Meet Caroline
As you could probably tell from our last pics of the day, we have someone very special to introduce 🙂
Meet Caroline:
Here’s a little info about the sweet girl, who joined our family on Friday.
We picked her up in Phoenix from a foster family, who were taking care of her through a Cavalier King Charles rescue group. They recently saved over 30 Cavaliers from a puppy mill in Arkansas, and brought them all to Arizona to find loving families to adopt the dogs.
The Pilot and I had been wanting to get a second dog and friend for Bell for over a year, but wanted to wait until we knew we had found the right one. We’d take trips to the Humane Society because we knew we wanted our next dog to be a rescue (didn’t have a breed preference, but needed to be good with other small dogs, kids and hopefully housetrained) and would research online. When I found Caroline through a rescue website, I thought she may be a good fit since she’s fairly young (they think she’s a year and a half) and loves other dogs and babies/kids. I filled out an application to receive more info and wasn’t really expecting to receive a phone call. The rescue organization called a few days later, and we were so excited.
I talked to the representative for about 45 minutes on the phone to hear as much as possible about Caroline, and was also transparent about our last dog and the incident when Viesa attacked Bell. (Viesa is now living with good friends– Meg’s sister and her hubby!- and is queen of the castle. We get to see her often so it was the best possible solution.) We know Bell loves other dogs and thrives when she has dog company, but wanted to make sure that any potential dogs did not have issues with aggression or dominance. Caroline is the exact opposite- she’s a shy, timid and easygoing girl, and has been through quite a lot.
When they picked up Caroline from the puppy mill, she was one of the “mama dogs” even though she was only about a year and a half old. She’s had at least one or two litters of puppies (when she’s a baby herself), but they’re not sure how many. From being in the puppy mill, she’s not quite used to the outdoors yet and hasn’t been walked on a leash. When I tried to put one on her at my aunt’s house in Phoenix, she just laid on the grass, so we all hung out outside until she was ready to go in.
At the same time, she seems to be housetrained fairly well (for now, we just take her out often and she’s gone outside each time- we make sure to give her lots of praise and a treat) and is still recovering from her trips. She’s been eating and drinking water like a champ, so we feel good about being able to help her gain some weight, since all of the dogs were extremely frail when they were initially rescued. The good news is that Bella is as happy as can be with her new friend -they already follow each other around- and the Pilot and I are pretty sure it’s because Bella thinks she’s a person. “Oh, we got a dog?! Cool, what are we gonna name her??”
What we can tell about Caroline so far:
-She LOVES the backyard. She’ll walk around, explore and wag her tail- it’s a lot of fun to take her outside and I’m hoping she’ll eventually enjoy going on walks with us. Anyone have tips for helping her get used to walking? I’m probably not going to try again for a little while, until she’s settled, but I would love any advice. At first, she was trying to figure out what the backyard was, and now she and Bella are already playing and chasing each other around.
-She also loves sleeping in our bed, and the comfy new dog bed the Pilot picked up for her.
-She’s an angel to Liv and Bell. Liv has learned how to have “gentle hands” from petting Bell so often, so Caroline will lay down next to Liv and Livi gives her a few little pats- it’s pretty sweet. I’ve never seen Liv talk the way she has to Caroline.. she’s obviously really excited to have another dog in the house. Caroline walked into Liv’s room when I was getting her out of her crib this morning, and Liv yelled, “HIIIIII!” and started waving.
-She’s a shy girl for now, but has already blossomed and come out of her shell so much since we first picked her up. There’s a huge difference in her personality and comfort level since we brought her home as she continues to adjust.
-She already fits in perfectly and we’re so happy to have her. <3
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Oh my gosh, those pictures are killing me over here! I have been on the fence about getting a king Charles for over a year! They are so precious and excellent family dogs…maybe in the spring! Have fun with Caroline 🙂
Cavaliers are such a great breed. We have 2 and they are the snuggliest, nicest dogs ever. Welcome, Caroline!
I’m so excited for your family. How wonderful that Caroline is a rescue. I love my little rescue terrier mutt. She is my best friend.
