Cavalier Planet

	To Celebrate the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
	Story - Clarice

Clarice, is a 5 year old spayed tricolour bitch. My long term friend who was terminally ill, lost her last cavalier about 18 months before she herself died. My friend was very lonely without a cavalier but realised it might not be the most sensible thing to have another puppy, given her future. I told her I had an older bitch who I thought would be just perfect for her to "borrow", so she came to visit and meet Clarice.

When she came to the house, I didn't tell her which one I was thinking about but Clarice, who could be a little reticent with strangers, immediately ran up to her wagging excitedly. So, that was that, Clarice had made a choice and went home with my friend. Over the following year, Clarice came back to me for odd days or a week or so at a time, when my friend had things to do which kept her away from home. Clarice seemed more than happy to have two mums, being just as excited to go to either home.

Towards the end, my friend was less able to go out but Clarice was more than happy to follow her about and just lay beside her. Two weeks before my friend passed, she was admitted to a hospice. As I lived over 30 miles away, it was decided that Clarice would temporarily live with my friends sister so she could visit the hospice every day. This she did for the first week, spending the whole day happily just lying beside my friends good hand (a brain tumour had taken away the use of one side). She loved all the attention, especially when my friend got pushed in her bed from the ward to enjoy the sun outside - Clarice just lapped up being pushed around in the bed, lay there cock a hoop, head held proudly, being admired by all on the way.

The second (and final) week Clarice came home with me but I took her with me on every visit. Each time we entered the hospice, she got excited, wagging her tail, knowing exactly the route to my friends bed - where she jumped straight up and lay down. It intrigued me how she instinctively knew which side to lie on so that my friend could stroke her with the tips of her fingers. My friends one wish was that Clarice should be with her at the end, so when the day arrived, I made my way to the hospice as quickly as I could. Sadly, my friend died 20 minutes before we got there.

However, Clarice was taken in to see her and she immediately jumped on the bed, wagging her tail and unusually, before she lay down, put her feet on my friends chest and licked her all over her face.

Clarice also attended the funeral, as was my friend's wish, and patiently sat through the ceremony, crying slightly.................................. Of course Clarice, as promised, will spend the rest of her life with me, an addition to my "bed dogs".

To me Clarice typifies the essence of the breed in every way - "the gentle comforter".