The next one

The time has come to get another dog to keep Ricky company. No, I'm not getting another puppy just yet, I'm going to get an older dog. Heidi is a year older than Ricky, and she is coming to live with Ricky & myself, probably in a few months time.  Here she is pictured with her latest litter of pups.  She had 4 boys and 3 girls, and they were born on 28 April 2011.

Much as I'd love another puppy, I don't think I'm ready to subject myself to another one just yet.  After all, Ricky is still a puppy at heart ... and I'm still waiting for his 'brain' to kick in!

New game

The boy truly is a freak.  Because he has so much energy, Dad created a new game with Ricky to burn off some of the excess.  Tie a toy to a long rope and then stand in one spot and try to keep it out of Ricky's reach.  Dad re-created the game so that I could see it on a recent visit.  Watch the video to see what happens.

I said he was a freak :)  Oh, and it does wear a little bit of energy off.

Ring in

OK, so she's not one of mine, but this is me and Cleo aka Cavandra Sweet Cleo AD JD GD, and I had the pleasure of running her at the NSW Cavalier Trial in September 2010.  Cleo's Mum was unable to run her, having just given birth to her first child several days before the trial.

While we didn't come away with any quallies, we had a couple of good runs together.  Pity, about no quallies, as all Cleo needed was one more ADX pass and one more JDX pass for those titles. Talk about pressure!  She was going beautifully in her ADX run, then we got to those dreaded weave poles that we all know that Cleo hates.  She went in OK, did a couple then plonked herself down in the middle of them and gave me an "F" you look.  No amount of pleading or cajooling worked to get her to complete them properly.  After sitting there and glaring at me for a couple of seconds, she then got up and completed the last 3 obstacles of the course beautifully on her own!  She was under time as well.  The joys of trialling a cavalier!  Cleo dropped a bar in her JDX run.  Again, she would have been under time.  I really think she just doesn't want those titles because she knows she is going to be retired after she gets them.

We didn't come away empty handed though.  There is a coveted award amongst the competitors at this trial called the Chester Trophy.  It is awarded to the most entertaining run of the evening.  After years of trying to win this trophy, Cleo now finally has her name on it.  It took 6 years, but she finally did it!  And her agility run definitely made her a worthy contender.  I can still picture the look on her face, sitting there in the middle of the weave poles - it was absolutely priceless.  What really cracked me up though was that she finished the course correctly on her own without me.

Thanks to Cleo's Mum, Linda Hennessy for letting me run the little "angel".  It was definitely an experience I will never forget, and I'm glad to have been able to help to finally get Cleo's name on that trophy.

The golden child

Well, haven't I been through the wringer - emotionally and financially.

Less than a month after losing Rusty, I nearly lost Ricky.

What was originally diagnosed as tonsillitis turned out to be acute kidney failure.  How you could confuse the two is beyond me.

Ricky managed to drop from 7.7kg on Saturday, 19 June, down to 6.4kg on Wednesday, 23 June.  He then spent 16 days in the specialst vet centre on a drip and managed to lose another 400g because he wouldn't eat.  When he was discharged from the centre on Friday, 9 July, he was up to 6.1kg, but definitely nowhere near his pre-sickness weight.

Once he was home he eventually started to eat and drink again, and at last weigh in he was up to 6.8kg.  He's on monthly blood tests, and his last one (nearly a month ago now) everything had almost returned to normal.  He's due for another blood test this week when hopefully we will get the all clear.

I thank my lucky stars every day that I still have him.  The little bugger is pushing the boundaries again though, so there's obviously nothing wrong with him.  He has also returned to his pre-sickness energy levels, which is a really good sign.  And while he's driving me crazy again, I suppose that's a good sign too.

