It’s not something we want to think about, but sometimes we must. I ran across a particularly powerful and useful article in the Fort Worth Star Telegram which covers the tragedy of losing a pet and what to do.

Here are some helpful things I have learned.

• Call your vet. Vets are well equipped for these situations and know what to do when your pet dies.
• Do not bury your dog yourself. City ordinances usually prohibit burying your pet in the backyard. Fort Worth, Dallas, and most municipalities in Dallas and Tarrant counties do not allow backyard burials. However, cremated ashes can be buried in your backyard.
• Physically, you have hours to decide what to do. It does not require calling a 24-hour vet and can wait until your vet opens in the morning. Emotionally, you may not want to and emergency animal hospitals can help you. If you are going to wait, it is best to keep your pet’s body in a cool place.
• A few local businesses will pickup your pet from your home or vet 24 hours a day. Some of these Fort Worth businesses are:
  • Little Angels Pet Cremation Service
  • Beyond the Rainbow Pet Hospice & Memorial Center
  • All Paws Go To Heaven
  • There are dozens of other “after-care” facilities in the DFW Metroplex
• Counseling is available. You don’t have to go through this alone. Your vet or one of the after-care facilities should be able to help you get in touch with a grief counselor.
• There are basically 5 options available for pets.
  1. Private burial – With this option, you will purchase a small plot of land at a pet cemetary, a headstone, a casket, and there are even chaplains who will say a few words for your pet at a graveside service. It’s a common practice and the companies listed above can help with all the details.
  2. Communal burial – some pet cemetaries offer a communal burial, burying multiple pets in a common grave, giving you and your family a more affordable option with a marked grave to visit.
  3. Private cremation – your pet will be the only animal in the cremation chamber and afterwards the ashes will be collected and returned to you.
  4. Group cremation – your pet is cremated along with other pets. There is no way to get your pet’s ashes back.
  5. Curbside pickup of dead animals is available at no charge six days a week in Fort Worth. Pets are “respectfully taken to a special area in the landfill away from the trash.” (817-392-EASY)
• Prices for these services vary wildly, especially with private burials. Expect to pay at least $200 for a private cremation. Group cremations should be less than $50.

If you’ve found this blog post because your beloved pet recently passed over the rainbow bridge, we are deeply sorry for your loss.

Original Article: Advice on what to do when a dog passes away [Star-Telegram]

The kids made a silly video to celebrate our favorite Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

The cake is not a lie.

Hopefully by now you are one of the five million people who have watched this amazing game day commercial teaser from Volkswagen.
If not, enjoy:

We have been having some discussion in this dog-loving, Star-Wars-loving family about which breed represents what Star Wars character of “the bark side”. Starting at the front left, here is our list of guesses of AKC breeds and Star Wars characters from this Super Bowl ad:

If you have any corrections, feel free to email me.
May the force be with you.

Royal Spaniels is our favorite Cavalier magazine, packed full of beautiful high-resolution photographs. If you aren’t subscribed, you are missing out. It’s a true delight.

Bingley, however, is not sure what to think of these incredibly realistic photos. He wants to make sure these “new” dogs know that he is The Big Dog.

Bingley is ready for the Rangers to win the World Series at home in Arlington, Texas tonight.

I found this image on a tumblr blog called I Love Old Magazines. Its from a 1976 issue of Ebony.

Most of the information seems to be fairly good although the way we think about feeding our dogs has certainly changed quite a bit over the past 35 years.

Most pet foods sold in grocery stores are full of corn and by-products. We recommend you try to stick to natural foods made with whole grains and plenty of real meat (never corn, wheat, soy or by-products.)

Despite all the fancy breeding, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels will still eat anything. Myra Savant Harris once told me that she imported some beautiful Cavaliers from England. She thought these proper lady Cavaliers would be more refined in their tastes. Perhaps they would prefer tea and crumpets? Unfortunately, they ate poop, just like their American counterparts.

A dogs digestive system is far more sturdy than our own, but it’s still important to make sure you watch your dogs diet. Obesity is an especially great danger to Cavaliers.

We all know that chocolate is poisonous to our dogs. But have you ever wondered how much? What happens when your precious Cavalier King Charles Spaniel digs in the trash and finds an old Twix wrapper?

National Geographic has put together a handy chart/calculator to help determine how much is too much. It lists white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark, semi-sweet, baking and cocoa powder.

Spoiler alert: for the average 16 pound cavalier Kling Charles spaniel, it takes as little as one ounce of dark chocolate to make them sick. Five ounces of dark chocolate can kill them. Cocoa powder is much more concentrated and takes less than an ounce before the dog is in danger of death. Milk chocolate is less dangerous. For example, 70 Milk Chocolate Hershey Kisses could kill a Cavalier; 11 will make one sick.

Remember, even if it says Black and Tan Chocolate, it is not to be given to a Black and Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. 😉 Indulge responsibly.

Footnote: How cute are those cake pops in the top photo?! No, I will not be bringing them to the next Cavalier club meeting. Mine would inevitably look like rock monsters instead.

I Fratelli Pizza gives a free large cheese pizza to the first 50 people who bring in their dog on Smooch-Your-Pooch Wednesdays at all locations in October. More details about Barktoberfest on their Facebook page.

If you and your Cavalier are looking for something else to do after your pizza, The DallasNews.com site has a regular column called Dog About Town about dog friendly businesses and events in DFW. This is a vast and comprehensive list which is worth checking out.

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

This is the pirate Captain Kidd. This image was created by the artist Jean Leon Gerome Ferris circa. 1932. The scene is from a remarkable collection of paintings called The Pageant of a Nation created by Ferris. These iconic images are the largest set of single artist paintings of American history and they have also been criticized for being wildly inaccurate. For instance, in his painting of the landing at plymouth rock, the pilgrims are greeted by native Americans wearing clothes from Great Plains tribes. Also, there probably was not a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel on Captain Kidd’s ship in 1695. Did they really keep their nice Oriental rugs exposed on the deck?

A reprint of this particular painting was recently presented to me by my lovely wife on the occasion of our anniversary. Cavaliers and Pirates – two great tastes that taste great together. Since I was a child I have been fascinated by the fantastically romantic swashbuckling adventure stories. The ladies in this painting seem to share my romanticism – and the cavalier king charles spaniel fits right in.

I knew very little about Captain Kidd before finding this painting, but my interest in the pirate has since been peaked. Especially after reading the tales of his treasure maps. There have been four maps found of an island in the China Sea said to hold Captain Kidd’s treasure.

All four of the maps are extremely similar, and all four were found hidden in false bottoms of treasure chests, or tucked away in hidden crevices of furniture. This map, for instance, was found tightly rolled, hidden under a wax seal behind a loose brass plate in this writing desk.

Shiver me timbers, indeed!