind!! We think its luuurrrrrve....

If any of you ever come to our house please remember to bring your own chair!

Pixie was getting a cuddle off Dad earlier today and decided to crawl into his hat....mum reckons this is Pixie's tortoise impression! What do you think?

Four of us had to go to the vets today, Buddy, Penny and Lilly for their monthly allergy injections (apparently just 10% of dogs have allergies...why is it that we have 50% with allergies!!!) And little Pixie went for another injection, just one more to go when she's 12 weeks and she can go out on proper walks. It was fun at the vets, we had the place to ourselves coz we had a block booking of appointments! Poor Charlie and Louis got left at home....but they didn't mind coz they didn't have to have a needle stuck in them like the rest of us did! Lilly and Penny got weighed and Lilly has lost another half kilo, Penny wouldn't sit still on the scales but it looks like she has gained 300g....Mum says this can't be right so we'll have to wait and see what she weighs next time we have to to the vet in a months time. Mum has just ordered a special weight loss food so hopefully Penny will DEFINATELY be lighter next time. Even if mum has to carry on hand feeding us she will do so as we can all be happy and healthy too. (We really like the food...but prefer the personal touch rather than scoffing it out of a bowl!!)

Well its time for our affternoon sleepies so zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz to you all until next time!

Sleepy heads!

2010-04-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

Oh dear! Mum had planned to take Pixie to Louis' dog training class, so she could see what went on and Pixie could get some extra socialisation......but guess who fell asleep?? BOTH of them!! Here's a picture taken just a short time before they were supposed to think about leaving for the class....the sleeps overtook them both though!

Not much to report today Beauclarke Fans, Mum's keeping a close eye on Lilly as she's very quiet today and not jumping up onto or off of the chairs...she also couldn't get up some steps without help on her morning walk. She's not limping or anything but isn't her usual self. We're at the vets on Saturday anyway so mum will get her checked over then...unless we need to go before then. Mum's given her some pain killer medicine and is helping her up and down off the chairs, so hopefully this will help. She's had her back knees operated on 3 times but this time its seems to be a front leg that's troubling her. Here she is taking it easy with Louis

Pixie's keeping the others fit anyway...

2010-04-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

Oh Poor sweet, sweet pixie

How could anyone stick a HUGE needle into her when she has a face like this! Yes, today was vet-check and micro-chip day. She was an absolute darling and was cuddled by a whole host of people in the waiting room and by a girl on work expereince from school who wanted to be a vet. She got the all clear, which we knew she would as she is such a healthy looking pup. Of course she was a little upset with the microchip but within seconds was her usual happy self and all was forgiven. When she got home, as you can see from the following video clip, she was as energetic as ever giving Penny a run for her money....Pixie's mum was a Blenheim which is why Penny seems to be targetted for fun and games... Sorry its a little dark

A little later on out in the garden Pixie took on a 3 way tag team of Penny, Louis and Charlie....I think its obvious that Pixie was well in charge of proceedings!

She is such a live-wire when she plays but always so happy to stop and have a cuddle. Even Lilly has been playing with her today which is nice to see as Lilly can sometimes take a little while to even come down off her perch on the the back of the sofa where she takes refuge whenever there is a new comer! Its all good with The Beauclarke Bunch

18th April 2010

2010-04-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Its been a very sunny and nice day here again today and we have had a nice time doing a little sunbathing. Charlie has been rolling in horse pooh again and Penny had lots for breakfast! Yeuch!! Mum caught Pixie and Louis snuggling up when they thought no-one was looking!

Cute eh? Pixie continues to settle in very well and has now met all 15 of the cats. Silly mum didn't have the camera though...actually our back yard is a right mess, we had a conservatory built before christmas but its not quite finished yet and so we're still living on a building site (its the smae out the front as well with half a drive!!) Pixie is sleeping off a HUGE tea of fresh Chicken, beef and tripe meat and Royal Canin dry food! Here she is earlier in the day playing with her ball.