Farewell my little man

Rusty (pedigree unknown)
27 July 1999 to 29 April 2010
10 years, 9 months


Rusty was my first cavalier and my introduction to the breed.  He was purchased from a pet store, but he never made it to the window having been flown in from Melbourne several hours before I picked him up. Rusty was supposed to be a Blenheim female, and I was presented with a ruby male. I'd never heard of the rubies before, let alone seen one, and I actually wasn't too sure about him on first sight. However, all it took was for someone who was in the store at the time to say "ooh, he's cute - he wasn't in the window - if you don't want him, I'll have him" for me to decide that he was coming home with me.

Rusty had a lot of little quirks, and outside of his own four walls he didn't have what I would call a true cavalier temperament, but at home he was an absolute joy to own and was definitely king of his castle.

Rusty was extremely timid and didn't like other dogs. In fact, so bad was his fear when he was younger that it took 3 attempts to pass basic obedience. He dug his little paws in and wouldn't move if there were other dogs around. Needless to say we didn't go any further than basic.

Rusty's confidence did improve as he got older though, and I'm sure it was due to Amber coming to live with us when he was just short of 2 years old. Amber, being the outgoing girl that she was gave him a new found confidence and he continued to blossom over the years. I'm sure the time he spent with Amber over the years helped enormously when I introduced Ricky as a puppy in June 2009.  In fact, I couldn't believe how incredibly patient he was with Ricky, especially as Ricky kept jumping on Rusty and pulling on his ears.  Rusty put up with a lot, but he did rule with an iron paw.

In his youth, Rusty was my fetch monster. He'd play 24/7 if you let him. I look back and laugh to think that I was worried initially that he wouldn't play fetch with me. Even in later years, Rusty loved a game of fetch, although the sessions weren't as quick and didn't last as long.  In fact, even in his last hours, Rusty decided a game of fetch was in order. The photo above was our very last game together, and I also have a wonderful little video of it that I will cherish forever.

Rusty was healthy for most of his life. He went deaf when he was about 8 years old, and he was still heart clear on his passing, just short of 11 years. Unfortunately, he suffered from arthritis and it was because of the pain associated with this that I made the decision to end his suffering and have him put to sleep.  It was a heart-wrenching decision, but I know it was the right one. Rusty had given me so much over the years - he was a faithful companion and was always there for me, wanting nothing but a cuddle and a game of fetch. Ending his suffering was the least I could do for him.

On Rusty's last day he had all the things he liked, and as much as he wanted for breakfast. There were no portion sizes to worry about. I was sent home early from work so that I could spend some time with him, and we sat having cuddles, shared an ice cream and had that very important game of fetch.  The look on his face when I bought out that little ball for him was one of absolute joy, so I know he passed on a very happy boy.

I stayed with Rusty until the very end. Making the decision to end his suffering and letting him go while he still had some dignity is the most humane thing I could have done for my little man. I was amazed at how quick and incredibly peaceful the process was.

Run free little man. Chase as many balls as you want and be an absolute noodle. You are now with your little buddy Amber again and free of pain. Ricky and I miss you, but we'll never forget you. Until we meet again.

Massage and fetch games

Rusty has been having massages to help with 'the ageing process' and also to help alleviate the Ricky factor.  He had his first massage back in July 2009, which was his 10th birthday present, and has been having at least monthly massages since.  His massage on Wednesday this week came at a very opportune time. I'm not sure what he did on Tuesday night, but he was in quite a bit of pain and wouldn't settle down to sleep. Anyway, massage yesterday and today he's bouncing around, not a care in the world again.  Rusty is pictured here with Griselda from Doggy Bliss.  I really think he enjoys these sessions.  I love sitting and watching Rusty while Griselda works on him. You can actually seem him relaxing.

When he was younger, and before the arthritis set in, Rusty was a fetch monster. I had to cut back our sessions a few years ago, and since Ricky's been around, well, let's just say Rusty doesn't have the speed to get to the ball before Ricky does so he hasn't played for quite some time.

