As we said on our home page we do on occasion have a puppy available to the right loving pet home. However, we do not keep a waiting list simply because in the past it involved too much time in calling people who decided not to wait any longer or had found a different breed to adopt.

If you are seriously interested in adopting a Cavalier from us, feel free to call us and see if there is a day and time that would work out for you to visit.

Fortunately for us we have many more great loving homes available for adoption than we do have puppies. However, this same fact makes your job more difficult as this has led to more opportunity for unethical commercial breeders and importers of unhealthy poorly bred whole litters to prosper in recent years.

You must do your homework and make sure whomever you adopt a puppy from understands that Mitral Valve Disease is in 100% of the breed’s bloodlines. Anyone who says different is either not telling you the truth or is trying to hide something.

At the same time, it is possible to get a healthy loving puppy that will live into their teens without symptoms from Mitral Valve Disease.

The average lifespan for a Cavalier is 10-13 years, but we are seeing many more teenagers than ever before. Mitral Valve Disease should not scare you away from this breed, as the love that a Cavalier will bring to your life will greatly outweigh the potential for health issues late in life.

Yet as a warning, if you cannot talk to your breeder about how long the grandparents and possibly even great grandparents lived and how long they were heart clear, then go to another breeder.

Also beware of whole litter Irish imports. This has become very common as Ireland has poor regulations on breeding and exporting whole litters and it has led to some very, very sad stories of unhealthy puppies that do not even look like purebred Cavaliers.

Use your best judgment and try to meet your breeder in person or spend some time talking to them a number of times before you make the long-term important decision to adopt another family member into your home.

The financial savings over years of adopting a healthy puppy and the unconditional love they bring to your life will be well worth the wait and your search for just the right breeder.

Whether you are considering purchasing a Cavalier or have recently purchased one, the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club's full color Puppy Buyer's Guide provides great information including everything from finding a reputable breeder to health issues in the breed. For more information, go to the Club website at www.ackcsc.org and click on "Our Store"