...The Life of a Princess and Prince...

Aidan is One

2008-01-01T11:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my New Year's Day baby!!!! May you have many more to come!

Crafty Holidays

2007-11-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

I saw this today while I was out at Barnes and Noble. It is from the well known doggy store Trixie and Peanut. Now I have tried my hand at knitting with no success but this kit is just so darn cute and my two certainly are pampered if not completely spoiled rotten ;) so I might just have to pick it up and give it another whirl. After all my babies are worth it heehee!!!

If you're interested for your pampered babies its $12 something in the stores but $9 something online though I guess with shipping it could end up being about the same!

If I do get this kit Ill post my progress on the site!

Natural Shots

2007-11-23T09:58:00.000-05:00

I will end my posting blitz with a few nice shots of the pups I took this morning. Enjoy!

Lounging

2007-11-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

Almost every morning I try to sleep in I find myself having to share my pillow with 2 furry companions

You would think they would share and leave me some room but as you can see once they get comfy thats it.

Playing

2007-11-23T09:34:00.000-05:00

While we were at York Cavalier Rescue was holding an auction of items. We had to leave before the auction was over but Alfie's mommy was kind enough to pick up any of our winning items. Well we won a new fleece coat, some PJs, and some booties. They all arrived yesterday courtesy of Alfie's mommy and she included a toy for the pups courtesy of her own winnings. The pup pups loved the toy and destroyed it in record time (less then 12 hours) but before they did I got a few shots of them playing with it.

They both had to play with the new toy immediately so of course this is what end up happening

First they were sharing

Then Ellie decided she had enough of the sharing and pawed Aidan in the face

And yet more pawing

And finally Aidan got tired of it and got the upper hand

And it was back to sharing

This morning I found pieces of the toy everywhere and I mean everywhere. There was some in their kennels some in the living room some in the kitchen some in the bathroom. What a mess but at least they had fun right.

And the Pjs and the booties we won were way too small for the pups so they found a new owner instead

Still have no idea what to do with the booties.

York

2007-11-23T09:24:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago the family (minus the cats) went on a trip together to York PA for the annual CKCSC show. It was Ellie and Aidan's first time in the hotel and they were surprisingly good. No accidents, no barking, and they slept soundly through the night. They were pretty well behaved at the show where they even got to meet up with some Cavalier Connection friends!

Ellie on the hotel bed

Aidan playing on the floor

Aidan on the bed

And the two glowing eyed monsters on the bed

This is at the show with Alfie and Luke

Another adorable shot of Alfie

Spencer showed up later

And Luke and Laura

The pups had a great time seeing all those Cavaliers. Aidan got so excited he got away from me twice and ended up in the ring!! Friday he went into conformation and Saturday he wound up in obedience!!! Overall though a fun time was had by all!

Aidan

2007-11-23T09:15:00.000-05:00

My little boy has been growing so much I just thought Id share some new pictures of him.

Soon he will be a year old!

Next Years Halloween Costumes

2007-11-23T09:12:00.003-05:00

Mommy has a ton of post and pics to catch up on so here we go.

Look what Aidan and Ellie will be for next Halloween! Hooray for after Halloween sales ; )

Aren't they cute???

Better pics next year!

Christmas Wish List

2007-11-16T09:51:00.001-05:00

Ellie and Aidan say only a month or so till Christmas!! We want these please!!!!

Ella Berella Midtown Purple Dog Collar and Leash Set

Ella Berella Midtown Olive Collar and Leash Set

Douglas Paquette Collar and Leash Set "Butterflies"

Douglas Paquette Collar and Leash Set "Aloha"

Matching Puppias and leads in Lattice Print

And Aidan reminds everyone that his birthday is New Years Day so he deserves something just for him and he choose

Camo Puppia and Lead

The pups say time to shop!!!

Where are you going...without us????

2007-10-24T11:41:00.001-05:00

Halloween Party

2007-10-21T19:10:00.001-05:00

Aidan and Ellie went to a Halloween party today.

Can you tell they had a ton of fun?

The weather was perfect, there were so many great people, and of course more beautiful dogs then you could count. It certainly was a wonderful day for all.

Aidan's jacket trying to eat him

Hey how come your jacket fits you??

Ellie and mommy

Aidan and mommy

And some other shots of all the beautiful dogs that were there

Marley and Me

2007-10-21T10:15:00.000-05:00

Mommy just finished this book last night. I won't lie and say that tears weren't coming at the end as Marley began his sad decline as all animals do at the end. As a whole the book was touching and personal but really the story was a memoir about the Grogan family as well as Marley. It was watching the journey of 2 newlyweds as they changed from young adults into parenthood with Marley along for the ride. In many ways this book reminded me of my husband and I and I think that was part of the appeal of the book. When Jenny suffered her miscarriage and Marley was there it made me think of Ellie. Ellie and Aidan must of thought something was wrong with Mommy as she was hugging them almost through the end of the book. I also did see at the end where John writes his thanks that he mentioned Jon Katz as one of his inspirations for this book. Jon Katz is also one of my favorite animal writers and I read his column in the Slate about life on his farm as well as a few of his books including, A Dog Year 12 Months, 4 Dogs, and Me, A Good Dog, and The Dogs of Beldam Farm. Jon's books focus mostly on his border collies and his one book A Good Dog focuses on his border collie version of Marley named Orson. Having enjoyed Jon Katz's stories I can see the similarities of John Grogan's as well.

In the end the book tells us a few things one I feel is that unconditional love is given to us by animals in a way that's unlike humans. Their unconditional love is simply that unconditional. No matter what we do to them and how bad we can treat them at the end of they day they are right there by your side with sloppy kisses and a shoulder to lean on. The other thing I thought was how sad that the lifetime of these animals are never long enough for the hearts they find their way into. The tragedy of having a pet is knowing that in time their age will outstrip yours and slowly you have to watch your best friend slip into the darkness. Though Aidan and Ellie are still quite young I know in time that will happen to them as well as their cat brothers and I am sure part of my heart will go with them when that happens. You can't beleive sometime I guess how much you have grown to love them, like they were your children your family.

Fall Day

2007-10-21T09:55:00.000-05:00

Since it was a lovely fall day yesterday Mommy took the pups out for a little fall photoshoot. Here are her best shots of the pups

Aidan experiencing his first fall

Enjoying the breeze

You've come a long way baby

Ellie's turn outside

These tree shots were so hard to get as she kept running towards me every time I bent down to take them

My little girl enjoying the leaves

And the wind

And my favorite of the series of them

Hope you're having a wonderful fall as well!

Jackets Are In

2007-10-20T21:58:00.000-05:00

And look how happy the pups are!!

Its funny to say this as they are dogs and all but they truly seemed so excited when I pulled out their jackets and when I put them on they just seemed so happy. I mean look at those smiles right ;)

After they got over trying to bite each other's hoods off I did get a few good pictures of them in their new coats

And this last one was just cute I thought. My persnickety little boy heehee

Update on Coat Nightmares

2007-10-12T12:39:00.000-05:00

OK so these jackets have become kind of an obsession for Mommy now I called a million stores and NONE of them had the pink in small and they said the closest one to me is possibly in Brooklyn!!! Well that wouldn't do so I drove up to my local mall and found a pink XS and a red S. I bought them both and decided to try them on the pups so I knew what sizes they were so if it ended up I had to order them I would know for sure. The comparison between the XS and S is vastly different and it was hard to visualize in the stores how they would look on the pups. Here are the results

Ellie it seems is clearly too large for an XS as illustrated nicely in these pictures

But the small fits her perfectly!

Aidan however is a different story.

While the XS fits him wonderfully

He is just about as long as his sister thus making the XS just a wee bit short on him.

It make Mommy think of a kid whose pants are just a little too short for him.

Now the Small length wise is perfect for Aidan as well.

And buttons up nicely

However Aidan is not as filled in as his big sister and thus gives the appearance at times that the coat is wearing him more then he is wearing the coat

I am not sure if you can tell by this picture but the coats is clearly swimming a bit on his tiny body

Also I let the pups walk around a little and after a while Aidan's arm would slip right out of the arm hole and he would end up dragging part of it while he walked.

So Mommy is having a slight dilemma now in deciding which coat size to get for Aidan. The XS fits better and doesn't swim on him but is a bit too short as well. Length wise the S is better but it clearly is too large for him too. Mommy is thinking of getting the small still as Aidan might still fill out but hasn't 100% decided yet either. What she does know is that she wants these coats badly now after all the work she has put in trying to get them!! Any ideas whats the best for my little boy?

And lastly I leave you with some pictures of the two of them. Both of them were wiggle butts today so none of these are great so when their real coats come in Mommy will have a go at it again. In the meantime this is the best we got.

And two of my little boy in pink

The first one he looks mad at me for making him wear pink

And the second one he looks like his cute little self!

After all this trouble these are going to be their costumes Mommy decided. The red coat especially makes Mommy think of the rescue St Bernards who save people from snow drifts so thats what Aidan and Ellie are going to be. Maybe Mommy can find tiny barrels and attach them to them. If she filled them with Brandy like the real rescue dogs have then Mommy's sure Daddy will pretend he needs rescuing!