I can’t believe that Caroline isn’t a puppy herself. She is so dainty. What a jewel. Thanks for sharing more about her.
Gina, Caroline is beautiful! Welcome to the cavalier owners club. I have a king charles cavalier, Lily who is now 5 years old. Our experience with her has been nothing but wonderful from the start. In general, the breed is the most loving, cuddly breed of dogs out there (I’m a bit biased). I’m sure she is the perfect addition to your family.
Share pics with us regularly!! She’s a cutie.
Wow, what a wonderful thing you have done!! I am SO happy Caroline has found such a great family like yours-you seem to be taking all the responsible, accurate steps to helping her and loving her. I am so, so happy that poor, beautiful creature has been rescued and put in a great home. I hope the same goes for all the other dogs as well!!
My heart is brimming with joy and my eyes are brimming with tears reading your post! You are angels to have rescued your newest fur baby! I am a huge advocate for rescue critters. Thank you for raising the awareness in such a kind and loving way. I know Caroline will fit right in to your sweet family. She is absolutely beautiful. You and she are very blessed to have found each other. Blessings!
Congrats on your new baby!
We are just about to get our third foster puppy today, and we are so excited! I can imagine how you felt to visit/pick up Sweet Caroline.
A tip on leash training: one method that works great is to clip the leash on Caroline while she is indoors (but without a person holding the end). She seems pretty comfortable in your house, so you can let her walk around the house with it. You can start off easy, a few minutes with the leash clipped on, and lots of praises and treats. Then graduate to longer periods of time. Once she is comfortable with wearing the leash, you can begin practicing with a person holding the other end.
Of course, there are many methods, so I wish you the best with whatever you choose to implement!
this just feels SO RIGHT. Surely you all will have the best time together.
<3 <3
I’m so glad you rescued her. When I see someone get a purebred-looking dog, I always cringe, figuring they patronized a puppy mill. I hate that industry and wish it would be tightly controlled or something, at least until the day that millions of suitable pets aren’t euthanized weekly across the nation.
Oh my goodness liv’s hair is getting so long !! The last pic with you and both pups is so sweet 🙂
Do you guys read her the Olivia piggy books? I saw some today and thought of your little girl!
Caroline & Bella are SO cute together!
Eeee! I have a cavalier and they are one of the best dogs!! My Buster Bear is so loving, snuggly, friendly, and a great companion. Plays well with all other dogs and is great with kids. A perfect friend for Bella especially. Congrats!!
Oh she is too precious! King Charles is exactly the breed I want, perfect for an apartment. COngratulations!
I have a little dog too and when she was younger she wasn’t too excited about walking on a leash, so I will share with you what worked for us.
1st-obviously get a harness and not a collar. I’m sure you know collars can be dangerous for smaller dogs because their necks are smaller and you can obstruct their windpipes if they pull on a leash.
2nd-with my dog when she wasn’t interested in walking and would just lay in the grass, I would pick her up and carry her for a ways. They I’d set her down and encourage her to walk with a treat. If she didn’t want to walk again, I would pick her up for another couple of blocks and set her back down again. This worked SO WELL for us and now she walks like a champ!
Maybe when you take her outside into the yard with Bell, you could put the leash on her and walk her around so she gets used to it! And then when you all go for a walk, she will just want to keep up with Bell anyway!
What a cute puppy. 🙂
I leash trained my dog by putting the leash on him, and then holding the leash and walking a few steps (so that the leash was not tight or pulling him). I put a treat out of reach. He came and got it, and we did that a few more times. I think I only had to repeat that process once or twice, and then he was always thrilled to go on his leash. 🙂
Congratulations!!!!
Looks like you guys are a perfect fit. Taking her for walks with Bella will
Help as she will see what it is all about. Just takes a little while.
They make an adorable pair!
