HeartlandCavaliers.com
Title
Heartland Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
Description
This site is intended to give those interested in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel a balanced view regarding the health issues in the breed, both genetic and otherwise. Among other things, one of the purposes is to explain the various issues involved in breeding healthy, typey Cavaliers from a breeder's point of view. The breeders being discussed on this site are show/hobby breeders and not commercial or for profit breeders, though occasionally the lines may cross where a for profit breeder may show and a show/hobby breeder makes a profit.
There is occasionally the perception that breeders are uninterested in health issues. This is usually far from the truth. Most show/hobby breeders are involved in the sport because they love dogs and live closely with the dogs they produce. They no more want to see their beloved pets suffer from horrible diseases than you might. So breeding healthy long lived dogs are always a goal. But as we are also trying to breed dogs which have a certain look (breed type) and purpose, in other words the Cavalier, we have more than just health to consider. Another breeder uses the analogy of a 3 legged stool when we are breeding Cavaliers, without all three legs (type, temperament and health) we have a stool that falls over.
Hopefully this website will explain that when it comes to dog breeding not everything is cut and dry and though most breeders do the best they can with the resources available, often because we are dealing with living creatures and many unknowns, our individual approaches may differ to get our best end result, which is as healthy and long lived dog as possible which looks and acts like the breed known as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