Pixie's here

2010-04-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

Yippeeee, our Little Sister Pixie has now joined the Beauclarke Bunch! She actually came a day early (yesterday) because her breeder had another dog due to whelp and so would have her hands full! She is just soooo cute and soooooo tiny! She has settled in incredibly well indeed and wasn't at all phased by 5 doggie noses inspecting her when she arrived. She was very well behaved last night and slept in a little nest on the floor by the side of mum's bed. She gave a few whimpers but very soon settled and was very good most of the night. She woke a few times and gave a little cry or two but then went straight back to sleep again. She really is a good girl. Today she has met most of the cats, and has been very good with them as well (and they have been just as good with her too, not once swatting her even when she was a little enthusiastic with her greetings). So far she has been very good with her house training and asks to go outside by pawing at the doors. Well enough whittering on, you want to see pictures don't you! You'll see that Charlie is rather taken with her! Well, here you go and we have a video clip for you too.....Pixie with her first chicken bone (don't worry we didn't let her eat the bone, just nibble off the meat!)

Hello again! We've missed you!!

2010-04-14T03:23:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Its been a VERY long time since we posted and apologies for that. Mum's not been too well for some time. She's a tiny bit better now though so thought it was time to get back to blogging.

Us pups are still a happy and healthy bunch as you can see from our latest Family Pawtrait taken in March:

To be quite honest mum had forgotten all the passwords for our Blog as well, so that's another reason why we've been away for some time.

But we have some exciting news for you and hope that you'll forgive us for being away for so long.....

On Saturday we're getting a new baby sister!! So we'd like you all to join us in welcoming Princess Pixie of Beauclarke, pictured below at just 5 weeks, she's a charming Ruby girl who will be the foundation bitch for the Beauclarke Kennel and the beginning of the Beauclarke Empire mum has planned. Look out World...here we come!

We're all going to have fun teaching out little sister the rules of being a Cavalier. Ah the joys of puppy hood!

Our mum has kept her brain occupied while she's been ill and has gained a Diploma in Canine Studies with a Pass at Distinction and she's also qualified with the British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers ( BIPDT ) as an Obedience Instructor. So the Beauclarke Empire will expand to dog training as well once mum's properly better!

It's Buddy's birthday today and he's the grand old age of 7. We have some yummy Chudgy Chocs for a special treat later on. Charlie will be 1 on April 26th and Louis (formerly Bumble) on May 6th!

Well that's all for now, but we'll be back soon...promise!

New website

2009-08-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

We have a new website!!

You can now see us at www.beauclarke-cavaliers.co.uk

e-mail us at info@beauclarke-cavaliers.co.uk

XXXXXX

Best walk ever! Oh and a name change for Bumble

2009-08-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

Oh why didn't Mum have her camera with her today!!!! Typical! We had the best walkies EVER and no pictures!

The Budster had to go to the vet for his monthly allergy shot this morning and us Cavies decided that we weren't going to be left at home and so all 5 pups plus 2 adults climbed into Mum's car - good job she has a dog-mobile! Lilly jumped right into her place in the front seat so Dad got to sit in the back with Buddy taking up 2 seats so he had to share a seat with Penny. The littlies - Charlie Beau and Louis Bumble ended up on the parcel shelf! They LOVED it!!

When the Budster had his jab we went to our local park - we don't go there much as there's a really cool wood over the road from our house where we can be off-lead without too many worries. So anyway, we get to the park and not a dog in sight so Mum and Dad let us big dogs off lead and Charlie Beau and Louis Bumble were on long extending leads (as it was their first time at the park) next thing you know there are 9 dogs all milling around having a whale of a time! We met Tia a black lab who we see in the wood sometimes - she's as crazy as Buddy is! (and as slobbery slimy!!) There was a greyhound lady and two terrier mixes. We had LOTS of fun and made lots of new friends. The park is good and we want to go there again soon!

So Bumble is now known as Louis (pronounced Looooo eeeeee) While Bumble was a cute name he didn't really like it much and only came when Mum called Charlieeeeee, and because we are Lilleeeeee, Penneeeeee and Buddeeeeee Mum figured he needed an eeeeee name to be like the rest of us. So Loueeeeee he has become. (Mum's got a thing about Charles 2nd and The Restoration period of history and there was a Loueeeeee around in France at that time! Dear God, I hope she doesn't get any more pups one of them might end up a Rupert!!!! Anyway, Louis likes his new name better and is responding to it now.