Bless you for rescuing her – she’s so lucky to have you and it looks like you are lucky to have her! And I know Liv will love having another 4 legged sibling! I think it is much easier to “train” a second pup since they will tend to model after the one who has your routine down. Our 16 year old pup is going thru some health problems (stroke symptoms, but the ailment isn’t a stroke) – so we’re carrying him outside to do his business (not me, the husband as he’s too heavy for me) and hand feeding him. We’ve moved the furniture and put rugs everywhere so he can wobble around, but darn it if he doesn’t find the tiny bits of exposed hardwood floors and get stuck. Heartbreaking – but I know he’d do it for us! Give your fur babies a big smooch from me . . . take care my friend.
Mo
yay congrats!
Oh man this made me cry. I have a rescue dog at home too and he was very timid and fearful when we got him. Like you guys, we had another dog before we got Charlie (the rescue) and Charlie fell in looooove with him. The best tip I can give you is to walk the two of them together. I am almost positive that Caroline will watch and learn from Bell. (That means get ready for another chicken lover 😉 )
Thank you for rescuing!
Yay! Congrats on the new doggie! Caroline is adorable. Looking forward to reading more about her in your posts. 🙂
My rescue puppy hated hiking for some reason (but not walks). So I brought her dinner in a baggie with me and every couple of steps I’d feed her some of it. It only took one trip and she loves hiking now!
Absolutely adorable. You sound like you love her already. My dog was a rescue too and had never walked on a leash before I got her. One thing that helped was putting her on the leash in the house and letting her walk around with it. Don’t hold on to it, just let her know that it can be an extension to her coller sometimes.
Congrats! What a cutie! I love that you got a rescue. Our pup is a rescue and I have vowed that any and all future pups will be as well. I really do think they know what you’ve done for them. Welcome to the blog world, Caroline!
Hi Gina, I’ve been reading your blog for well over a year now. I lived in Kansas City when I first started reading but now live in Phoenix…so close! We rescued our cavalier, Charley, from Lucky Star Cavalier Rescue wen she was 5 yrs old. She was in the same situation as Caroline…living in a Missouri puppy mill and having countless litters of puppies. She was extremely timid at first. She would cower down if there was any abrupt movement or loud noise. She also walked very flat-footed. The vet said it was from constantly walking on a wire floor in her cage:( Our other cavalier unfortunately wasn’t as excited as Bella was when we got Charley. At one point I wondered if we had made the right decision as I had one dog who was competely terrified and the other who was so mad at us. However, I am happy to tell you that they are the best of friends now and Charley is seriously a different dog. It is the best feeling to watch her play and run around….always wagging her tail. She is the happiest little thing now. I’m so gad you rescued Caroline. She is so lucky to have such a wonderful new home. It may be a little tough at first helping her adjust but she will and it will be one of the best decisions you have ever made:) Have so much fun with her….cavaliers are seriously THE best! (our other cavalier, Paisley, looks very similar to Caroline) By the way, which rescue group did you get her from?
thank you- that makes me so happy to hear! it already feels so right 🙂
cavalier rescue foundation. i think they have more dogs that still need homes if anyone is looking! http://www.cavalierrescuefoundation.com/
Caroline looks so sweet! My husband and I adopted a soft coated wheaten terrier who had been born in and lived in a puppy mill for over a year named Jasper. He was absolutely terrified of everything when we got him (including us!) but also just so gentle and timid. One of the best things we did was hand feed him exclusively. So we didn’t feed him out of a bowl, just out of our hands. The idea is that dogs like/trust any one with food!! It really helped him come out of his shell and be comfortable and trust us. My husband is a dog trainer and we use positive reinforcement exclusively and that helped as well. Jasper was the sweetest, most loving, and gentle doggie and I’m teary eyed just thinking about him. It turned out that he had an autoimmune disease and we had to put him down 4 months after we got him. But in that short time he completely changed from a fearful, matted, and very smelly dog to a wonderfully sweet companion who loved everyone. I’m so thankful we had a chance to give him a safe and loving environment. And it just warms my heart to see you giving that opportunity to sweet Caroline 🙂
Congrats Gina! What a cutie pie!
Caroline is so cute! She looks like the perfect addition to your family.
