Cavalier King Charles puppy

[Imozarabelle]

We have two labs which are great. My one (the younger one belongs to my eldest daughter) is about to turn 13 and has been the dog of a lifetime for me but her health is deteriorating and I cannot see her looking at another Winter. I will be distraught.
My middle daughter is 10 and is having a tricky time at school with dyslexia and about to change to High School and I thought it would be nice for us both if she had a CKC puppy when my lab is no longer with us. She is the gentlest of children and would like something that will play and be a companion for her but also be happy to curl up quietly with her.
Do you think this would be the right breed of dog for her? I have never had one before but have known families that have loved them very much.
I had a Blenheim bitch in mind if I could find a nice one.
Any thoughts? Or alternative suggestions?
(Sorry for ultra long post!)

All I know about that breed is the terrible health problems the have. Their brains are too big for their skulls (hence the 'cute' bulging eyes) which is obviously very painful, they can't breathe, they have other internal health problems. Someone I know recently had her 6 year old one die because it's heart burst. Not something I personally would choose to endorse the continued breeding of, but I know nothing of their personality etc.
Our once-in-a-lifetime dog was a crossbreed from a shelter. This baby snoozing beside me is looking promising in terms of spectacular ness and is a cross from a kill pound.

Thank you EvenBetter, your right the health problems are a definite worry.

No rescue dogs for me as had one before my labs that attacked me whilst out walking as well as growling at us in our home and I would only have a puppy from known parents now but fully appreciate many friends are like you and have good experiences with them. I have had 3 children and never worried about my lovely lab with them.

If u can find a good breeder who health screens etc they are a lovely lively but cuddly breed. Great companion dogs.

Lhasa Apso (sp?) are lovely wee characters & love getting on your knee for a cuddle!

They're lovely dogs, but honestly the health problems are horrendous...it's massively hard to find a decent breeder.

Other suggestions, staffies and whippets - still fairly small, very cuddly...both make fantastic lap dogs, but not what most people think of when they think of cuddly dogs, but they really are.

All the Bichon type dogs are nice too, but need a lot more grooming.

If it's spanielness you like, a show type cocker is an idea.

i have a lab and a lhasa so i'd probably second andipandi's suggestion.

a lhasa is giddy and 'have a go'esque enough to run with labs in a field and not even be vaguely aware that they're smaller because their ego more than compensates for their stature but also very, very affectionate and love cuddles and whilst grooming tends to be seen as a bad thing actually it can be quite restful and nice and your daughter might enjoy it.

ckc are lovely dogs but it is absolutely the case that there are huge ethical concerns. yes, you could find a wonderful breeder who is very careful etc but i personally still feel very uncomfortable with contributing to the propagation of such potentially painful and dysfunctional breeding.

lhasas do have the potential to live a very long time though so that might be a consideration.

Thanks to everyone for the health related comments. I realised it was a problem but not how much of a problem. Will look into more carefully and perhaps have a chat with our vet first. Xx

Our vet has a board with information about syringomyelia in cavs. They consider it sufficiently serious to promote awareness of it heavily and do not do so for any other breed illnesses. In my view it completely unethical to contribute to the demand for these dogs, no matter how lovely they are.

If you can find a good breeder, Cavaliers are the most wonderful little dogs in the world. Happy, gentle, perfect. Apart from the snoring!

A breeder who is responsible will have health tested BOTH parents of the litter. They should be MRI scanned, heart tested, eye tested and DNA tested for Episodic Falling disease and Curly Coat/Dry Eye.

My parents bought their cavalier from a reputable breeder who did all the health checks including mri scans. The dog still has syringomaelia - I gather they all do to some degree or other Their last cavalier died a horrible death from heart problems, another well known problem with this breed. It is awful that people are breeding these dogs and causing so much pain to the animals and their owners

This is really sad to read. We had a CKC and she lived a really happy and long life. She died in her sleep aged 14. I had no idea the problems were this bad.

Thank you Purpleroxy, good to know there are some happy stories out there!