Ooooooo Tea time! Byeeeeee

Bumble gets his second shot

2009-08-07T03:41:00.000-07:00

Hello good people and welcome once again to the Beauclarke dogblog!!

Here we are - the four Cavaliers - all in one spot for once!! L-R Penny, Lilly, Charlie Beau and Bumble

A video clip to start you off today - a few seconds of cuteness from the Cavie boys..........

Now, Mum has been very busy working at home since we last blogged and she's been hogging the PC all day long so we've not had a chance to keep you updated. Sorry about that folks!

Bumble went to have his second injection today (and yes - he squealed like a girl again!!) so now he will be able to join us on all of our woodland walks. We're sure he'll love it! He has been on some pavement walks already where Mum can keep an eye on him and he's behaved impeccably on his lead.......(except today when Mum decided to take him shopping to the market and he decided that walking to the edge of the car park was far enough for one day after a harrowing trip to the vets where he got stabbed again!! - don't worry folks...within seconds of Uncle Steve giving him his jab he was all lovey dovey again and kissing the vet his forgiveness!) So he got carried around the market and by all accounts decided this was much better as he could better see all that was going on around him......it was easier for people to pet him as well!!

Mum, in her ultimate wisdom has decide to take up a few of the slabs in our back yard and has planted some bushy things which the boys like to chew. She was kind of hoping that they would grow and give us and the cats some more shade but the boys prefer chewing them at the moment (she made sure they were not toxic before buying them!) However, here is Millie our Maine Coon 'sister' showing us how it should be done....(Fat chance Mum, if its stays still long enough we'll chew it - if it moves, we'll chase it!!! hehehehehehehehe)

Well, we're off for our afternoon walkies now and then out to play in the garden this afternoon while the weather is nice.

Wuffs and wags the Beauclarke Brood!

2009-07-25T00:21:00.000-07:00

Hello good people!, It's the Beauclarke Brood here again to brighten your day! We hope that you are all well. As you can see from the picture below Charlie Beau and Bumble are bestest friends! (and too cute for words, so we elected to show you a picture instead!)

Bumble is 10 days younger than Charlie Beau but can stand up for himself when he wants something Charlie has. They are typical Cavaliers and follow the Cavalier laws. For the uninitiated those laws are as follows - study them well, for if you are ever graced to be in the presence of a Cavalier then he/she will know these better than you!!:

1. If I like it, it's mine.

2. If it's in my mouth, it's mine.

3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.

4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.

5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.

6. If I have chewed it up, all the pieces are mine.

7. If it looks like it's mine, then it's mine.

8. If I saw it first, then it's mine.

9. If it's edible, it's mine.

10. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.

11. If I get tired of it, it's yours.

12. If it's broken, it's yours.

The following video is proof of some of these laws:

So, Bumble - so called because he make noises like a very angry bee and because he is bumble bee colour! - had to go to see Uncle Steve for his first vaccination and micro-chipping yesterday and just like Charlie he squealed like a girl, but very soon calmed down and forgot all about it and was his normal happy self seconds later.

We're looking forward to being able to go out on walks with him and we can show him all the cool places to chew sticks and the best places of all to get really muddy! We can't wait! It will be fun when its raining and Mum and Dad have to try and dry 5 furry dogs!! I'm sure we'll tell you all about it another day.....we're off for a nap now!

2009-07-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ah, what a surprise we had today!!!

There we were, minding our own business and snoozing on the sofas when Mum came home with ANOTHER puppy! This is getting to be rather a habit lately. First Charlie Beau and now a black and tan boy called Bumble!

We have another brother! Now we are 5 and mum has her 'set' of cavies. Here is the little fella.