I’ve been having major dog fever lately and peruse adoption/rescue sites often so seeing and hearing about rescues makes me so happy. I can’t wait to settle down so I can do the same! 🙂
So so sweet! I love rescue stories.
This story touched my heart. We rescued our little guy from the Humane Society, and he was beaten by his previous owners. It took us a while before he trusted us… he’s still a little shaky with certain things, but he’s such a love. He definitely is a treasured member of our family!
Congratulations! She’s beautiful. And good for you for adopting a rescue. So many wonderful dogs need good homes…so glad to see this sweet girl has a second chance at a great life!
Right on about adopting a rescue! btw, I clicked on your blog and your Aussie-Shepherd is like the cutest thing ever!
I was wondering who she was! She is so lucky to have found such a loving home 🙂
Sooo cute, and that little bow in Livi’s hair? I die. Super cute. When my dogs were puppies (they’re mini shih tzu-poodles), to get them used to the leashes we clipped them on and let them walk around the house (we’d watch them so the leashes wouldn’t get caught). That way they were so used to the leashes they didn’t really notice when we’d put them on to go for a walk. Soon they loved it!
I love the picture of the two of them sitting next to each other.. so cute! So happy that you were able to find her
Oh that’s so exciting, and she is such a sweet girl!! For the leash thing, I bet it’s just that she has no idea what it is, and it’s a pretty weird sensation! When my pup was a baby she had a rough time getting used to it so what I did was attach the leash and let her walk about and I’d hold the leash so there was no tension at all. Within a day or two it was easy peasy! If she loves walking with Bella though, maybe get a leash that attaches her to Bell and then you hold the one Bell is on. Once she realizes how awesome walks are with the family I don’t think it will be an issue. I think it’s so amazing that you rescued her, that story made me teary, so glad she’s in a happy home 🙂
Caroline is beautiful! And looks like she fits right in. 🙂
she is so precious!!
She’s a doll!!! So happy for y’all!!
congrats on the newest addition! 🙂
I believe another commenter already stated this but when my golden doodle was younger and learning to walk on a leash, it was recommended to leave the leash on him while we are at the home and not walking him. This allows her to get used to having the leash on without any outside influences. Eventually they just ignore it! Start small – 5 minutes, 10 minutes etc and she’ll do great! I’d go with the harness too once she’s used to the leash – less pulling! Good luck!
I love that breed! Your dogs are so cute together! They will be best friends! I love watching two dogs play and talk and get along. Fascinates me 🙂
Aw! I hope Caroline settles in nicely- look forward to reading more about her 🙂 Yay Bell has her own puppy now 😛
Is Bella a Bichon? We had one bichon and when we got our second (same breed) it took some getting used to, but soon they were attached at the hip. Unfortunately our second passed away last week :(. Looking forward to more pictures of your sweet pups!
Congratulations on your new addition!! Such a sad story:( and I’m glad she has her happy ending! One of our dogs came from a similar situation, backyard breeders with 20 dogs. But the police showed up to investigate without a warrant and when they went back with it the next day, only my boy’s litter was there. They had seen the full kennels the day before! Luckily they were able to take his litter to a rescue. Sadly, they eventually got calls about dead dogs in the swamps (this was New Orleans) and turns out the guy shot and dumped the other dogs:( Sometimes its hard not to lose faith in humans when stories like these happen!! So glad that you rescued and are promoting it. We foster for our local humane society to try to give back for those who saved our dogs:)
She’s adorbs! Glad you guys found another little dog for your family.
She’s adorable! When my husband and I decide to finally get a dog, I’d love for it to be a rescue. Thanks for posting that info, I’m going to look into some local So Cal organizations.
Congratulations!
CKCs are an awesome breed. My sweet Tessie is 3 and she is pure joy! I trained her with a harness, I like the Puppia brand sold on Amazon. Easy to put on, and washes well. I put it in a mesh bag and toss it in the washing machine.
You have a wonderful family and it warms my heart to know that with all that you do, you have room in your hearts and home to love that puppy! Be well!