August 2009
Edited by Tina & Dennis Homes
RESTORATION
In the April Cavaliers as Companions we featured Tori, a tricolour who played the part of Dash in the recent film The Young Victoria. Last year a blenheim Cavalier was featured in the Disney film Underdog. But probably the film that has shown the most Cavaliers quite extensively is ‘Restoration’, released in 1995 and starring Hugh Grant, Robert Downey Jnr, Meg Ryan, Sir Ian McKellen and Sam Neil. The film won Two Academy Awards and was based on King Charles II and the Great Plague of London. Obviously no film about King Charles II would have been complete without his spaniels, and the dogs that were chosen for the film all belonged to Jenny Hall of the Muffity Kennels. As there had to be a great deal of training and control for the dogs Jenny herself was given a minor role in the film so that she could be on set. We asked her about some of her reminiscences about working on this award winning film.
"I had so much fun in the making of this film, it was hard work but the dogs just loved all the fuss from both the actors and the camera crew and not forgetting myself and my great friend Sarah who was so much help on these long filming days. The dogs really had fun. At first the crew, actors and the director all said that they hated working with animals but by the end I had sold three puppies to crew and the director.
Meg Ryan, Robert Downey and myself would talk about dog’s for ages, just sitting around between scenes. The dog’s loved all the fuss and were put into scenes which were not even in the original script! Drinking tea all day and eating was not good for the figure but the dogs would do anything for a sausage, which Sir Ian found out with lots of licks and kisses!
There were a few some embarrassing moments with dogs lifting their legs on the side of a lovely antique bed! And on another occasion they started running towards the lake just after we had bathed them. Luckily they didn’t go in and it was fortunate that they were not filming at the time as you would have heard me screaming at the top of my voice telling them to stop, which I’m glad to say that they did.
But it was my old Champion Muffity Adorable Victoria who was the canine star. If I wanted them all to do something I just showed Vicky what to do and all fourteen of them would follow her. This was great for the director. He could not believe that they would do some of the scenes, but they did . . . . . with great ease!"
The film is still available on DVD from Amazon and many other DVD stockists.
In the April Cavaliers as Companions we featured Tori, a tricolour who played the part of Dash in the recent film The Young Victoria. Last year a blenheim Cavalier was featured in the Disney film Underdog. But probably the film that has shown the most Cavaliers quite extensively is ‘Restoration’, released in 1995 and starring Hugh Grant, Robert Downey Jnr, Meg Ryan, Sir Ian McKellen and Sam Neil. The film won Two Academy Awards and was based on King Charles II and the Great Plague of London. Obviously no film about King Charles II would have been complete without his spaniels, and the dogs that were chosen for the film all belonged to Jenny Hall of the Muffity Kennels. As there had to be a great deal of training and control for the dogs Jenny herself was given a minor role in the film so that she could be on set. We asked her about some of her reminiscences about working on this award winning film.
"I had so much fun in the making of this film, it was hard work but the dogs just loved all the fuss from both the actors and the camera crew and not forgetting myself and my great friend Sarah who was so much help on these long filming days. The dogs really had fun. At first the crew, actors and the director all said that they hated working with animals but by the end I had sold three puppies to crew and the director.
Meg Ryan, Robert Downey and myself would talk about dog’s for ages, just sitting around between scenes. The dog’s loved all the fuss and were put into scenes which were not even in the original script! Drinking tea all day and eating was not good for the figure but the dogs would do anything for a sausage, which Sir Ian found out with lots of licks and kisses!
There were a few some embarrassing moments with dogs lifting their legs on the side of a lovely antique bed! And on another occasion they started running towards the lake just after we had bathed them. Luckily they didn’t go in and it was fortunate that they were not filming at the time as you would have heard me screaming at the top of my voice telling them to stop, which I’m glad to say that they did.
But it was my old Champion Muffity Adorable Victoria who was the canine star. If I wanted them all to do something I just showed Vicky what to do and all fourteen of them would follow her. This was great for the director. He could not believe that they would do some of the scenes, but they did . . . . . with great ease!"
The film is still available on DVD from Amazon and many other DVD stockists.
Above are a few photos taken in between the scenes. Bottom right shows Jenny with her dogs.