He's a crazy pup indeed and has not stopped chasing us around and barking at us all night long! This is the only decent shot Mum has been able to get of him because he just won't be still for a second! We're sure over the coming days we'll have some better ones, once he's calmed down a bit! ........... We hope he calms down! Mum hopes he will sleep well tonight. All the dashing about he's been doing he should do! The rest of us will anyhow, Bumble has kept us on our toes!

He has to go and see Uncle Steve, the vet, tomorrow for his injections and micro-chip - Charlie has told him all about it but Bumble says he will be brave! We'll let you know how he gets on when he comes home! In the meantime, we're off for a nap!

See you all soon!

The Beauclarke Brood

2009-07-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

OOOO long time no blog! Busy, busy being doggies and having fun!

Look!! Mum bought us some new sofas that we can snuggle on.........We think we're cute!

Do you think little Charlie Beau has grown? We do! He is allowed out for walkies with us all now and can even go off lead when we're over the wood. We've all been playing a trick on Mum. She's been teaching Charlie Beau his recall and every time she calls him to her she gives him a treat....so we have all temporarily changed our names to Charlie Beau, so every time she calls him, we all come running so she has to give us all a nice tasty liver treat! yummy!

Charlie Beau and Penny are still best friends even though Penny is naughty sometimes. Charlie has found out that he can get up the stairs now.......but he can't get back down again and needs mum to rescue hm. Penny likes to make him chase her up stairs and then he gets stuck up there while she runs back down! Poor Charlie! I guess it makes up for him hanging off Penny's ears and tail all day long!

There's only so much a girl will take! :-)

Here's Lilly using Charlie as a pillow. Apparently he's a very comfy dog to lie on - mum and dad say that he's always lying on them so this makes a nice change!

And speaking of comfy...doesn't Buddy look a happy chappie on his sofa???

Today was grooming day. Penny got in a bit of a mess and so had to have a bath. When she had dried off she was thoroughly groomed all over and even had her feet trimmed today. She was ever so well behaved. Mum is doing a grooming course in August and Penny gets to go with her for a professional pamper - mum will be doing the pampering so lets hope she's not too bold with the clippers!! Lilly got her ears and tail thoroughly brushed and her feet trimmed and Charlie Beau had to go through the motions even though he has no fur yet!! Well not much anyway. He was well behaved though. We have no idea why we get bathed when all we do is go right out and get muddy over on our woodland walks!

Finally we couldn't resist this video snippet of Penny and Charlie playing tug of war with a cuddly lamb!

Disclaimer......The Beauclarke Brood do not advocate playing with real lambs in this manner...

Warning....... This video contains LOUD cavalier snoring courtesy of Lilly

2009-07-04T05:14:00.000-07:00

Check out this great website for all things for dog lovers
www.showdogsuk.com

2009-07-04T04:29:00.000-07:00

Mum's written a poem..........

A cavalier obsessive is what they label me
I wish I had all four of them but right now there's only three
Lilly is a tri-colour with the softest silky ears,
Penny is a Blenheim who's antics leave me in tears
Then there's little Charlie Beau, the cutest ruby boy,
He'd rather chew my fingers, that his chewy puppy toy.
Soon I'll have a black and tan and then I'll have the set,
Please don't tell my husband, I haven't told him yet!
King Charles himself had lots of them and a special one called Fubs,
I want at least 15 of them - a football team plus subs!
A cavalier obsessive is what they label me,
I wish I had hundreds of them, but, for now, there's only three.

Don't worry Buddy, mum loves you just as much as us!

OOOWWWWWWW

2009-07-03T01:18:00.000-07:00

Poor little Charlie Beau had to visit Uncle Steve the vet and was micro-chipped! He squealed like a girl! Have you seen the size of those micro-chipping needles??? They're monster, massive, huge and gargantuan! Hmm, they're big and he's little so no wonder he squealed. Mum used to be a nurse and even she was horrified at the size of the damned needles. She saw a cat getting chipped many years ago and since then has always has us micro-chipped while we are under anaesthetic when we got de-sexed. But a few liver treats I'm glad to say Charlie Beau was right as rain after a couple of seconds. He has to have his second injection next week and then he'll be able to come out with us on our woodland walks. He'll like that he will. And now he's chipped mum can relax a little if he gets lost. Well OK, if ANY of us got lost mum would panic like crazy and would have a search party organised in seconds!

