Bentley & Bella

ADOPTED! Bentley and Isabella (Bella) - Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

Bentley and Bella are 18 month old Rescue Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that we're fostering for a few days until the planned foster is back in town.

Bentley is a male Ruby and Bella is a female Blenheim. Both are very friendly and house trained. They're current on all their shots and have been spayed/neutered. Bentley has already had surgery for one luxating patella. He is slightly overweight, which can be taken care of with reduced food and using "fillers" so he doesn't feel hungry. They are up to date on their shots and in good health. Bentley

Both fit right in with the rest of the pack here at our house. Bentley is outgoing and comes right over to greet you. Bella is a little bit timid, but once things have settled down, she comes over and wants attention too.

The later pictures have been taken at their permanent foster families home. Bentley has been scheduled for surgery on his other patella and about 6 weeks afterwards will be running around like the young dog he is.

And from their foster Mom:

Bella is a quirky little girl who vocalizes about everything, all the time. She needs a home where barking (at birds, squirrels, people, bikes, other dogs) won't be a problem. Bella talks to her foster parents, sometimes moaning for a belly scratch or whirring (not a growl but definitely disagreement) when they move her to a position where she doesn't want to be. She always apologizes for her disagreement by giving nose kisses or looking very apologetic. The "talking" can be disconcerting for someone who is not used to a vocal dog, but does not seem to be an indicator of bad temperament. Bella likes to watch TV and bark at the dogs in the dog show or in commercials. Bella amuses herself playing soccer with soft fabric eggs and loves tennis balls. She also loves playing tug-of-war with her foster brothers while Bentley recuperates from surgery. Now that it is colder, she is spending much more time in her foster parents' laps. She still likes to sleep snuggled up with her foster brothers or on her foster mom's head in the bed. Bella seems to have a small or excitable bladder and can't wait very long to go outside after sleeping all night or being crated for a while. Her adoptive family must remember this or accidents will happen. Bella is rather catlike and will explore end tables and night stands where she has discovered goodies to chew on like chapstick and watch bands. They will have to remember that although it takes time to bond with Bella, she bonds strong and not to let Bentley hog all the attention like he is prone to do. An inexperienced dog owner might not devote the necessary time to her or become distressed or misinterpret her vocalizations and give her up. I do think the adoptive family needs to be more in tune to her potential drawbacks, e.g. barking, vocal expressions, and small bladder rather than Bentley - just because Bentley is easy.

Bentley is recovering from patella surgery. His knee was in bad shape and he will probably always have some bad days due to degenerative changes in the knee. His adoptive family will need to be careful that he does not jump/climb and stress the knee (or his other knee which also had surgery before he arrived in rescue). Because he likes to sleep in the bed, he will need a ramp or steps. He waits to be lifted into the bed (or furniture) but does occasionally get out of bed at night using the steps. He will require a joint supplement on a daily basis and weight monitoring. Bentley is easy to get to know and loves everyone. He will join Bella in barking, but does not usually instigate it. He will be in your lap as much as you will let him. Bentley does steal shoes from the closet and leaves them for Bella to chew on.