While my friend Eric and I were in North Carolina “enjoying” the cold, windy, and rainy shows at which Cyber Dawn gave a great accounting of himself, a different dynamic was taking place in Michigan with another Rattlebridge dog. I had asked Eric to join me and help me drive to North Carolina with Cyber; I could not have gotten organized, remained organized, and kept all in good order without him.  I am a bit of a mess when it comes to organizing anything anymore!  Cyber was entered in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club of Central Carolina specialty show followed by the two Moore County all breed shows; I had judged the shows last year in beastly heat; this year the weather was just the opposite.  This was Ch. Cyber’s first time in the best of breed ring as a champion and my first time showing a dog in the champion ring unless I had gone winner’s with the dog or bitch.  Cyber was co bred and co owned with my friend Sherri Myers who is showing his brother Am. and Can. Ch. Rattlebridge The Dawnald. I am not a talented handler; what I lack in technique I have always made up in panache finishing my share of champions in the ring.  My Cyber loves me and responded well to my less than amazing handling ability winning breed at the specialty with UK judge Rhonda Banks, and taking the breed the next day and a select the day after.  Well, lots of celebrating!  A few photos to capture the flavor of the show:

Packing the car--a real chore. Thank you, Eric !

Cyber on the bed!

My friend Ginger.

Cyber and me In the ring.

My Cyber and me.

However, I got an email on Sunday from Jan who is associated with Cavalier Rescue USA in Michigan.  It seems that one of my old Cavaliers sold thirteen years earlier to a woman I will only identify as Wendy from Farmington Hills had been turned over to rescue.  “Twinkie” was sold to this woman to be a beloved pet with the stipulation that I be notified if ever the new owner could not keep the dog.  I also wanted to be notified if the dog developed problems or if the new owner needed advice.  I had never been notified that the Twinkie had developed age related issues or that the Wendy was not treating them.  Jan found my original bill of sale in all the paperwork submitted with Twinkie and was able to contact me after all these years. It seems that a divorce figured in the mix somewhere, but this woman first tried to turn poor Twinkie in to a local shelter without ever notifying me that she could no longer keep him.  Can  you imagine what would go through my poor Wendy’s mind or the minds of all the old Rattlebridge dogs before her if I would just give them to shelters when they became a problem.  Thank God the shelter was full and would not take Twinkie who then wound up in the right rescue.  I was contacted and my friend Eric met Jan half way to pick up Twinkie Monday just after arriving home as I had already come down with usual bronchitis.  At my request Jan had taken Twinkie to the vet for a check up for his various untreated ailments including infected eyes from dry eye.  Eric brought him home, but would not let me see Twinkie until he could prepare me.  I brushed his kindness aside because I have seen the evidence of abuse and neglect and neglect Twinkie had suffered.  Emaciated with teeth so bad he could not eat, matted coat which Jan had kindly worked on, infected eyes,  untreated heart murmur, and no light in his eyes as he had been abandoned by the one he had loved for thirteen years. AND SHE WOULD HAVE JUST GIVEN HIM UP TO AN ORDINARY SHELTER DESPITE THE CONTRACT THAT HE BE RETURNED TO ME!!! Thank God he came back to me and thank God for Jan of Cavalier Rescue USA.  He was so sweet and still wagged although we could tell his sad old heart was not in it.  We spent yesterday morning at my vet’s trying to come up with a plan to save him but could not figure out a way to really do so as the dental surgery would have been major and his poor old heart might not have made it through. So with both of us crying, my vet and I put Twinkie to sleep.  I kissed his head as I held him, whispering to him that he was a good boy and that he was loved.  He died in the same arms that brought him into the world.  I would have taken him back at anytime and taken care of him, but was denied the chance.  I did get the chance to love him at the end as I had loved him in the beginning.

Twinkie, home to a different home but to the same arms.  He had given up. How can people discard their pets so callously.

I know lives change, mine certainly has in the past year, but responsibility is responsibility. When one takes on the responsibility of a pet, one must do everything to ensure that the pet has quality of life until the very end.  I am afraid there are too many poor “Twinkies” out there that should have wound up in their breeder’s arms who bears the responsibility from “birth to death” of every puppy, no matter what the breed, pure or mixed, brought into the world.  So now when I look at the trophies Cyber won this past weekend, I will always consider them a memorial to my Twinkie who came home to die.