Coat Nightmares

2007-10-12T10:02:00.000-05:00

Mommy saw these adorable coats yesterday at Old Navy and decided that they would be cute for Aidan and Ellie especially since both of them hate the wind and rain and snow. Granted it won't protect their dainty little feet from getting wet as they detest but its got to be better then nothing right? Mommy took Aidan out this morning for his potty walk and it was freezing. There Mommy was in a fleece and PJ pants and Uggs in the pitch black darkness as the wind and rain from the trees came all around. Mommy was freezing but little Aidan was miserable. I think he was cold as he was crying the whole time they were outside and did his business lickity split quick! Mommy felt so bad for him and then she remembered the coats from yesterday and thought how perfect they would be to keep the little guy warm at least when he was outside. Little did Mommy know of the nightmare she was going to meet in getting these babies. Mommy woke up today and called 7 stores in her area trying to find a pink and red one in small for the babies and NO ONE had the pink in small!!! Now according to Old Navy measurements a Small is for dogs 14-16" long and 10-25 lbs which is perfect for my 2. I don't think Ellie would fit a medium well as thats 17-19" long which isn't a big deal as she is closer to 17" anyway but its for dogs 25-50lbs and Ellie at 18lbs will probably be swimming in that. Mommy thinks she might have to order these online since thats the only place it seems who has all the sizes still in all the colors but tax and shipping make them quite a bit more which won't please Daddy in the least.

Aren't they adorable!!

Still Mommy thinks they are great and might just use these as the pups Halloween costumes since they are proving to be so difficult to get. All the costume prices are so high right now so Mommy is going to go right after Halloween and buy a few when they are cheap for next year but it still leads the problem for this year and the pups Halloween party so maybe these jackets will have to do double duty until next year. Mommy is going to try a few more stores now....

More Halloween Ideas

2007-10-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

How cute would that be?!?!?!

Photoshoot

2007-10-06T13:52:00.000-05:00

Aidan and Ellie took these pics in August. Mommy found a photographer wanting to expand her pet portfolio and she graciously came to NJ from NY to take pics of the pups. We took the pups to a park where they could be themselves and she could shoot them. Mommy finally got the final proofs and wow some of them are amazing!!! Here are Mommy's favorites!!!

Who is that person sitting in the back seat?

YAY PARK!!!

We got some family pics in

And some gorgeous black and white ones too

Kiss!

My favorite one of them all

This was the puppies all tuckered out when we left

Dogo

2007-09-29T19:41:00.001-05:00

How cute are these?!?!?!?

Mommy thinks they would be the perfect Halloween costumes for the pups since they could re wear them as sweaters too! Soo cute! Sadly at $26 each Daddy vetoed them =P

Ellie's Siblings!

2007-09-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

Ellie's breeder finally updated her webpage with pictures of Ellie and her siblings! She has a page devoted to her past litters and pictures of them as babies and as adults. Ellie's litter was 5 tri puppies. Ellie was the first born and then came her 3 brothers and lastly her little sister. Her breeder kept the 2nd born boy Auggie and her sister in law took Molly the other female. I don't know much about her other 2 brothers.

So here they are Ellie and her siblings!

Charlie

Auggie

Molly

And Ellie

Brother Cody does not have a picture up on the site yet. I think Ellie and her sister Molly look a lot alike!

And here are some baby pictures of them

One year later they are a beautiful bunch of Cavaliers!

Fun Match

2007-09-22T17:42:00.001-05:00

Today was the Cavaliers of the Northeast Fun Match. Mommy was so so nervous because she didn't do any handling training with Ellie but in the end she did wonderfully. The weather was awful and it rained for the first half of the morning. Once it stopped the show started immediately and towards the end the sun came out and it became quite warm. Because of the rain poor Ellie's coat wasn't at its best and of course she and Aidan came home muddy and dirty all over but all in all we had a wonderful time. Ellie competed in 2 classes, Novice and Tri Color Girl Dog. She won first place in Novice due to her being the only dog in the class (nevertheless we are still so proud of her) and second in tri color losing to a wonderful breeder who Mommy hopes to work with one day in the future. She got 2 ribbons, some toys, and a trip to the best girl dog ring where she didn't place. Still Mommy is amazed that she picked up very quickly on what she was suppose to do though she didn't like standing in the table very much. Mommy just asked that she do two things for her before they arrived at the show and they were to stand in the ring as she sits almost naturally and not to go to the bathroom in the ring. She did both things and Mommy couldn't be more happier! Congrats Ellie on your first fun match and your 2 pretty ribbons that sadly got warped due to the rain but Mommy will find a frame for anyway to commemorate your big day!

Mommy didn't take any pictures due to the craziness of the weather and trying to handle both Aidan and Ellie but a friend from Cavalier Connection did snap this one after Ellie's big win! Don't mind Mommy's dumb expression she wasn't sure when the picture was being taken clearly =P

Oh and the wonderful friend who snapped that photo also took a video of Ellie's big win as well as another Cavalier Connection friend with her pup. Mommy doesn't know how to link videos here so here is the actual link to the video!

And she took this lovely shot of Miss Ellie as well

This is a picture of Ellie's prizes!

She has her 2 ribbons, 2 toys as well as doggie bag holder, and Mommy won the raffle so she got that etched treat jar which she filled with yummy liver treats that Aidan and Ellie love. Mommy was number 247 in the ring and just thought she'd throw that in there to complete the picture.

And just because its cute this was Aidan and Ellie in the car on the way to the show. They looked so unhappy but they had a blast (they got filthy so thats always a good day for them) in the end.

All in all we had a fabulous day and Mommy learned a lot!

Perfection

2007-09-21T07:40:00.000-05:00

This one is getting framed!

The Kids

2007-09-20T11:11:00.000-05:00

I know I am biased being their mom but how beautiful are they! Mommy just wishes she didn't cut Ellie's head off at the top =P *sigh*

Just the Two of Us

2007-09-20T10:58:00.001-05:00

Aidan and Ellie are definitely the best of friends but for some reason its been so hard to snap pictures of the two of them together. One is always moving or looking away from the camera. Mommy bought this adorable little frame the other day in the shape of a doggie and wanted to frame a picture of Aidan and Ellie together in it. But getting pictures of them together hasn't been easy but here are some I have managed to get over the past few days.

Then this morning I got these few which I think are gorgeous thanks to the sunlight streaming through the window

I think this may the one for the frame

Lastly this picture actually came off my cell phone (I am shocked its as clear as it is). I have a million out takes but this one picture was worth it all. Its my cell phone wallpaper.

Prince Aidan Henry

2007-09-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of nice shots of Aidan that I have collected in his time here and I thought it would be nice to share some of them as he is becoming such a handsome little guy.

Princess Ellie Rebecca

2007-09-20T10:45:00.000-05:00

I shot these this morning in our bedroom. I know I am biased but she is so pretty when she isn't rolling in mud, being naughty with her brother, destroying her toys, etc.

My princess

The Final Choice

2007-09-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

Aidan 3

Ellie 2

They have arrived and we love them. Now off to find frames for them!

Mommy's Day Off

2007-09-07T21:55:00.000-05:00

Mommy changed jobs so this was her first Friday off!! Best of all starting next week Mommy has Thursday and Friday OFF!! Yippee now she can spend more time with Aidan and Ellie!!! To celebrate the wonderful day we took another trip to the park where we played in the sunshine and got filthy once again *sigh*

YAY we are at the park!!!

What to do what to do?

Run amok? I love the motion in this picture

Tumble in the grass?

Scoop out the area?
See what the big doggies are doing?

Hi Mommy!!!

Time to play ball!!

Whew time for a rest.

If you want us to play more you have to get the ball away from us!!

Close ups of how filthy the pups got!

I think these next 2 are like diva shots.

Thanks Mom we had a lot of fun!!!

Park Adventure

2007-08-28T18:38:00.000-05:00

Mommy decided to take the kids to the park today. We went to a new park and this was Aidan's first time at a park with Ellie. When we first got there we got rushed by a HUGE black Great Dane with Red eyes Mommy was so scared by the red eyes but he ran by sniffed Aidan and Ellie and kept running. I saw his owner calling him later so it was fine. As soon as we got to the fence all these Schnauzers came by and one Shiba Inu. The Shiba growled and snapped a little and Mommy got worried. We walked on the outside while the Shiba owner came and collected her girl (Tia). As soon as Mommy opened the gate Ellie started to get scared and clingy. I gently pushed her off and walked in with her. I waded among the dogs allowing Ellie to stay by me. Aidan wandered off immediately as I knew he would, dogs don't phase him. Ellie soon started to wander off. I found a bench and sat down and chatted away with an elderly couple who brought their terrier mix. They just moved in the area. Aidan found a little red ball and started to carry it as he ran around. I wish I had my camera when he turned around running toward me ball in his mouth. It was too precious. He then later jumped on the bench with me and sat with us which I thought was unusual since its Ellie who is normally my clinger but I was happy by it. Ellie meanwhile settled in the dirt behind us. We stayed for about 45 minutes in that time Ellie managed to get herself filthy and Aidan was decently dirty. We walked back to the car and I started to snap these pics.

