While we routinely have dogs live into their teens, mitral valve disease still wreaks its havoc on our breed as well as other breeds.  Sometimes genetics plays cruel tricks with the parents of the dogs having really good hearts and then one of the progeny getting an early heart murmur which just moves too fast into congestive heart failure.  No breeder can predict and no breeder wants to put a Cavalier, or any other breed for that matter, into a home to break hearts by developing health problems. 

My advice to those who are afraid to love a dog because a dog’s life is too short:  If you can’t face the agony of losing them, you will never experience the joy of having them.

Reported by my dear friend, Marilee Snyder, a week or so ago:

Our beloved Brandi went peacefully into her final sleep last night, in
Rick’s arms.She has been battling heart disease for awhile and a few
days ago went into congestive heart failure. Brandi was rushed to MedVet in
Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday night, and cared for by a wonderful group of
cardiologists and staff, but her little heart just couldn’t take anymore.
Rick and I are devastated, and heart broken, but our lovely, little smiling
dog will always be a part of us. Her spirit is on the other side of the
RainbowBridge, alive, well…and waiting.

Brandi
7/2000-4/2009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As some of you may know, I have been involved a bit in horse rescue. Horses were my first love and although I have not ridden recently, horses remain an important part of my life.  When we left our farm, we began boarding our Buttercup who will soon move back to our farm as my nephew has volunteered to take care of her. Hopefully, I will start riding once more.

I spoke with Victoria, the founder of Last Chance Corral in Athens, Ohio today.  Last Chance Corral is a horse rescue; every spring, Victoria and her volunteers, make many trips to save unwanted foals because their dams are used as nurse mares to foals born of usually Thoroughbred horses who are taken immediately to be bred back without the bother of their new babies.   Last Chance Corral also rescues horses who are horrible examples of neglect, abuse, starvation.  The Website:   www.lastchancecorral.org

Once a horse is rehabilitated by Last Chance Corral, that horse is usually adopted with the stipulation that it cannot be sold on. If you will look at the Last Chance Corral website, you will see many success stories of horses who have been rehabilitated to go to loving owners.  Right now Victoria is trying to get enough money donated to rescue horses being auctioned this Friday for slaughter in Sugar Creek, Ohio. These horses are not all old and debilitated, but sometimes young and in their prime–just having the misfortune of winding up in the wrong hands. The horses that the slaughter house, located in Mexico I believe, buys and then transports to Mexico endure the horrible trip and then a more horrible death as their spinal cords are severed before the horses are killed while fully awake and unable to move.   I may not have all the details just right as I was so sick to my stomach and my heart, that I may not have caught everything that Victoria was telling me.  I caught enough though that I wanted to help save as many horses as can be saved.  Victoria needs donations by this Thursday in order to get her ducks in a row and decide which horses have the best chance of making it if Last Chance can buy them.  My check will be in the mail tomorrow.  Any amount will help but please make a donation of as much money as you are able with all your other financial obligations.  I will never sell a horse on as the thought of our poor Buttercup whom we raised from a baby being bought by someone and eventually winding up in a slaughter auction is just too much to bear.  We feel about our horses as we do about our dogs; we are responsible from birth to death.  If you can help out Victoria and the Last Chance Corral save a horse from slaughter, please do. Please let Victoria know that you read of the need on this blog.  Thank you for reading this and THANK YOU if you can help!!!!!

Send checks made out to:  LAST CHANCE CORRAL, 5350 US 33 South, Athens, Ohio 45701