It is with great sadness that we have to tell you that we lost all but one of our puppies from our September litter. It reminds us of how risky breeding dogs can be. The surviving puppy is a tricolor girl, born on September 14. We are waiting for her eyes to open in about 10 days!! Our next litter will likely be in Winter 2023 - I haven't decided if it will be a Blenheim or a Tricolor litter yet!
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!
Our News
Update on 2022 Breeding Plans
We are preparing for our next litter, which I am very excited about. We are repeating our sire, International Ch. Womanizer of An Excellent Choice, pairing him with Laurelwind Full of Grace, who is the litter sister to my new Grand Champion Laurelwind Mockingbird Irish Blessing. They are both beautiful dogs with lovely pedigrees. This litter will be due in mid-September. Stay tuned!
Future Puppy Plans - June, 2022
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.
2022 Pupdate - April 1, 2022
Hi all;
Well, so far this year we are making good on our puppy plans. We have a litter of five Blenheim boys on the ground right now at 2.5 weeks old, and a new litter of six tricolor/Blenheim puppies coming next week. We are gluttons for punishment. Our little boys are absolutely beautiful, and this new litter is hopefully going to be a gorgeous litter our of International Ch. Womanizer of An Excellent Choice - the loveliest tri boy we've ever seen and our beautiful Chloe! I am starting the interview process for our boys, and will for the new litter in a couple of weeks once I'm sure they are thriving.
Next Year's Breeding Plans
We are presently planning on three litters next year - maybe four if we aren't too worn out - with the first litter expected in May, and then the next litter 2-3 months later through the end of the year. We want our Show Team to finish up their championships and to mature before they are bred. I'll post when there's a new litter on the way!!
Update to 2021 Breeding Plans
Hi all; Its July and we have our second litter of the year on the ground now. They are 8 weeks - 6 beautiful tricolor puppies, 3 boys and 3 girls. Most are committed to wonderful families who have been waiting for a long time for a puppy. This was my second litter this year - started in January with our first breeding and these puppies from the second litter will go home in mid-August. I'm not sure if I will do another litter this year or not, as I'm looking forward to a few months where I can sleep through the night, am not supplementing puppies every two hours, picking up puppy poo and washing puppy pads all day. I think I'll make a final decision in September. If I do take a break, I will have my next litter in Spring of 2022. Have not picked a sire yet, so don't know if it will be a Blenheim or Tri litter. I'll keep you all posted in the meantime.
Our Breeding Plan for 2021
There has been a real shortage of Cavalier puppies born this year by responsible show breeders due to COVID-19 and the impact it has had on the dog show circuit. I have inquiries almost every day about available puppies. I've thought about this quite a lot, as many inquiries are from families who've lost their dog and who are looking to add one of these wonderful pets to their household. I expect to have three litters this year to try to help these families while I continue my program to breed my next show puppy. If you'd like me to alert you when I have a litter on the way or on the ground, please see my Contact Us page and select "Add Me to the Mailing List" on the form. I will only send out notifications when there is real litter news.
Puppies on the Way
We are happy to report that we will have some puppies in early February, 2020 - we expect that they will be both Tricolor and Blenheim puppies. We are hojping for a nice show puppy in this litter, but all others will be available as pets. Let me know if you are interested!
Gigi's Done It Again!!
We were not sure if this was going to work or not this time...there were a few challenging moments....but it DID work and we have about five or six puppies on the way. Gigi was bred to a lovely Blenheim boy from Shreveport. We have high hopes for a show puppy from this litter, which will be both tricolor and Blenheim puppies. But, its not likely that all of the pups will be show puppies, so if you have an interest in a beautiful pet, let me know.
Gigi's Sweet Babies!
Gigi is our sweet girl at home, and she's had two lovely puppies out of Verheyen Jared, a beautiful boy from England and an AKC Champion. We love these little boys! We are going to run one on to see if he is going to be a show dog, but his sweet and gentle brother is looking for his new family! Let me know if you would like to know more about this sweet three-month old puppy!