Aidan Ellie look over here!

Yoohoo! Well at least I got Ellie's attention

The best shot of the entire day and so worth it if you ask Mommy!

The second best

Mommy thinks this one is cute even with Aidan looking away

Mommy thinks Aidan is laughing at here in the next few

Aidan is doing the model pose and looking off into the sunset in these two.

But he is back to his goofy self in seconds. Look at that head tilt!

I love this little boy. He has changed so much in the short time we have been blessed with him.

Then the funniest thing happened. After we got home I looked at them said "You both need a bath terribly" Their entire demeanors changed LOL

This was Aidan's first bath since coming home with us (I know long overdue) and it was a bit traumatic for him. He tried to climb out of the sink twice and knocked over the dish rack once in his escape. Mommy thought it best to capture the special moment.

And lastly two wet but clean puppies!

Teddy and Katydid's House

2007-08-23T21:22:00.000-05:00

Aidan and Ellie went on a trip today to visit Teddy and Katydid. Their mom, Nancy, is a friend from Cavalier Connection and she very graciously offered to let me borrow her carrier for when Aidan and Ellie go to the city for their photoshoot. Originally the photoshoot was scheduled for this weekend which is why I needed the carrier asap but it was actually moved to Labor Day weekend so there ended up being no rush but it was nice to visit Nancy and her pups anyway. Nancy's house is gorgeous and enormous!! As soon as we arrived Aidan and Ellie made themselves right at home! They immediately raided Teddy and Katydid's toy box, slept in their bed, and of course had an accident on Nancy's rug. All of this in 2 hours time. I can easily say they are probably the worst 2 house guests ever! Nancy was so kind and had dinner waiting for me and we chatted while the dogs played. Teddy is 4 years old and an the old soul of the house. He stayed away from the fray that was Aidan and Ellie for the most part. He sat in the corner almost in quiet defiance of the two whirling dervishes that had invaded his home. Katydid who Nancy said was normally a hellion also seemed to be unnerved by my 2 and watched them from a distance for the most part. Toward the end she tried to join in the fun which was great to see. Nancy's floors were hardwood so it was funny to see the 2 pups slide all over the place. Though they weren't pleased with the long ride in the kennel as soon as we headed off they dropped off to sleep. Mommy even made an emergency stop to Petsmart to buy some new toys since they had loved Teddy and Katydid's so much but sadly Mommy got the wrong kind =P Oh well the store was closing so she had to rush so tomorrow she will try again.

Here are some pics from the evening

Regal Teddy

And his spunky sister Katydid

Notice they both have the peach kiss on opposite sides of their faces making them the perfect book ends!!!

Aidan and Ellie making themselves at home

Katy and Teddy trying to wait them out

Aidan was having a love affair with this bed

But I want to stay Mom!

Finally Katy braves an investigation

And ice cubes all around!!

Ellie getting some last minute pets

And one last shot of the 2 beleaguered hosts

Thanks so much Nancy, Teddy, adn Katydid!!! Hope to do it again soon!!

When Nancy sends her pics Ill post them too. She has a much better camera then Mommy's little point and shoot!

Blame it on the rain

2007-08-21T12:03:00.000-05:00

Ellie and Aidan HATE the rain. Its been raining off and on since Friday and they have been 2 very unhappy campers. When we first go outside they are reluctant to walk on the grass because its wet and they dont like to get their paws wet it seems. When its raining outside they take one look and try to high tail it back inside. The other day I managed to get Aidan out onto the wet grass (the horrors!) to do his business. He proceeds to squat and then looks up at her and starts to cry, literally cry, as he does his business in the rain. My neighbor was outside smoking and saw the whole thing and started to laugh as he watches me trying to coax Aidan to finish up so we can go inside while he is crying at the top of his lungs because raindrops are hitting him. I didn't know whether to be embarassed or to laugh at the scene. Ellie is even more reluctant and will hold her poop for hours waiting for the rain to stop as she won't go when its raining. Needless to say we have had 2 accidents because she couldn't out hold past the rain. This morning was the last straw I think for them. I took Aidan out and he stuck his face outside and a rain drop hit him and he promptly turned around and peed right on our porch! I had to get a bukcet of water later to rinse it off. But yeah Mommy has 2 prima donnas it seems when it comes to rain.

I have started to take an umbrella out with us in hopes that I can shield them a bit but its so hard as they walk so far ahead of me searching for a dry spot that I can only cover them when they actually stop to do something and they rarely ever do so I guess I am fighting a losing battle.

Some lovely friends suggested rain coats to help them stay dry and Mommy loves that idea because even if they don't do a thing its a good excuse to buy the pups some more things and who doesn't love cute little slickers?

Off to search Ebay now!!!

Aidan and the pillow

2007-08-15T20:45:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more pics of the pups enjoying their new present. They both seem to love Ellie's more for some reason and I don't know why. The only thing I can think of is that the pillow in Ellie's is Mommy's old pillow while the one in Aidan's is Daddy's old one so maybe the pups just love Mommy more =D Heehee

Excuse the devil eyes on some of these

Raven and Cicero

2007-08-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

Mommy has a lovely friend named Raven who she knows from Cavalier Connection. Raven is mommy to a tri boy named Cicero who is Aidan's long lost twin. The two of them look so alike and here is an example.

Here is a picture of Aidan's legs

Here is a picture of Cicero's

They both share the black leggings look Mommy calls it as the back of their legs are completely black.

Whats funny is Cicero is the reason why Aidan has the blue Spring Puppia. Mommy loved the way it looked on Cicero she had to have one for her little boy too!

Here is Cicero modeling his Puppia

And here is Aidan modeling his

So anyways a few weeks ago Raven posted about this beautiful pillow case she had made for Cicero.

Mommy was so amazed that Raven made that herself and commented to Cicero's Mommy. Well today in the mail Ellie and Aidan both received their very own pillow cases hand made by Raven herself. Mommy promptly stuffed them with a pillow and took these pictures.

Aidan's pillow

Look at the stitch work

Ellie's pillow

Stitch work

And she even personalized them!

I tried to get the pups to take pictures on them but they were too busy playing!

I eventually got Ellie to settle on hers

And Aidan felt left out so he jumped on too

After dinner Ill try to get then on Aidan's.

Look how happy Ellie is with her new pillow!!!!!!

Thank you so much Raven and Cicero! We love them and really think you should go into business or something!!! Can we hire you to make our throw pillows for our new couch?!?!?

Springfield

2007-08-12T20:38:00.001-05:00

Mommy went to the CKCSC show in Springfield these past 3 days. She was in Cavalier Heaven!!! Ellie and Aidan did not attend as they have an upper respiratory cough and are on anti-biotics and cough meds which make them a bit woozy and Mommy thought it was best they stay home. They will go to York in Nov as lots of people Mommy knows were excited to hear about Ellie's new brother and can't wait to meet him.

Mommy met a friend from Cavalier Connection at the show. She brought her adorable 5 month old pup Luke. He was such a hit at the show. Everyone had to come see the puppy!!!

Mommy also got to meet and see some of the rescue people she knows as well as see some of the rescue pups that are featured on the website.

Bonnie and Teddy from Cavalier Rescue USA.

Bonnie and Marty on Cavalier Rescue USA

Whats really neat is on Saturday at the show Mommy met up with a lady she had met at PetSmart months ago when Ellie was going to puppy class. She has a beautiful B/T and lives in the town where Mommy grew up. Best of all she is most likely adopting her second Cavalier from Cavalier Rescue (Boots) Mommy and her hope to set up a play date really soon!

And most exciting of all is that Ellie's Daddy was at the show! Ellie's Daddy is from Georgia so Mommy was so excited to finally see him in person. On Saturday he did very well at the show winning Best Blenheim and Reserve Best Winner if Mommy remembers correctly (and marked her program correctly). Mommy does see a little of Ellie in her Daddy but Mommy might be biased too ;)

Ellie's Daddy CKCSC Champion Pascavale Pancho at Brookhaven

Mini Photoshoot

2007-08-09T19:23:00.001-05:00

Mommy took Aidan and Ellie for a photoshoot. We were suppose to go to the beach but the weather wasn't good for it so we went to a small local park. It started to rain almost immediately so we only got to take pictures for like 20 minutes but still got some lovely shots of the babies. We will be going again next week hopefully to the beach but Mommy is quite happy with these as it is.

Tuffies

2007-08-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

Mommy saw someone post today on Cavalier Connection about tough toys. Ellie especially is a monster when it comes to stuffed toys. She singlehandedly destroyed all 17 of her stuffed toys in a matter of months which left her with none as she couldn't be trusted. Tuffies are soft toys but are rated on their tuffness on a numerical scale from 1-10. Apparently the seven layers is part of the tuffies secrets.

Well they were having a blow out sale and were selling 3 toys for $6 which is supposedly a $45 value. Mommy figured that these new tuff toys were worth a shot and wanted to see how they stood up to the Ellie Monster as well so she ordered them. Shipping was more then the toys but $14 for 3 toys wasn't a bad deal either.