Penny likes to do a runner every now and again, but mum's sussed out her hiding place now and knows where to start looking for her. Penny is all mouth and no trousers! She'll bark and bark at other dogs when she's on the lead, but when she's off-lead she runs and hides! Wuss!

Lilly is almost as bad, but she just runs down the road to chase off the stray cats that mum and dad feed by the front door. They have to make sure she is on her lead before the door gets opened other wise she's off like a greyhound despite having had 3 major knee operations on her back legs! Luckily, we don't live on a main road but it still scares mum and dad to death if she runs off because they don't want her to get squashed.

Buddy Bear is the only one of us (so far) who behaves himself. The worst he will do is run up to a stranger and slime them to death! Wonder what little Charlie Beau will be like when he's allowed off-lead????

Here's the three of us Cavaliers waiting for our treats....

And some video of Charlie Beau and penny playing...until next time........

We're all too hot today!

2009-06-29T08:10:00.001-07:00

Wow, now we know what proper hot dogs must feel like! Its boiling today and the airconditioning unit is all full up and mum has a bad back so can't empty it! We've been sleepy pups all day long. Even our catty friends - we have 15 of those that live here with us - are all laid stretched out in the back yard. They have hogged all the shady spots but a little woof and a quick chase and we can pinch their places!!

Back to sleep for us now........even blogging is too much like hard work when its this hot!

Help Us Make It Real

2009-06-29T07:12:00.001-07:00

Please check out
http://helpusmakeitreal.741.com
and help us if you can

Hello and Welcome!

2009-06-28T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the Dog Blog!!!!

We are a family of 4 dogs and this blog is all about us.

Buddy Bear (aka Orlas Faithful Buddy) is a 6 year old Golden Retriever who spends more time in the vets than out!

Lilly (aka Clentview Chantilly) is a 3 year old Tri-colour Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who runs at the sight of a brush and snores like a train!

Penny (aka Hextonsview Bramble) is a 2 year old Blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who's white bits are constantly grey and dips her ears in everything!

Charlie Beau (aka Prince Red Alert) is a 9 week old Ruby Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who goal in life is to torment Lilly!

Mum is Lady C, an aspiring writer and Cavalier obsessive who is desperate to collect 'the set' (We need a black and tan pup to complete the set of colours of CKCS available). Don't tell Dad, but when mum wins the lottery or gets to be a famous writer she's going to have a football team of Cavies (12 plus subs!!) and there will be puppies coz she wants to breed Cavie babies. Mum has a bad back and can't always take us for walks so Dad looks after us all. Mum gets the cuddling and grooming job and Dad is in charge of walks and feeding - mmmmm - Dad is a GOOD cook!! Chicken, lambs liver and kidney are our favourites.

We live with LOTS of other furry creatures called cats. There are 15 in all. Rumblepuss, Felix, Willow, Poppy, Godzilla, Spookie, Mr Socko, Millie, Muffin, Noodle, Pan, Peigan, Spike, Cookie and Donut. There were a few more but Middleton, Lovely and Angel had to go to Rainbow Bridge. We miss them very much but its Ok though because we know we'll see them again someday.

We also want to mention a very special friend, who left us to go to Rainbow Bridge on May 4th this year. Charlie Beau never met his big sister but we've told him all about her. She was a proper golden Golden Retriever and left us when she was just 2 days short of her 7th birthday. This made us all very sad. Here's a picture of her so you can all see how beautiful she was....

That bit about Rainbow Bridge was a bit sad so Mum thought you'd like to see some puppy madness to lighten the mood again so here is Charlie Beau and Penny playing. Lilly 'hides' on the armchair coz Charlie Beau is a little too boisterous for her. (She had surgery 2 days ago and is still a bit sore). She was the same when Penny came to live with us but soon became firm friends and no doubt Charlie Beau will soon have Lilly under his tiny little paw. Enjoy the video......more from us another time.........