The many faces of tired Tilly.
Category Archives: Tilly
Angel or Devil???
These two pictures perfectly capture Tilly’s dual personality. When our little Tilly is sweet….she is very sweet. She cuddles and licks and loves to be smooched……..but……when our little Tilly is bad…..she is really bad! She jumps and bites and races around like a possessed devil. The good news is that the sweet times are more frequent than the devil child times.
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Everything is a toy
People can spend a fortune on toys to entertain their puppies. In reality, everything is a potential toy … as long as it doesn’t have sharp bits or is small enough to swallow. Here is a video of Tilly enjoying herself with my garden kneeler. It is twice her size but that doesn’t slow her down.
Puppy camouflage
It has been really hard leaving little Tilly at home while I go to work. I know that Don is taking good care of her but I still miss her. He brought her with him when he came to my office to pick me up. Everyone fell in love with her. So many people thought that she was one of Wally’s puppies because her colouring is almost identical to his.
Later in the day Tilly decided to curl up in Wally’s belly for a little snooze. All of us were amazed at how she just seemed to disappear. If her eyes weren’t open she just blended into all of Wally’s long golden fur……talk about camouflage….it was perfect.
Tilly exploring her new world
We had an incredibly beautiful, sunny and warm day today. A little unusual for us to be this warm in mid March. Tilly got her first introduction to the backyard and it appears that she likes to go exploring. So many things to smell and chase…including Tango’s tail.
Who switched my puppy??
Friday night and Saturday Tilly was an absolute angel. Very quiet, sweet and gentle. She was just content to snuggle up in my lap and sleep. Then came Sunday morning. I’m guessing that little Miss Tilly is feeling more confident in her new surroundings. So confident that she is now letting her true personality shine through…..meet Tilly’s alter ego……the devil child!! This morning I was greeted with a sweet little face and lots of kisses but all that changed once she was ‘unloaded’ and ‘reloaded’ again. It was chilly in the house this morning and everyone else was still in bed so I decided to go back up stairs and snuggle up to Don to warm up. I thought I would let Tilly hang out on my side of the bed to keep me company. Big mistake! My sweet, cuddly puppy was replaced by a jumping, chewing, pulling and digging machine. She was especially interested in trying to detach my pony tail from my skull.
I want a refund…….or maybe a replacement 😉
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Tilly meets Wally and Tango
Just a short video clip showing Tango and Wally meeting Tilly for the first time. Tango has this habit of using her long, pointy muzzle and ‘boinking’ other dogs when she wants to play. She almost knocks poor little Tilly right over with her first boink.
What a good puppy!
Last night everyone was just so exhausted after our long trip so we all curled up on the couch together. I just love this picture. It really helps to put into perspective just how small Tilly is compared to Wally.
I am thrilled to announce that little Tilly slept through the night. She woke up once around 11:30pm and let out a big cry…..maybe a scary puppy dream or she thought she was all alone. I stroked her a few times and she settle down and fell back asleep. By 03:00am I was starting to worry that maybe something was wrong with her. I didn’t want to turn on a light so I used my cordless phone with the backlit keyboard to illuminate an area above Tilly to make sure she was ok. By 05:30am I couldn’t stand it any more …I had to get up and check on her. Her little tail was wagging a mile a minute and I got a dozen kisses as I carried her downstairs to go potty. Its now 0630 and she’s had 3 poops and 1 pee and all is good.
She’s Ours
We had a lovely visit with the breeder, signed the paperwork and we are heading home with the newest member of our family.
Tilly seems to be pooped from all the excitement She is curled up against my neck and it looks like she is going to sleep most of the way home.
We also got a quick video of Tango and Wally meeting Tilly that I will post later.
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Tilly…here we come
The big day is finally here. We just backed down the driveway and we are headed for the highway and our three hour trip to Cold Lake.
Our house is going to be busy this weekend. Not only will we have a new puppy but tomorrow Chris and Michelle arrive to spend a week visiting us and Grandma. Michelle is an animal lover like me so hopefully she will enjoy the company of our newest 4-legged member of our household.