So Aidan and Ellie are receiving 1 yellow junior ring with the tuffness rating of 7, 1 junior red log tuffness rating 5, and 1 junior blue fish tuffness rating 6. We shall see how they stand up to the 2 quality control officers and if the ring with the highest rating outlasts the other two. If these toys end up holding up Aidan and Ellie might get more. They are pricey but if they hold up it might be worth it. We shall see.

Happy Happy Birthday!

2007-07-29T14:24:00.000-05:00

Ellie turned 1 on July 28, 2007!!!!

Mommy and Daddy rushed home to be with her from DisneyWorld but alas even with Daddy driving all day we made it home 10 minutes after 12.

It's ok as Ellie got a new Disney toy!!!

Happy happy birthday Princess and many many more!!!!

We love you!!!

Pretty Ellie

2007-07-19T17:27:00.000-05:00

Some cute pics of Ellie since this is her blog. Princess turns one in 2 weeks (July 28th) Can you beleive it?

What a diva she is!

It started off so innocently

2007-07-19T17:24:00.001-05:00

One puppy with her toy...

All done with continuous shot.

Baby Brother

2007-07-19T16:21:00.000-05:00

OK so I am long behind on posts. So much has been going on I really haven't had time. The good news is Ellie went to the vet yesterday and got her stitches out. She was 100 times better with the new stitches and the Dr said she was a wonderful sweet pup which of course she is. Now the even better news is Ellie got a baby brother!!! His name is Aidan and if you ask me he is adorable and the spitting image of Ellie...just smaller. I had been looking for a sibling for Ellie for a few months. We wanted to do rescue this time as we felt so bad for all those beautiful Cavaliers who weren't loved from birth like our princess. For months I scoured Petfinder, Cavalier Rescue USA, Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue, and Craigslist. Ever dog that was out there who was young (my only requirement as Ellie is so young ) I would contact trying to find the one for us. After several false starts we hit the jack pot with Henry (Aidan's original name). I saw him listed on Petfinder. It said 5 month old tri from a puppymill. I contacted his foster mom and lo and behold she remembered me! Well to be technical she remembered Ellie! Heehee. Turns out I had emailed her in the past about another foster pup she had named Tinker. At the time I contacted her Tinker was already on his way to his new home but she said to keep in touch as she fostered often and I sent her some pictures of Ellie. Well we started to chat about little Henry. His foster mom told me that he was bought at a puppy auction in her home state. He was the only Cavalier at the auction but she had to go get him anyway. He was dog number 161 and 5 months old at the time. As soon as she sent me his pics I knew he was the one we had been waiting for.

I love this picture as he looks so cute. Almost like a cartoon doggie instead of a real one!

Well after chatting for about a week and getting our home visit approved we were able to adopt Henry. Now the question was transport as she was in Wisconsin and we were in NJ. Thanks to my wonderful Cavalier boards a member offered to help us with transport since she was a teacher and had the free time. Henry's foster mom drove to Chicago where my friend lived (about 5 hours away) and dropped Henry off and the following day we both drove toward each other. We met on a dusty road in Ohio off the Ohio Turnpike and we got our baby and I got to meet another Cavalier board member. We drove home and Ellie and Aidan clicked just like that and now are best friends.

And now for pictures galore!

Kim has 2 pups of her own so it was a bit of a struggle to get this picture and I of course closed my eyes but whatever

On the drive back Aidan decided he wanted to cruise and climbed into Daddy's lap. They alternated the entire (long) drive back between my lap and Daddy's. Ellie only growled maybe twice the entire trip as she took to him rather quickly.

When we stopped for a fuel break I took a few more shots of the cutie

This is a horrible picture of me and Aidan at home. I look awful but 12 hours in a car will do that to you.

Aidan's first experience with a snood. I don't know why but I think he looks adorable with it on while Ellie looks weird. Maybe its because he has a smaller head?

Since then we have been in love with the little guy and can you blame us.

I had bought new snoods for Aidan and Ellie. Aidan's is more masculine but still cute while Ellie's is all girly. I thought I'd see what they look like in each other's snood. Even though its all girly I think Aidan still looks cuter in snoods then Ellie. Its got to be the head size!

Doesn't matter the pattern Ellie is unhappy with a snood on

Aidan in Ellie's snood
And his own

Ellie is unhappy no matter what the snood looks like
But will perk up for a treat

Dexter was apparently feeling left out of the picture taking and decided to make an appearance.

Some more Aidan adorableness

The prince and princess

Finally Aidan's Puppia arrived so we had to take pictures with him wearing it. The medium is a little too big in the head area right now but I think he will grow into it soon.

Playing with his sister

And then of course we needed some pictures of both of them wearing their Puppias!

Magnus the Puggle next door turned one so we had a little paw-ty on the front porch complete with party hats and Frosty Paw treats. Aidan didn't like it and hardly ate any but Ellie was more then happy to finish his as was Magnus and his sister Tonka the Shepard/husky mix.

There are 4 doggies in this picture. Can you spot them all?

Mommy I don't want this =P

Oooohh Ill take it! Me me me!!!

And to end this super long post my two babies

Post-Surgery

2007-07-15T14:27:00.000-05:00

OK so Ellie had quite an ordeal after her spaying surgery. So Ellie got spayed on Thursday and was pretty out of it. I kinda expected that. On Friday she laid all around the house and didn't do much either. On Saturday she was still pretty lethargic. I had heard that most dogs are bouncing around by day 2 so I was kind of worried. Then I noticed she had pink pus coming out of her wound area. When she laid in one spot it started to gather. All day I watched it and wiped it but it was still light pink and still continued to leak. Finally around 9 Daddy and I got worried and we decided to take her to the emergency hospital. There is a wonderful new facility only 20 minutes away. As soon as we got to the hospital Ellie perked up. She strutted her way into the facility and promptly had diaherea in front of the counter. We waited a long time but Ellie saw the vet and she had an infection that was flushed and got meds and a e-collar.

Sunday night she perked up better but was still leaking a lot. So Monday it was back to the vet. Turns out Ellie was allergic to the dissolving sutures and had to have them removed, everything flushed out, new regular stitches put in, and new meds to take home. Best of all we weren't charged anything for that which was good considering the visit to the ER was pricey.

A few days later Ellie was a new pup. She was bouncing and playing and I could def see the difference. Thanks goodness everything is ok now!

Some pics of Ellie when she was sick

Ellie got spayed

2007-07-05T16:31:00.000-05:00

She is home now. The vet said she was very good after Paul dropped her off. She seems very out of it right now and is curled up on the couch now. I hope she feels better soon.

Mystery

2007-07-03T08:13:00.001-05:00

Ellie is getting another brother but who is he?!?!?!?!

The Good, The Bad, The Bully Stick

2007-07-01T20:08:00.000-05:00

This is only Ellie's second bully stick ever. Daddy bought her to enormously huge ones for some reason so it took several cracks at it with the meat cleaver before we managed to break it in half (it dented the meat cleaver as well mind you) Mommy just discovered continuous shot on my camera so I thought Id give it a whirl.

So here are some pictures. As you will see some are cute, some are bad, and some are just plain hilarious!

Another Park

2007-07-01T14:11:00.001-05:00

Today Ellie, Daddy, and Mommy went to the local park. It didn't have a dog run so Mommy and Daddy just walked with Ellie. There happen to be a rally event going on but we must have missed it. We saw all kinds of dogs big and small as well some vendors. Mommy wants to do rally with Ellie one day so it was neat to see how the even was set up at least.

Mommy and Daddy continued on their way and here are some pictures along the way

Ellie says where are we going?!?!?

Ellie and Daddy walking

We stopped for quite a few photo opportunities

Check out Miss Mud Mouth

We saw these benches and thought we would start our rally training early
But Ellie had her own ideas

She would run to the end hop of the one she was on and hop onto the next one. Oh well

Ellie is ready for her closeup!

She looks like a model looking out into the sunset. I dont know what Daddy's doing

She kept looking back to see if I was coming.

But I'm not ready to go yet!

I had a lot of fun though!

I'm ready for a nap!

Dog Park

2007-06-30T13:38:00.001-05:00

So Ellie and I went to the dog park by our house today. It was met with mixed success.

Here is Ellie testing the waters.

And making new friends

Then trouble began when this guy showed up. His name was Dante if thats a sign

He started to get rough with Ellie and cornered her a few times which I know she didnt like. Ellie came running towards me to started to jump all over me like she wanted me to pick her up. I couldn't because I was holding the camera so I took her outside with me

She seemed happier sitting outside with me

And even happier in the car on the way home

and less active as well

We will be going back again another time I hope as she had fun running around with the other dogs just not that particular dog I guess. Itll be easier when Daddy comes next time too as there will be 2 of us so I can take the pics and Daddy can help Ellie!