CAVALIERS AND OBEDIENCE
In recent months on these pages we have featured dogs that have been involved in Agility, Heelwork to Music and Tracking. It is really great to hear about other activities that Cavaliers are involved in outside of the world of showing. Quite a number of Cavaliers participate in Obedience Competitions and are indeed quite successful. Penny Hargrave from Scotland has owned Cavaliers for many years enjoys doing Obedience. At present she has two Black and Tans, Angus (Cavallino Jaeger) and Ewan (Sandbrae Rockabye). Ewan was bred by Elspeth Glen and was born in January 2004 and only weighed only 3 oz at birth and had to be hand reared. He went to his new home with Penny at eleven weeks, weighing just 5 lbs. Penny had to make him a little stool so that he could get on to the sofa, (where else would a cavalier lie?) Penny says, "Ewan is still too wee to jump into my Zafira, but Angus can.!"
The adage ‘from small acorns mighty acorns grow’ is certainly true with Ewan. It is said that if you haven’t the brawn, then you have to have the brain and Ewan was certainly not at the back of the queue when that was given out. Definitely one that’s been here before, nothing bothered this tiny wee soul, from big dogs to low-flying aircraft - been there, seen it all, done it all, that’s Ewan. The first to open his eyes, he was the first to walk and never crawled at all. Always a busy boy and interested in everything, he doesn’t miss much and is quick to learn. At 6½ months old, and without ever going to a training club, he passed his Kennel Club Good Dog Scheme Bronze Level at the Callander World Highland Games Companion Dog Show. In July 2008 he achieved his Silver ‘Good Citizen Award’ and will be soon trying for his Gold.
On 27th June 2009 Penny entered her two dogs in a Obedience Competition run by Inverclyde Dog Training Club and Inverclyde Dog Agility as part of a Companion Dog Show. Ewan won the Nursery Class and Angus came second in the Primary Class, beaten by a Border Collie. Angus gained his Gold Good Citizen in August 2007. It is really wonderful to hear of two Cavaliers that are making their mark in the world of Obedience.
In recent months on these pages we have featured dogs that have been involved in Agility, Heelwork to Music and Tracking. It is really great to hear about other activities that Cavaliers are involved in outside of the world of showing. Quite a number of Cavaliers participate in Obedience Competitions and are indeed quite successful. Penny Hargrave from Scotland has owned Cavaliers for many years enjoys doing Obedience. At present she has two Black and Tans, Angus (Cavallino Jaeger) and Ewan (Sandbrae Rockabye). Ewan was bred by Elspeth Glen and was born in January 2004 and only weighed only 3 oz at birth and had to be hand reared. He went to his new home with Penny at eleven weeks, weighing just 5 lbs. Penny had to make him a little stool so that he could get on to the sofa, (where else would a cavalier lie?) Penny says, "Ewan is still too wee to jump into my Zafira, but Angus can.!"
The adage ‘from small acorns mighty acorns grow’ is certainly true with Ewan. It is said that if you haven’t the brawn, then you have to have the brain and Ewan was certainly not at the back of the queue when that was given out. Definitely one that’s been here before, nothing bothered this tiny wee soul, from big dogs to low-flying aircraft - been there, seen it all, done it all, that’s Ewan. The first to open his eyes, he was the first to walk and never crawled at all. Always a busy boy and interested in everything, he doesn’t miss much and is quick to learn. At 6½ months old, and without ever going to a training club, he passed his Kennel Club Good Dog Scheme Bronze Level at the Callander World Highland Games Companion Dog Show. In July 2008 he achieved his Silver ‘Good Citizen Award’ and will be soon trying for his Gold.
On 27th June 2009 Penny entered her two dogs in a Obedience Competition run by Inverclyde Dog Training Club and Inverclyde Dog Agility as part of a Companion Dog Show. Ewan won the Nursery Class and Angus came second in the Primary Class, beaten by a Border Collie. Angus gained his Gold Good Citizen in August 2007. It is really wonderful to hear of two Cavaliers that are making their mark in the world of Obedience.
Ewan
(photograph courtesy of Ruth Dalrymple)
Ewan and Angus
Ewan gaining his first place
(photograph courtesy of Kerry McKillop
In last July’s Cavaliers as Companions we mentioned a Blenheim Cavalier belonging to Sarah Reynolds from Sussex who became a surrogate mother to some orphaned baby rabbits. We also gave a video link which showed a television news item about her. To see it again the link is:
http://jezebel.com/5011617/adorable-dog-adopts-orphaned-baby-bunnies
ADOPTED CAVALIER
This ‘adoption’ episode happened several years ago, although the televised link from National Geographic Channel’s Dogs with Jobs was only put on-line last year. At the time it even made the national papers. Ellie now lives on the Isle of Skye with Sarah’s mother Ann Lampard who bred her. She has now reached the grand age of seventeen and below is a recent photograph of her taken shortly after she had been to the groomers.