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3 more sleeps
I can’t believe that the big day is almost here. Back in January it seemed like it was an eternity to wait. Now we are running around buying ‘stuff’ to make sure our new little princess has everything that a puppy would need. We are digging out the baby gate, kennels and X-pens to get both our home and our cars puppy-ready.
On Friday we head up to Cold Lake to sign the papers and then Tilly will be an official member of our family.
OMG 3 more sleeps!!!!!!
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Meet Tilly
We had a lovely drive up to Cold Lake to meet the puppies. When we got there the breeder said that she had a puppy in mind that she thought would be perfect for us. She is from the first litter born on December 22nd and she is identified by the red collar. She brought her out to us and of course it was love at first sight. Look at that face…..is she not smoochable????
She has the cutest little sliver of a white patch on the bridge of her nose and on her forehead (which probably will go away as she matures….too bad!) and look at that white chin. She is quite the little snuggle bunny and gives great french kisses.
We hope to go back to Cold Lake in a couple of weeks and bring her home. Hopefully it will be perfect timing so that Chris and Michelle can meet her while they are here visiting us.
Cold Lake here we come…
Our trip to Cold Lake, to meet our breeder and her puppies, appears to be a go for this weekend. We are just waiting for her to send us directions on how to get to her home. She says that she had been keeping an eye out for the perfect little girl for us but gave no indication that she has made a decision yet.
I can almost smell that puppy breath now…….
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Our little girl is 7 weeks old
Our breeder sent new pictures today. It looks like both litters get to play together now. Aren’t they cute?????
We are allowed to go and visit them now. We are planning for Feb 27th……I can hardly wait.
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More puppy pictures
The breeder sent us a new batch of puppy pictures. Aren’t they just adorable. They will be 6 weeks old in a few days so that means we are at the half way point of our wait to adopt our little girl. The end of March can’t come soon enough for me.
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We are a "for sure"
I am so excited. I can’t sit still because I am vibrating so much. I just got a confirmation from the breeder that she got our deposit and we are a “for sure” to get one of her little ruby girls. Did I mention that I was excited?!?!?
How many more sleeps until the end of March…….too many!
Puppy update
We got another batch of pictures today. The puppies are about 3 weeks old now, their little eyes are open, they are wobbling around and starting to interact with one another. I wish she didn’t live so far away from us (3-4 hour drive one way). She has invited us to come for a visit so we are hoping to do that in the next few weeks if the winter weather cooperates.
I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with 7 litters of Golden/Lab cross puppies from birth until they were placed in homes. I would spend hours just watching them and smooching their little fat warm bodies.
There is no smell better than the smell of puppy breath. I can almost smell it now………
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We have a breeder
Although both breeders were excellent, we have decided to go with the breeder from Alberta because she was the first one to get back to us. In fact she responded to my email the day I sent it. Talk about good customer service.
Cavies have on average 3-4 puppies per litter . This breeder was incredibly lucky because her first bitch had 6 puppies on December 22nd and her second had 7 puppies on Christmas day. They are all Ruby babies but a few of them do have the odd white spot. She likes to pick the puppies for her clients based on the needs/wants of each client. She knows the puppies best so she can help make the perfect match.
We mailed our deposit this morning hoping that it would get to her before all the female puppies were spoken for. I am secretly hoping that we get a little girl with a white spot but truthfully I wouldn’t be disappointed with any puppy. We received an email full of pictures today. They are soooooo cute!
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We have a name!
I am embarrassed to admit that I have already picked a name for our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel……before we even have one. I am hoping to call her Tilly. The reason I say “hoping” is because I generally prefer to meet the puppy before giving them a name. It is nice to get a feel for their personality to make sure that the name you pick is a good fit. I do have a couple of other options on my list just in case Tilly really doesn’t suit her. What do you think of Paisley or perhaps Kahlo?