The other week when I was cleaning out the laundry cupboard I found a Chuck-It stick that takes small size tennis balls.  Rox gave it to me when she came over and stayed for the Nationals in 2007.  Figured it was time to drag it out and see what Ricky made of it.  Once again, the boy is an absolute freak.  I had to move it out of the laundry cupboard because he's worked out how to open the door and can get to it.  When I bring it out he goes CRAZY.  He spins, talks and dances on his back legs.

During one of our sessions last week, I had both boys in the front yard with me. Rusty was standing there patiently, and I could see that he was just itching to play. So, after I thought Ricky had had enough (does he ever have enough?) I took him back inside and got Rusty's favourite little ball and had a game with just him.  Ricky was not happy about being left inside and practically screamed the neighbourhood down! Rusty, on the other hand, was oblivious to the noise and had a wonderful time!

I have since come up with a solution that keeps both boys happy and they can play together. I chuck Ricky's ball in one direction, then while he's off scampering I throw Rusty's ball a short distance in another direction.  They both come back at the same time despite Ricky having more than twice as much ground to cover.  That's youth for you.

The games of fetch have also had a flow on effect for Rusty - he's lost a little bit of weight and is able to cover a little more ground on our walks.  I still have to be careful not to overdo things, but the look of joy on his little face now that he's playing fetch again is just priceless.

It's been a while

Thought I'd better post an update, because it's been a while. Back at the beginning of January we had a "photo shoot" to try to get some photos of Ricky to use in the NSW year book.  Ha! That was fun. Rusty came along for the ride, and some snaps were taken of him too.  I now have the most gorgeous professionally taken photo of Rusty. We did eventually get some of Ricky, but it was hard work. I'm sure he is the energiser bunny in disguise.

This particular photo was taken over at Mum & Dad's place a couple of weeks ago.  Rusty is doing what he does best - sleep, and Ricky is actually sitting still for once. Trust me when I say it's a rare occurrence.  I think he was watching a bird.  He just loves little birdies, which may prove a challenge for training, but we'll see.

Ricky is growing and is as crazy as ever.  He's 10 months old at the moment. What can I say? The boy is a freak and loves his greens.  Whenever I open the fridge, he's there, waiting to see what he can get.  The other day I'd cut up some celery and put it in a container, but it didn't all fit, so left one piece sitting on top of the container on the bottom shelf of the fridge, ready for juicing the next morning.  It didn't make it to the juicer.  Ricky decided it was his for the taking. And he's so damn quick, he had his head in there and it was gone before you could say liver treats.

Celery isn't his only penchant.  He likes beans (green and broad), asparagus, cucumber, peas and even zuchini. Doesn't like fruit though.  Amber used to love fruit and spit out any vegetables I tried to feed her.  Ricky likes the vegetables.  Rusty isn't a big fan of either, although of late he has decided he likes cooked green beans too.  I've really can't belive how much Ricky likes vegetables though.

We've had a very hot summer, and it's not over yet. Unfortunately, the hot weather and Rusty's arthritis don't get along. He wasn't too good this week, so I popped him back on the Previcox again for a bit of relief. Rusty chooses not to jump on the sofa these days, although I know he can still do it when he wants to or feels like he can do it.

This morning I was sitting outside eating my breakfast and reading a magazine. The boys had already eaten the crusts from my toast (as they normally do).  Anyway, I'm sitting there reading the magazine and I look up to have a drink of my coffee and there's Rusty on the table in front of me, helping himself to the crumbs I'd left on my plate!  Here's me, worrying about him not being able to jump, and he's managed to get himself on the table.  Admittedly it was cooler today, so he was probably feeling better than he's felt all week.

I've got an old sofa outside under the veranda and he'd jumped on there, climbed over the arm and onto the small table next to the sofa, which is right next to the table of the outdoor setting. OK, so they're in a row, but the small table is a bit wobbly.  Ricky is generally Rusty's shadow and follows him everywhere, so I was expecting him to join him on the table. Thankfully, Ricky didn't see Rusty get up, so didn't think to follow.  I am really glad for small mercies :-) The last thing I need is for Ricky to realise he can get on the table when I'm not there.