Snood Emergency

2007-06-25T19:15:00.000-05:00

So Ellie like many Cavaliers wears a snood when she eats. Ellie hates her snood but if she doesn't wear one her ears are such a mess and its so hard to clean up that she has to wear it. Well Ellie had breakfast this morning with her snood and sometime in between breakfast and dinner her snood went missing. We have several culprits in mind since Ellie hates her snood and does like to chew it up when she can get it and her cat brothers are known to play with things knocking them down under beds, ouches, cabinets, where they are never seen again. Well Daddy and Mommy searched around but couldn't find the snood. Mommy is placing an order tonight from TiaBellas for 2 snoods (extra one for back up) but in the interim what would we do.

Ellie's Daddy decided to sacrifice one of his socks. The result is absolute hilarity.

If Ellie hates her snood she hated the alternative even more. Poor thing. It was so tight around her head it can't have been too comfortable so Mommy eventually let her eat without it. She just looked too pathetic.

Let's hope the new snoods come in quick!

Mistaken Identity

2007-06-24T11:52:00.000-05:00

Taking a page from Loki's Mommy about mistaken breed identity here is a funny story about Ellie.

Ellie's Daddy said one day while he was walking Ellie in the neighborhood someone stopped him and asked if Ellie was a Portuguese Water Dog. Ellie's Daddy said no she was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and continued on his way. When he got home he informed me thats what someone thought Ellie was. I kindly informed him either he heard that person wrong or that person had never laid eyes on a Portuguese Water Dog in their life.

For those of you who are wondering this is what Portuguese Water Dog looks like courtesy of Wikipedia.

Now you tell me if that person truly knew what a Portuguese Water Dog looked like!

Ellie and Mommy

2007-06-24T11:08:00.001-05:00

Ellie's photo shoot in the city was postponed till next Saturday which is good since Mommy needed a day to sleep in badly. To make up for it here are a few pictures of Ellie and Mommy.

And our favorite shot

Ellie might have big news soon but we dont want to get too excited too early so we will wait to share

New Camera New Pictures

2007-06-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

We got a new camera thanks to Loki's Mommy's wonderful recomendation. Its a Canon Powershot S3 IS. In truth Daddy's camera was starting to act up and he wanted a new one and I told him how Loki's Mommy and Daddy just got this one and liked it a lot. Mommy will pretend Daddy got the camera so we could get better shots of our Princess rather the shot drink shots for his bar menu =P

So Daddy woke up bright and early today to get his new toy. Sadly Circuit City was not open till 10 like Mommy told him so he had to wait despite rising at 7. Mommy is slaving away at work so Daddy sent her these through email.

Mommy will be having a field day after she gets home so stayed tuned!

Also Ellie's photoshoot in Central Park is scheduled for this Sunday! Woohoo!!!

Doggy Portriats

2007-06-19T12:32:00.001-05:00

Mommy saw something on Craigslist for free doggy portraits in the city so she immediately emailed and called the lady. We spoke a bit and then since she was out I said she could call me back later. Two days later and nothing. Mommy is sad as she was so excited for Ellie to get her first photo shoot in Central Park. Mommy hopes to hear from the lady soon.

In the meantime Mommy has been scouring Craigslist for other photo opportunities for Mommy and Ellie. She has emailed a few people and am waiting responses.

Mommy wants a new digital SLR so maybe she can take some professional shots of Ellie and other puppies! Maybe Mommy can make some nice side money to buy Ellie some new Puppias! Well Mommy can dream right =P

Princess Ellie

2007-06-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

The wonderful photo work was done by a dear friend who has a lot more skills then Mommy does when it comes to things like this. Thanks a lot Mic! We love it!!!

Life from Ellie's view

2007-06-17T12:27:00.000-05:00

Danbury

2007-06-17T10:34:00.000-05:00

Danbury was fun! Mommy got to say hello to all the people she knew and it was so nice to see them all again as well as all the beautiful doggies. Mommy forgot the her checkbook though so Ellie didn't get chipped so next show she will be. Surprisingly there were no vendors at all at the show so even though Mommy and Daddy didn't have money on them it didn't really matter since no one was selling anything. Next show is in NJ so Mommy will go all three days and have a better idea of whats going on since coming mid-way in is always a bit confusing. After Danbury we went to visit Mommy's old roommate from college since she lived so close to the show. Though Mommy's roommate's doggy didn't like Ellie a nice time was had nevertheless.

Mommy didn't take pictures at the show as she wasn't sure if anyone would be upset here are a few from the day.

We're off to Danbury!

Comfy lap

The shot of the day. The person leaning out of the shot is Mommy's silly roommate =P

Ahoy Matey

2007-06-11T08:32:00.000-05:00

First of Ellie would like to thank everyone who complimented her blog. She is so pleased you all enjoy it and will continue to strive to amuse the masses...and failing that she promise oodles and oodles more pictures as everyone loves pictures afterall!

So this year since Pirates splashes back on the scene the nautical look is definitly back in. Now Mommy has always loved stripes and the sailor motif with the white collars and anchor prints but has yet to find a piece that she likes for herself but yesterday while browsing around on Cavalier Talk and reading about another Cavalier mommy rave about a new harness set she wandered over to Trixie and Peanut to take a look. Well imagine Mommy's delight when she not only saw the cute harnesses the other mommy was raving about, seen here, but she saw that the same company had made a darling sailor version of the harness!

Now that's simply adorable and a great price considering it comes with the leash as well. Mommy also found this adorable shirt to go with it from the same place!

And then Mommy spotted this
and tried very very hard to convince Daddy that he needed it for his classes. After all kids learn the best with visuals right? Sadly Daddy informed Mommy that since he taught math that this wouldn't exactly be needed for his lessons. Then Mommy thought it would be a fabulous prop for the fur kids to use in their reenactment of Washington crossing the Delaware which sparked a debate on which way Washington was actually sailing. As it turns out though Mommy is a fan of history American history is not her strong point after all (give me a Tudor king any day over a Revolutionist)

Well the kids can dream I guess since Daddy sad no to the boat.

Cavalier Get Together

2007-06-10T19:11:00.000-05:00

The Cavalier get together was fabulous! Ellie had an amazing time. I have never seen her really play with other dogs as she never seemed to have an interest in them when we went to school but today she seemed right at home romping and running around with the bunch. I have never seen her having so much fun! She also ate an army's worth of treats. She was clever enough to figure out to stick her face in the entire treat bags at the doggy appetizer table! Yes there was a doggy appetizer table. They did an amazing amazing job. There were games, door prizes, birthday cake for the 3 pups celebrating birthdays, goodie bags, and tons of food for both dogs and humans. I can't wait for the next get together! Sadly my camera battery had the audacity to die on me mid-party so I dont have a lot of pictures but I saw tons of other mommy and daddy's snapping away with the cameras and video tape so I hope they got some good pictures. I am dying to see them. Here are the few pics I did manage to get

Here Ellie is honing in on Razz's treat while Lucky, Spike, and Arturo look on

It seemed like a tri party!

Here Ellie is telling Spike to back off again. He seemed to remember Ellie from when we visited Molly a while back and developed a little crush as he followed her around the entire time much to Ellie's dismay at times I think. At one point Paul and I went to eat and we took Ellie with us. As we sat at the other side of the fence with Ellie Spike sat at the other side of the fence staring at Ellie longingly. It was adorable though I think Ellie was happy to get a break from him

Ellie begging for treats again from Sadie's Daddy. Looks like Casey wants in on some treats too

Little Arturo! I finally got to meet Angie and her husband Rob after tons of emails and phone calls back and forth. Arturo is a darling little boy.

There's my happy girl. Notice Spike to the left. Wherever she was there he was too. They have matching his and her Puppia's to boot!

And here is lovable Casey with Ellie on the side

And lastly Ellie with Daddy

Ellie has so much fun running around that she managed to get the entire park on her. She even came home with a lovely dark black smudge on her muzzle

So needless to say it was bath time when we came home

Look at that smudge on her muzzle

After a bath its time for a snuggle on the bed while we air dry

And lastly our dear friend bought Ellie a new Puppia and gave it to us at the get together. She is way to kind and we are so thankful. Here is Ellie modeling her new Tinkerbelle Puppia. Soon her harness collection will be larger then Mommy's bag collection

All in all it was a wonderful treat filled weekend for Miss Ellie Belli. She is currently passed out on her goodie bag toy snoring away!

Next week its off to Danbury for the CKCSC show!!!

Puppia

2007-06-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

Ellie's Puppia is in! Daddy isnt a fan but Mommy loves it. Along with her Puppia Ellie got 2 new toys. Mommy had ordered her a toy that was shaped like a caterpillar and its body was made of tennis balls. Well imagine Mommy's surprise when she opened the package and saw this instead

The caterpillar had morphed into a butterfly during shipping it seems! Needless to say the butterfly is cuter then the caterpillar so no one is complaining least of all Ellie

And Mommy got some lovely shots of Ellie sporting her lovely new Spring Puppia.

And Mommy's favorite picture of course is blurry.

Our neighbor saw her today when we were out for a walk and he said that Ellie looks like she is wearing a bikini! I dont think so but it was an amusing after thought.

Anyways off to the Cavalier Get Together!

