Carlisle the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel ~ Adopted

Carlisle is a three-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.  We rescued him, his mother Esme and five other small breed dogs from a tough breeder situation.   Gisele made a rather impactful video of the rescue that I invite you to watch. When we got Carlisle, the area between his toes was so packed with filth that he looked like he had webbed feet.  His ears were matted but we were able to brush out most of the tangles without resorting to scissors.  He is a handsome fellow already and will only grow in good looks as a result of exercise, good food and lots of love.

If you met Carlisle, and hope you will, you would never suspect that he came from neglect.  He is a happy soul, always clambering to get into your lap and lavish you with kisses (thank goodness we paid for that dental cleaning!  lol).  At just under 16 pounds, he fortunately qualifies as a lap dog, since I don’t think he’ll take no for an answer! One thing that I’ve noticed about Carlisle is that he is always looking at us, trying to figure out what we want, how he can please us.  He just has that spirit that adores people. Amazing, don’t you think?   I think that my yard might be the first one in which he and his mother have romped.  Gisele made this video of them out for the first time.  Sheer joy!

Given the circumstance from which Carlisle was rescued, it is not surprising that he is heartworm positive. He presents no symptoms, therefore we have no hesitation in recommending the slow-kill method. The standard “fast-kill” treatment for heartworms requires that a dog basically undergo chemo two or three times and then be kept penned up for three months so it doesn’t elevate its heart rate. Instead, we recommend that the dog simply be given Heartgard heartworm preventive each month, just as it normally would be. Ivermectin, the active ingredient in Heargard, not only prevents heartworms but kills them as well. During the first month the dog is also given an antibiotic and steroid. Over the course of a year or so, the heartworms die off.   Carlisle has already started this program and is doing just great with it.

I am fostering Carlisle in Winter Park, Fl. Be sure to look through both his personal photo album and the one he shares with Esme. If you think that you might be interested in giving Carlisle a loving forever home, please read our article Starting Out Your Dog Right, review our Adoption Process, and then e-mail me at holly.TheDogLiberator@gmail.com If you want a dog who adores you, this might just be your pup!

You can also read Carlisle’s  original posting with Esme.  These little ones are quite the survivors !!!

July 20th Update:

Carlisle just can’t help himself. He just overflows with enthusiasm. Today I let him and Esme loose in the house for the first time. I’m happy to say that they appear to be housetrained ~ yay! And fun? Oh yeah, they are such fun. Smart too ~ they quickly figured out how to jump up on the couch. Gotta love it!

July 21st Update:

Carlisle is still very much the puppy.  Yesterday afternoon Jedediah the Basset puppy arrived and Carlisle has been thrilled.  They love to play together, wrestling and tearing around the house and yard to beat the band!  It is such fun to watch them because they are the same coloring but with totally different body shapes.  Carlisle is sophisticated and Jed is, well, Jed is not!  lol

July 24th Update:

I just waved goodbye to our sweet Carlisle.  He is headed home with the wonderful Fran and her mellow pug Baxter.  She found Carlisle through Petfinder, linked over to this page and by the time she finished reading, knew she had just met her next dog!  And boy, was she right!  Carlisle was all rub-my-belly and wagging tail.  They are now headed down the road to Fort Lauderdale to live happily ever after.  And I am smiling.