This ‘adoption’ episode happened several years ago, although the televised link from National Geographic Channel’s Dogs with Jobs was only put on-line last year. At the time it even made the national papers. Ellie now lives on the Isle of Skye with Sarah’s mother Ann Lampard who bred her. She has now reached the grand age of seventeen and below is a recent photograph of her taken shortly after she had been to the groomers.
Ann was a professional opera/concert singer and then later spent 18 years as a voice professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She still teaches and Ellie usually lies next to her during lessons and is greatly loved by all of her pupils, especially the youngest ones who have to sing loud enough to wake Ellie up! Ellie’s kennel name is Elvira Haughty Lady, after Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni! All the puppies in her litter were named after Mozart characters, notably the ones that Ann played in her performing career.
CAVALIER OF THE YEAR
Last February we announced on these pages the Cavalier of the Year Award. So far we have had an excellent response, but there is still time for you to nominate a dog that you feel is worthy of the award. We will be compiling a roll of honour for these special dogs, so if you know of any Cavalier that has proved to be worthy of a mention, (for example, by bringing comfort or being of great assistance to an elderly or infirm person or a disabled child), then please let us know. We are also interested in hearing about dogs with rather unusual talents that make them stand out from the crowd. At the end of the year The Cavalier Club would like to honour one of these dogs with the title Cavalier of the Year. We also hope that many of the nominated dogs will be able to attend the Blenheim Palace event next year for a grand presentation and take a lap of honour.
Last February we announced on these pages the Cavalier of the Year Award. So far we have had an excellent response, but there is still time for you to nominate a dog that you feel is worthy of the award. We will be compiling a roll of honour for these special dogs, so if you know of any Cavalier that has proved to be worthy of a mention, (for example, by bringing comfort or being of great assistance to an elderly or infirm person or a disabled child), then please let us know. We are also interested in hearing about dogs with rather unusual talents that make them stand out from the crowd. At the end of the year The Cavalier Club would like to honour one of these dogs with the title Cavalier of the Year. We also hope that many of the nominated dogs will be able to attend the Blenheim Palace event next year for a grand presentation and take a lap of honour.
Sometimes we wonder if there is anybody out there. There are days when we receive lots of emails asking advice including where to find cavalier breeders and puppies, and then we hear nothing for ages, so it’s really heartening when we receive e-mails like the following from Sue Ramsey from North Carolina USA who says:
"I just wanted to thank you again for the super ‘Cavaliers as Pets’ feature that you do each month. I enjoy it so very much.
I especially liked the agility clips – tried that with our Ruby girl some years ago and SHE was great at it, but we were the ‘slow’ ones!
Your monthly feature is my favourite part of the UK Club page."
Thanks Sue we appreciate your thoughts.
We try to please everyone with various articles but if you think we could do more please get in touch. Also if you have a story to tell, be it long or short, please let us know and you could find a little fame for yourself and your companions! Our e-mail address is at the bottom of the page.
"I just wanted to thank you again for the super ‘Cavaliers as Pets’ feature that you do each month. I enjoy it so very much.
I especially liked the agility clips – tried that with our Ruby girl some years ago and SHE was great at it, but we were the ‘slow’ ones!
Your monthly feature is my favourite part of the UK Club page."
Thanks Sue we appreciate your thoughts.
We try to please everyone with various articles but if you think we could do more please get in touch. Also if you have a story to tell, be it long or short, please let us know and you could find a little fame for yourself and your companions! Our e-mail address is at the bottom of the page.
Friends large and small
These delightful dogs are owned by Mary Cunningham of Verheyen Cavaliers and Boxers. A lovely scene of canine friendship
A DOG’S PHILOSOPHY
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
"If your dog is fat, you are not getting enough exercise"
Author unknown
If you have any questions about owning a Cavalier then click on the envelope to email Dennis and Tina who will only be too pleased to try and help you.
However please remember that we are not Vets or Lawyers so questions on these topics should be addressed to the professionals for advice.
Questions and answers that are of interest to other owners may be published on this page.
However please remember that we are not Vets or Lawyers so questions on these topics should be addressed to the professionals for advice.
Questions and answers that are of interest to other owners may be published on this page.
Material Copyright © 2009 The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club