Ellie Updates

2007-06-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

First off Ellie's Puppia is on the way! YAY! I ordered her a Dotty Puppia a while ago but the store told me that Puppia was being delayed on their Spring line. I got confirmation yesterday that the Puppia's had finally arrived! YAY!! Ellie is going to look so cute!

This weekend is the first NJ/NY/PA/CT Cavalier Get Together in Wallington Park so it's going to be a fun weekend for Ellie. She can see all her old friends and met some new ones too. We are crossing our fingers her Puppia will be in so she can show off to all her friends!

In other news Ellie has discovered a new spot of hers, under Mommy and Daddy's bed. Whenever Mommy can't find Ellie she just lifts up the bed skirt and calls Ellie name and out Ellie comes crawling commando style on her belli. Mommy has no idea what Ellie does under there and has tried peaking quitely several times trying to see but as soon as Ellie catches on Mommy is there she crawls right out. It's like she doesn't want anyone to know what she does under there. Mommy and Daddy have both tried to peak in on her with no success but as far as we can tell she isn't doing anything wrong under there so I guess its ok. It's Ellie's secret hide out.

And lastly since Ellie has managed to destroy 11 stuffed toys in the span of 4 months Mommy has been forced to look for non-stuffed toys for her. Ellie seems to miss her stuffed toys a lot but she destroys them so quickly and ingests some of the stuffing and toys so its time for something new, for now at least. Mommy has been looking at these treat dispensers as they seem sturdy and treats will definitly hold Ellie's attention for a while

Personally I am leaning toward the tug a jug, which is the last one, as it comes highly recommended from several other Cavalier moms and the plastic is suppose to be very sturdy. Plus it seems the most complicated so Ellie might have to really take her time to figure it out.

Tagged Again

2007-06-03T14:12:00.000-05:00

Loki tagged us!

Rules: List 7 things that you never mention in your blog and then tag another 7 victims

1) Ellie suffers from allergies just like her mommy. She eats a Benadryl pill (wrapped in cheese of course!) every night to help her get through the night (in other words if Ellie doesn't eat her Benadryl she scratches all night keeping Mommy awake and driving her crazy)

2) Ellie loves Mommy's things more then Daddy. If Mommy and Daddy both leave socks laying around on the floor Ellie will always take Mommy's to chew, never Daddys.

3) Ellie has several neighborhood boyfriends who love her including Rocky the Corgi, Magnus the Puggle, Buddy the Golden Retriever, and Atlas the Rotweiler.

4) Today Ellie's brother Griffin escaped the house without Mommy and Daddy knowing. When Mommy and Daddy took Ellie out for a walk she made a beeline for the bushes where Griffin was hiding and thus saved Griffin as Mommy peaked under the bush to see what Ellie was sniffing and saw Griffin! Ellie was the heroine of the day for that!

5) Mommy's lotion is irresistible to Ellie and she will chase Mommy around the house trying to lick it off her legs.

6) Ellie hangs out in the bathroom in the morning when Mommy get's ready. She curls up on the bath mat and waits for Mommy to finish.

7) Ellie can hear the ice maker from anywhere in the house and even when fast asleep. If she is not given an ice cube after she hears the machine turn on she sits in front of the machine staring at it until an ice cube is given to her.

What Ellie Does When Mommy Blogs

2007-06-02T13:51:00.001-05:00

It's a tough life Ellie has

10 Months Old

2007-05-28T10:33:00.000-05:00

Ellie is 10 months old today!

So in celebration of the fact that its only 2 months till her 1st birthday I have assembled a list of collars and harnesses Ellie would like for her birthday! After all you only have 2 months left to shop for her!

Bella Bean Couture Cupcakes Collar

I believe this also comes in harness and Ellie would prefer the harness to the collar but wants to matching leash naturally. She also wants it in French Pink rather then the blue being modeled.

Ellie is also sweet on this Owen and Olivia collar. After all purple is her favorite color.

Which is also why she likes this Mid-Town Purple Collar. The stripes make a stylish statement Ellie says against her dark coat.

Ellie says this Diva Dog collar in Daisy is so spring. She would require the smaller version of this collar though as she doesnt like it when her collars are too thick around her neck!

And of course Ellie always loves her Puppias. She is hoping for this one next

In pink of course!!!

Tagged

2007-05-27T12:37:00.000-05:00

Mommy was planning on taking Ellie to a dog park this weekend but then she read online that dog parks require dogs to be wearing tags. Silly mommy didn't know that so this afternoon Mommy placed an order for Ellie's first dog tags! Hopefully it will arrive next weekend so Ellie can go to a dog park next Saturday with Mommy and Daddy. There are 3 local parks within half an hour of home so we will be visiting all three this summer to decide which one we like the best. So I guess instead of going to the park Ellie will get an extra long walkie in the afternoon and a visit to grandma's house! When Ellie's tags come in Ill post a picture of her in it!

This is the tag Mommy wanted to get Ellie but Daddy said no

Courtesy of TiaBellas

Except Mommy would get Ellie the two-toned one in amethyst!

Maybe for Ellie's birthday Daddy will relent and let her have it!

Natural Shots

2007-05-25T21:07:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to get some good natural shots of Ellie. The problem is she moves so much its hard. Some of these are blurry but a few of them are real gems

Hunger Strike

2007-05-25T21:02:00.001-05:00

Every now and then Ellie goes on a hunger strike. I dont know why she does this but every now and then she will refuse to eat her dinner when its given to her.

Look at that stern face! Almost as she was saying I wouldnt eat that if you bribed me with treats! Hmph!

But alas sometimes hunger gets even the toughest cookies!

Perhaps she thought dining a le fresco would just make the meal that much more appealing?

Kool Dog Kafe

2007-04-25T08:41:00.000-05:00

Mommy was introduced to this site this morning on one of her Cavalier boards

http://kooldogkafe.com/

Look at these treats!!! And they are for dogs!!!! Can you beleive it?!?!?! Look so yummy!!!!

Mommy wishes she could sign Ellie up for the Treat of the Month Club but Daddy might kill Mommy then =P

Ellie's Weekend

2007-04-24T19:45:00.000-05:00

Ellie had quite a weekend this past week.

Saturday was Dog Day at Shea Stadium so Saturday morning bright and early Daddy, Ellie, and I were off to NY! Ellie was so good on both the train and the subway in her new Sherpa carrier. She was also quite a hit on both whenever people saw her. While we were waiting for the train on the platform Daddy was mobbed by a group of pre-teen girls when they saw Ellie in her carrier. They all ran over to look at her and Daddy opened the top of the carrier to let her say hi. As soon as her head popped out all the girls screamed sending Ellie's head back into the carrier! I think she was a bit overwhelmed by all the attention! On the train we let her pop her head out and all the nearby passengers ooohed and ahhhed over her. They all thought she was so cute and pretty (which she is!) and Ellie was so well behaved on the train. She was equally as good on the subway despite its screeching and all the bumps. When we got to Shea and found the picnic area we promptly ran into 2 other Cavaliers! Over the course of the game we would see 2 more.

Daddy with Ellie

Bad picture of Mommy with Ellie

Ellie at Shea!

Ellie's view of Shea
Oh and while we were at Shea a camera guy came around taking pics. They wont let me link it so here is how you get to it

http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/fan_forum/index.jsp?c_id=nym

Go to the link on the bottom right that says "Fan Photos" Look for April 21, 2007 Mets vs Braves game Gallery 102 top row second picture and youll see us at the game!!

Sadly Daddy and Mommy look awful in the picture! We were trying to make sure Ellie looked at the camera that she looks amazing and we look terrible! Can you believe it?!?!

On Sunday Ellie went to visit a friend of mine who I met on one of the many Cavalier boards I use. Molly has 5 Cavaliers (1 foster) and though we have no pictures it was a fun day...though Ellie didnt seem to think so at first. When we first got there Ellie was a bit overwhelmed with 5 doggies all eager to say hello. As soon as I put her on the floor the mob surrounded her. When she ran to get away from them they chased her. I think she was put of a lot by this and kept trying to get onto the couch with us. After a bit the crew all settled down and so did Ellie. Mommy and Daddy sat in the kitchen talking with Molly and her husband Joe and the pups all promptly passed out. The funniest was Spike, who is Molly's foster, is not fixed yet and neither is Ellie so needless to say Spike was quite interested in Ellie. Ellie is however out of season so she had no interest in anything Spike had in mind and let him know that. He would come near her and start sniffing her and Ellie would growl, slowly turn her head and give him a dirty look that almost seemed as she was saying "Not in a million years buddy!" We kept teasing saying Spike had to learn that this approach wasnt going to work and perhaps he ought to bring her a treat or two to soften her up. Needless to say Ellie made her point quite clear shoving him away with her paw a few times even. All in all it was great and I cant wait to see Molly and the fir kids again!

Monday, after Daddy had his accident, Daddy still had to go to school to run his track meet. Mommy dropped Daddy of at 1:30 PM and then went into work late After work Mommy went home to get Ellie and together they went to get Daddy. The meet wasnt over so Ellie got to see the track booth where Daddy works his meets and was the hit of the entire joint as always. Daddy has a few big meets in a few weeks that last all day so Ellie will soon be returning to her job as track booth mascot!