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Finding a Cavalier King Charles Breeder
We have chosen our breed, now comes the big task of finding a breeder. For me, finding the right breeder is almost as important as finding the right breed. A good breeder makes sure that they only breed the best of the best. Their breeding stock has thorough health evaluations and their puppies are well socialized before they go to their new homes. I want a breeder who wants to know as much as possible about the people who want to adopt their puppies. Ideally adoptive families should have to sign contracts to make sure that if they no longer want the puppy, it must be returned to the breeder and not abandoned on the street or surrendered to a shelter.
I looked up breeders on the Dogs in Canada and CKC websites. I also got in contact with people who have Cavies and asked about their breeders. I contacted two breeders in Alberta and one in Saskatchewan. I quickly eliminated one of the Alberta breeders. She never asked one question about us or our lifestyle and she said she didn’t do any health testing of her breeding stock. I was very impressed with both of the remaining breeders. They clearly loved their dogs and asked me a lot of questions to make sure that they were satisfied that their puppy was going to the right home. These are the kind of breeders I want to support. It is going to be hard to choose one breeder…..I wish we could get a puppy from each one. Regardless of which breeder we go with, I will definitely recommend both of them to anyone who is interested in adding a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel to their family.
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And the winning breed is……
Over the last 2 months I’ve googled, spent hours on YouTube and done research at the library. The good news is that I think I have found the perfect breed for us. The more I read about them, the more I am sure that we have made the right decision. We have chosen the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS). Its personality reminds me of a Golden Retriever. Now I know that they are a different breed but they do share so many similarities that I know that we are going to be a perfect match.
This is how the Canadian Kennel Club descibes a Cavalier King Charles Spaniels:
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a much-admired Royal Spaniel. Descended from the Toy Spaniels of Europe, the breed was variously known as the “comforter” or “Spaniel Gentle” and first appeared in the courts of England with the reign of Queen Mary I. The breed, which appears in many of the great paintings of the Masters, received its name from King Charles II. It became virtually extinct in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, as short-nosed breeds took the fore. By 1923 the King Charles Spaniel (today’s English Toy) with its flat nose had replaced the old-type Toy Spaniel. In 1926 the incentive for the revitalization of the old-type Toy Spaniel was provided by Mr. Roswell Eldridge, an American who offered prizes of 25 pounds for the Best Dog and Best Bitch of this type at Crufts. The name Cavalier was added when the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club was founded in 1928 to further develop the breed. It was not until 1945 that The Kennel Club (England) granted separate registration from the King Charles. The popularity of these companion dogs has spread around the world and in 1957 the breed gained Canadian Kennel Club recognition.
General Appearance
An active, graceful, well-balanced dog, very gay, and free in action.
Temperament
Fearless and sporting in character yet at the same time gentle and affectionate.
Size
Height 30-33 cm (12-13 inches). Weight proportionate to height 5 – 8 kg (12-18 lbs.). Slight variations permissible. Feathering on ears, legs and tail should be long, and the feathering on the feet is a feature of the breed.
If you want to learn more about the CKCS here are a couple of great YouTube videos :
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Which breed should we choose?
Our breed criteria is pretty simple:
- smaller dog
- great with people and other dogs
- average activity level
- easy to train
- it would be nice if we didn’t need to go to the groomer every 4-6 weeks for a trim
- a breed that will excel at pet therapy
Reviewing my list, I just realized that basically, what we are looking for is a dog with a personality similar to that of a Golden Retriever just in a smaller package. Now the test is to see which breeds best match our criteria and then make a decision.
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New family addition?
It has been more than 6 months since we said good bye to our last foster puppy and it has been over a year since our little, sweet Shih Tzu went to puppy heaven. I’m feeling the overwhelming need to add a four-legged member to our household. Although we have our 9 year old Golden Retriever who is the love of my life (if he were human I would call him my soul mate) and a beautiful 6 year old German Shepherd, I miss having a small, cuddly lap dog. Initially I thought that it would be great to go back to our breeder and get another Shih Tzu but I quickly realized that I wasn’t ready to share our life with another Shih Tzu so soon after Ming going to puppy heaven.
The hunt is on to find a breed that will fit into our lives and work well with our current 4-legged companions. I have also been thinking about getting involved with Pet Therapy so that will have a major impact on our breed decision.
Life In The Dog House 