The pair of them keep me on my toes, that's for sure.

Christmas doggies

Here are a couple of photos of my boys, taken on Christmas morning 2009.  This was Ricky's first Christmas, and even though he may be sitting still in this picture with the hat on, let me assure you that the hat did not last very long, and he hardly sat still all day.
Rusty has been through quite a few Christmases to date, and he was quite happy to sit atop my new show trolley and pose for a photo.  Unlike Ricky, Rusty's hat stayed on until I took it off.

Trip to the beach

I took the boys to the beach last weekend.  It was the second time I've been since I lost Amber, and it was also Ricky's second visit.  I was a bit hesitant, as he doesn't have a proper recall yet, but as there wasn't anyone else on the beach at the time I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and let go of his lead.  There was no way I was taking that lead off because the little bugger is so fast, it's the only way I can catch him if he doesn't want to be caught.

Ricky had a great time. Geez that boy loves to run.  He went off exploring, and once he got to the end of his comfort zone (which was a fair distance), he turned around and came back to me.  Was pretty happy with that.  Rusty just trots along at his own pace, sniffing and peeing on whatever he deems appropriate at the time.  He's never far behind me.

Funniest thing for the trip was Ricky chasing seagulls (just like Amber used to).  Seagull took off over water ... Ricky followed in hot pursuit.  Oh dear ... what the?  What do I do now?  True to his "big dog" persona, he worked out that to get out of the water he needed to jump over the waves.  He then promptly shook himself off and rolled in the sand!

Home improvements?

I don't think so ... but Ricky does.  Little bugger has ripped a great big chunk out of my lino.  Not happy!  This is the second spot that he's decided to "improve".  The other spot is much, much smaller than this and is easily hidden with the toy box.
I did have plans to replace the lino, but it seems that he wants me to do it sooner than I had planned.

Heart clear at 10 and a bit

I'm a very happy mother today. I took Rusty to the SA Cavalier Club Heart Clinic, and Rusty has been pronounced heart clear again, at the age of 10 years and 2 and a half months.
At the age of 6 months, the Rickster didn't need to go, but when we were at the vet a couple of weeks ago, he said that Ricky's heart sounded good.
The picture of Rusty was taken this afternoon after we got home from the heart clinic.

The places you need to go to escape

Now, this is a sight I thought I'd never see - Rusty in a crate of his own voilition.
Rusty has never been comfortable in a crate. He hated being in them at agility trials with Amber, but was a lot happier once I got the puppy pen. He didn't feel as constricted I suppose.
Imagine my surprise when I found him asleep in the crate! I suppose you have to resort to these things when you need some time out and just want to escape from the puppy.

Let me out!

Aw, come on ... let me out ... I'll be a good boy, I promise (snicker).

Because of the Ricky factor and Rusty's arthritis, I've had to resort to canine massage for Rusty. He was getting acupuncture for the arthritis, but because Ricky keeps jumping on his neck, the acupuncture wasn't effective any more because the location of his pain didn't have a corresponding acupuncture point. Anyway, to keep the ratbag out of the way to allow the therapist to do her stuff, Ricky has to go in the puppy pen. Ricky's not a fan of the puppy pen, especially when there's fun and interesting stuff happening on the other side of it. Rusty says "deal with it little dude".

It's cold and I just want to keep warm

I don't like this cold weather. It's no good for my arthritis. That, combined with having to put up with a puppy jumping over me, well, it's just no good for this old boy's bones. But I'm very toasty and warm here at the moment. Mum's got the electric blanket on, and she's covered me with the blankets and doona. Ahhh, beautiful! Don't know about the pink though - it isn't very manly.

Blue dog

Ricky really does love this little blue dog. He takes him everywhere. Quite frequently he can be seen (and heard) running up and down the hallway, Ringo (that's the blue dog's name) in his mouth, shaking the crap out of it and having a lovely time. Out of all the toys he has ... and trust me when I say that's quite a few ... Ringo is the one he plays with the most.