Lastly I leave you with a few more pics of the Princess.

Ellie's New Toy

2007-04-16T18:02:00.000-05:00

Well last weekend I took Ellie out with a friend to Red Bank. There is a lovely pet boutique I wanted to take her to and I thought Id be a nice day to walk around. So Ellie wore her new coat, got a new toy, and went into Victoria's Secret =)

I bought her this adorable giraffe toy.

Nationals

2007-04-13T09:28:00.000-05:00

Ellie and Mommy wish they could go to the AKC Nationals show next month in PA but its during the week =( Boo

Ellie and the wire

2007-04-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

So Ellie had a brush with something scary tonight. I was upstairs in the loft watching my Survivor when all of a sudden I heard an ear shattering yelp coming from downstairs. Ellie has made this sound a few times before, usually when she has a run in with Griffin, but never for as long as this so I run downstairs. Daddy recently rewired our computers and apparently one of the cable wires was sticking out a bit so Ellie had gone to investigate it. She somehow got her paw in between the wire and the wall so when she turned to run away the wire twisted around her paw and she couldnt get it off causing her to fall to her back and cry for help. Daddy quickly untangled her and tacked the wire to the wall afterwards and I took her upstairs with me to make sure she was ok. After Survivor when we came downstairs though she started to stalk to area where the wire was darting back and forth in front of the area almost as if she thought it would lash out and attack her again! Now that we know she is ok of course this is rather humorous. Daddy keeps picking her up and telling her that the wire didnt attack her rather she got herself tangled but Ellie is having a hard time accepting that and still darts around just in case ; )

I will be posting some pics up this weekend so stayed tune!

Puppia!

2007-04-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

Puppia has come out with some super cute spring things!!!! I am going to have to update Ellie's wish list heehee Daddy is probably going to have to build Ellie a rack or an armoire soon to store all her things!

Sorry I cant copy the pics as they are all on Puppia's main site now I dont believe stores carry some of the items yet since they are so new

http://www.puppiaworld.com/shop/step1.php?number=607

http://www.puppiaworld.com/shop/step1.php?number=612

http://www.puppiaworld.com/shop/step1.php?number=619

http://www.puppiaworld.com/shop/step1.php?number=549

http://www.puppiaworld.com/shop/step1.php?number=514

http://www.puppiaworld.com/shop/step1.php?number=481

Sick

2007-04-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

Poor little girl has the runs again She couldnt even hold it while we were away today at work and soiled her kennel for the first time ever She must have been upset as she tried kicking some of it out of her kennel thus Daddy had quite a cleanup waiting for him when he arrived home Mommy arrived home to a happier lil gunky dog with stuff stuck on her back, underside, and paws So thus Miss Ellie had a bath for the 2nd time in 3 days Alas we forgot the pictures again but with the way this is going she'll probably get another bath tomorrow again Off to the vet it is Friday to get this settled

Ellie's New Coat

2007-04-01T21:39:00.000-05:00

My wonderful wonderful Tammy brought Ellie a gift when she came to visit Mommy didnt even realize the gift was in the closet until this evening when she was putting some clothes away! Ellie has now got her beautiful city coat! I only got to take a few pics before my camera battery died so Ill have to take some more another time but she looks absolutely gorgeous in it!!!! Thank you so much Auntie Tam* !!!!! Now Ellie will look so pretty when she goes out to meet boyfriend Cinnamon!!!

Here is the store photo picture of the coat

Ellie and the girls

2007-04-01T21:37:00.000-05:00

Some of my girlfriends came over the other day to meet Miss Ellie Needless to say she was the star of the evening

Queen of the toys

2007-04-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

Bath Time

2007-04-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

Ellie got a bath yesterday Alas I didnt think to take any pics when she was in the sink but here she is all dry and clean What a difference a bath makes!!! She didnt smell so doggy anymore and her coat was so silky smooth and soft I think she looks so pretty!

Snoozing Days

2007-04-01T21:14:00.000-05:00

One Month

2007-03-17T10:41:00.000-05:00

Miss Ellie Belli has been here for one month!! What a wonderful month it has been. We couldnt be more in love with her if we tried.

Whats up in Ellie's World

2007-03-15T10:05:00.000-05:00

Sorry there hasnt been an update in a while. I have some cute pics I took this weekend but alas I have been a bit lazy with the uploading. Give me till this weekend

So Ellie's heat is coming along. At first we made her wear her little diaper anytime she wasnt going outside or in her kennel but now we have started to let her run around more and more without it. She isnt making a mess and she is much happier without it on so as long as it continues this way she will remain diaperless for now.

This past weekend we went on an adventure to Hoboken to see my friend Dennis' new apartment. Ellie slept for most of the car ride but the few times she popped her head up I saw people in the other cars looking and talking about her. When we were walking the streets of Hoboken she made quite a site in her Puppia and diaper. I think she was a bit overwhelmed by the big city as she zoomed all over the place sniffing and looking at things. When she was in Dennis' apartment she was a lot calmer. She was well behaved and at one point fell asleep on my lap as the humans chatted. Since she is in heat this will probably be one of her few trips out for now since I dont want to risk anything with her condition as of now

Yesterday we went to our second puppy class. This time there was a Mastiff puppy in our class. You should have seen the size of that pup and it was only 4 months old!! It was the size of a full grown Golden Retreiver and it wasnt even done growing! My husband loves Mastiffs but I am almost 100% sure we will never ever get one if thats how big they are as pups!! Ellie did much better this time in class. The lil Beagle in the class named Gigi seemed fasinated by her and kept coming up to her. Ellie let her come up to her and sniff her and she didnt even care when Gigi was busy sniffing her and Ellie was busy looking for food. When the instructor let them have free play meaning off the leash she ran around a little and didnt mind the other doggies coming around her so I was happy. She even went nose to nose with the Mastiff a few times. The 2 Shih Tzu's in the class were the most scared this time having to be held most of the time which makes me feel Ellie is definetly making progress. Ellie is so treat oriented that she kept trying to follow the instructor around because she knew she was the one with the treats. Several times during free play Ellie ran over to her desk sniffing around for more treats. When it was time to practice sit which Ellie already knows she was right at the front of the class showing off so she could get more treats. Such a lil pig you would think we dont give her any at home but we do! When we got home I was outside with her when a neighbor with a huge bouncy Bermese Mountain Dog came by. Ellie barked a little and ran behind me but then after a few seconds she ran right up to the Bermese and they touched noses. I was so proud of her. I think this class is doing wonders for her fear issues and Im sure at the end of this class she will definetly be less fearful. Yay!

Ellie's first class

2007-03-07T21:02:00.001-05:00

When we first got there we had to wait outside because the other class hadnt let out yet. We saw the other Cavalier right away. She was a small Blen Ellie was afraid despite the other Cavalier's eagerness to play. Paul picked her up for a bit and then we held her as we kneeled on the ground. Would you know it she came into heat right there in the aisle at PetSmart. I went to buy her a pad thing while Paul talked to the instructor. We put her in the pad and the instructor said this class would mostly be talking if we wanted to come in anyway. So we took her and held her on our lap. Besides the 2 Cavaliers there were 2 Bishons, a Beagle, 1 Shih Tzu, and 1 Shih Tzu/Bishon mix. While the other pups ran around on their leashes as the instructor talked our lil Ellie sat in our lap and watched above. After a while we lowered her onto the ground and she had few encounters with the other dogs and she would run behind our chairs to escape them. Everytime she allowed a dog to approach her we pet her and praised her. Then they did the command for watch me with treats. Ellie is all about the treats and because Paul trains with her at home not only does she perform watch me perfectly twice she sat for them as well. While the other dogs were working she started to get bolder and even ran to the Shih/Bichon mix owner and jumped up with her paws on his lap to try to get at some of his treats. When class ended we talked to the instructor and she said she thinks Ellie should be able to still come to class with her pads on. The ring is enclosed and the only male in the class is the Shih/Bishon mix. We figure we will just carry her from the car to the store and back because her fear issues are great right now and she did make some huge break through tonight that we would like to work from this success and move on. I was just so proud that she let other dogs come up to her and sniff her and she didnt growl or bark and even touched noses with the beagle. I think this was a good idea and I hope at the end of this 8 week course we will finally have a non-fearful pup! The funny thing is where Ellie lacks in fear she makes up for in actual training Between her breeder and my husband she has a lot down already so that part should be good for her.

Im proud of her and I hope it can only get better from this class on. Maybe I can take pics after a few more classes to share

Hahahaha

2007-03-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

DOG DIARY

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

CAT DIARY

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means,and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...

