This is my favorite picture of my favorite dog, my parents’ Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Molly. Here she is giving you her usual “Um, why aren’t you petting me?” look.
When we got her, she was so tiny you could hold her with both hands cupped together. And yet when we brought her home, she was so nervous that she ran around releasing enough poop for a full-grown Rottweiler. Everywhere. She was like a puppy-poop TARDIS, bigger on the inside than on the outside. It was a busy night. By the next day, though, she’d figured things out. She was home. From then on, she was part of the family.
The poop thing remained a problem. But who could stay mad at that face?
Cavaliers are very sweet, loving dogs, but they’re also prone to a lot of health problems. Mitral valve disease is the main one, and lately she’s been suffering. This morning it took her.
Goodbye, Molly. You were the best dog I ever had. You were a good girl.