The puppies from March and April are now, or will be, mostly in their new homes. There is one lovely Blenheim boy (3 months) and a tri girl (10 weeks) that I have not decided on, and there are two puppies from my April litter that I am running on as well. Those decisions will likely happen in early August - you cannot keep them all, as we say!. But, good news! My lovely Gracie and Luna are coming into season in July and September, so there will be more puppies (God willing) in late September and November. Some of you are waiting on my final decisions on the two puppies above, and others, so I will be in touch on that.
About Us
We have always been dog lovers, having grown up on a farm in Michigan, but we went many dog-less years due to work schedules and small children in the house. But, when my son Andrew was 11, we felt he was ready for a dog. We researched different breeds, and settled on the Cavalier because of their beauty, gentle temperament and manageable size.
We had no idea that our first Cavalier - Don Diego De La Vega, or "Diego" - would start us on our journey into showing and breeding these extraordinary dogs. We had Diego about two weeks and we knew we needed another one. Diego was a puppy mill dog, and we realized right away that despite his sweet personality that he was not what we'd imagined - so we began our search for a show breeder and found them in Texas. Once we found "Sophie", our love of this breed was solidified.
My father bred prize cattle on the farm, so it was only natural that I began to think about showing Sophie. After a year, we found a trainer and handler for her, who showed Sophie with some success. We became acquainted with Scott Sommer, a BIS handler and Westminster winner, and he showed Sophie to her Championship and a national ranking! We were hooked!
What has ensued since then is careful breeding, with new dogs introduced into our group from time to time, and a slow but sure progression into showing our own home-bred dogs. We love the English look in our Cavaliers, and strive to improve upon all aspects of the dogs in each breeding - health, temperament and conformation. We are blessed with these small family members and are grateful for their success in the show ring and the recognition they have received.
We moved to Johns Island a few years ago to provide more space for the dogs to run and play. Johns Island is next to Kiawah Island a little bit south of Charleston, SC. Johns Island is where most of the area's horses are stabled, and there are several show kennels here as well. Its a lovely location for us and our dogs!