Ellie and I think that cat diary was written by big brother Griffin

Baking with Ellie

2007-03-04T15:12:00.001-05:00

Well I baked my first batch of doggie biscuits. Paul mentioned how ironic it is the first time I ever cook anything its for the dog and not him. What can I say the things we do for our children heehee Speaking of children, if Ellie was my child I would be so embarrassed by how the biscuits turned out. They are so ugly and misshapen. The problem I think was the dough. It was so clingy I couldn't separate it from itself so I kinda had to just do what I could to get it onto the pan. Anyways the end result is that she scarfed the first one down like that and then when I gave her a half of another just to make sure she liked it she scarfed that down too. Yay for my first attempt Afterall I just wanted her to like eating it and she seems to like them just fine

Snoooooodd

2007-03-04T10:28:00.000-05:00

Rhymes with fooooooooooood. I think she looks like the grandma that gets captured in Little Red Riding Hood heehee

We are coming along

2007-03-04T10:24:00.000-05:00

I think in a little while these two will be inseparable. Ellie just needs to tone it down a bit and Dexter will see her more as a friend then an overly pushy sister

Le Sigh

2007-03-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

Princess Got a New Coat

2007-02-26T18:45:00.000-05:00

And I love it!!!! I think she looks adorable!! At first she wasn't so sure she liked it but she got use to it and seems to be fine with it now. Of course hubby thinks its animal cruelty but I think its perfect. IT keeps her warm while still making her look like a princess What more could you want?!? Heehee I totally recommend the store I bought it from too I ordered it Friday and got it today!! They have tons of cute things so I think Ellie will be getting quite a few more things from here before we are through

Here is the store link

Toy Area

2007-02-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

At my breeder's house my breeder had a shelf where she put all the doggie toys on. She said that all the dogs would come and look at the shelf and pick out their toy and play with it. Consequently she said a few owners had called her to say that after bringing their pup home they would gather all their toys into a small area similar to the shelf idea they had at their first home. Well my breeder told me Ellie would do this and sure enough all of Ellie's toys are gathered in a small area by the couch and TV If a toy wanders too far away for her liking she goes and retrieves it and places it back in the area. If we throw a toy out of the area she rushes to get it and place it back in the area Its really quite amusing and adorable

Adorableness

2007-02-19T20:07:00.000-05:00

She's Here!!!

2007-02-19T20:01:00.001-05:00

Our first attempt at a family photo. Griffin and Hunter are still too scared of her but we managed to rope Dexter into a picture. This is the best we can get for now and Ill take it!! Heehee

Some mis-takes

Puppy Love

2007-02-13T19:18:00.000-05:00

Though I intended this journal to be a diary of my adventures with Ellie I think this is also a good place for me to share my dog obsession as well and see where it leads me.

I love animals. Anyone who knows me knows this simple fact. I blame my mom for this. Growing up I never had a pet (ok, goldfish and turtles but they don't really count) the reason being that my mom is terrified of all creatures big or small (she was afraid of my goldfish even!) so she never let me have any. Now imagine growing up as an only child with no pets and you have my childhood. Needless to say I think this is the reason I am animal crazy and want to own my own zoo (I think being sibling less is also the reason why I want 5 kids of my own so they wont be lonely like I was) When I was in high school I volunteered at my local animal shelter and when I have time again in my life I plan to go back. When I was little I read all kinds of dog books trying to figure out which dog breed would be the best for me when the time finally came and I could get a dog. My research lead me to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel naturally.

The Cavalier has everything I wanted in a dog. They are small, beautiful, and have lovely easy going natures. The more I read and learned about this breed the more I knew it was the one for me.

My other childhood love was the West Highland White Terrier

The Westie is known to be a good family dog, friendly and sweet which was what I was looking for in a dog. I know I want to own one at least once in my life. Im not sure if it will be a lifetime love the way I know Cavaliers are already but I want to have one so I know. My husband and I live in a condo and even though I know lots of Westies live in small apartments I wanted to wait till I had a house with a yard (with a fence of course!) before buying one.

In my opinion I am definitely more then a casual dog lover. I'm the child that stayed up to watch Westminster every year and can name most dog breeds by sight because of all those books I studied as a child. The more I delve into the Cavalier world the more interested I become. I have started to attend shows and have kept in contact with a lot of breeders I met along the way. I really do think I would love to become a Cavalier breeder one day way way in the future as my love for this breed is more then just a casual pet owner. I would love to one day be able to make a difference in the health of this breed in particular. I'm sure all Cavalier lovers agree that the day MVD and SM are breed out of the breed will be a wonderful day indeed and I hope in my lifetime we can see significant improvements toward that and perhaps I can even be part of that wonderful movement one day.

Anyways when I was looking for a breeder to buy my first Cavalier from I searched within a 5 state radius of where I lived. I contacted millions of breeders and even went to shows to meet them. With such serious health issues as the Cavalier has it was vital to me to find a breeder who breed for health and adhered to the guidelines set out by the parent clubs. A good breeder will be with you for the life of your dog and I wanted to find someone who worked well with me as a person and who was knowledgeable about the breed whom I could learn from. Lucky for me I have met some fantastic breeders along the way and I hope to continue to meet more as I go. A good breeder who is willing to mentor me and teach me more about the breed is something I really hope to find as I think the best way to learn anything is from the people who work and know that topic the best. My husband also likes to point out that I am a bit of a info addict. When I get hooked on an idea I love researching it out and talking to people about it and just garnering more knowledge. He says every now and then Ill get hooked on something new and that will keep me going for weeks, months, years. With Cavaliers I know it will be a long time before I feel comfortable even beginning a breeding program but I am thrilled with all the nuggets of info I can learn along the way

Which leads me to my new obsession

That lil guy in the background is a white Pekingese and I think he is simply adorable (even if he wasn't so in love with that frog of his) Now Ill be honest I don't know a whole lot about Pekingeses as I was never interested in owning one, I didn't even know that they came in white!! Since I saw that picture though I decided I had to know more so for the last 2 days I have been reading up about them. I contacted a few breeders about them just inquiring about their nature. I have no interest in owning one until I really know that they would be a dog that would suit me and my family. A dog to me is a big decision as its a family member that will be with you for its entire life. I have loved a lot of dog breeds in my life but I'm wise enough to understand that every dog isn't suited for my lifestyle. Australian Shepards are gorgeous but without work to do they can easily become destructive and since I don't have work for it I don't want it finding work for itself in my house while I'm away. So I have been trying to learn what I can about the Pekingese. From what I knew before I heard they were more obstinate dogs and that they usually cling to one person. I also read that they don't do well with young children and for me thats an issue since I do plan on having children one day and I didn't want a dog that wouldn't get along with children. From speaking to breeders I agree that socialization is key for all breeds. If bought from a good breeder who socializes the puppies when they are young its a better chance that the pup will be more well rounded. The two breeders I contacted seeking info are both top Peke breeders. One woman is a judge as well as breeder and the other is the only one that breeds white Pekes as white Pekes have a harder time in show rings and thus many breeders dont like to breed them. I find that kind of funny as I only like the white looking Peke! Anyways my jury is still out about the Peke as I still don't feel I know much about it but I did find a Peke show in my area in July so I'm planning on going to further educated myself. Im also going to the Westie show in my area in May. Can't hurt to start looking around for breeders early! Also I have begun to enjoy dog shows and this will give me a few more to attend as there are a few Cavalier shows that are close enough for me to attend but due to the dates they are scheduled I won't be able to go. I will continue to try to learn more about Pekes to see if they are a good match for me but until I think they are Ill never buy one because for me a beautiful face isnt enough of a reason for me to buy a dog. It really has to be a dog I know I will enjoy having and will have a happy safe home with me as well.

Princess Ellie Rebecca

2007-02-11T19:02:00.001-05:00

Here she is!!!! The Princess joins the family on February 16th!!!!

A Little About Ellie

Ellie is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Her mommy, Jasmine has been dreaming about having a Cavalier since the day she saw Lady and the Tramp. The Cavalier is the largest of the toy breed dogs and the smallest of the Spaniels. They have a long illustrious history dating back to the Kings of England and especially King Charles who is their namesake. It is said that Charles loved his lil spaniels so much he allowed the females to give birth to their puppies in his chambers and even on his bed and he passed a law that, that still stands today, that says Cavaliers are allowed in any public building including the Parliament building. They are the number 1 toy breed today in England.

Cavaliers are loving and sweet and people pleasing dogs. They are known as comforter spaniels and bring joy and delight to all those who come into contact with them.

Ellie is coming for just that reason, comfort. In early January my husband and I suffered a great loss when we miscarried our first child. Though it wasn't a planned pregnancy the loss was tremendous and Ellie became the start to healing our hearts. Ellie will be 7 months old on February 28th and much to her new parents' delight she is already fully housebroken!

This will be my first puppy so this will be a diary of our adventures and misadventures with our new princess.

Please note that the Cavalier is known to have several severe health issues including the heart condition MVD and the neurological disease syringomyelia or SM and thus it is extremely vital that if you want to buy a Cavalier you do your research and find a good breeder who does health testing and adheres to the codes set forth by the two Cavalier clubs, the CKCSC and the ACKCSC. Because of these health issues it is vital to never buy a Cavalier from a pet store where the pup most likely comes from a puppy mill, or a back yard breeder. Remember your pet is a family member that will hopefully be with you for many many years. You don't want to compromise the health of your pet in anyway and by buying from a good breeder you are lessing the chances of issues down the road which may cause immeasurable heartaches.