Hello and welcome!

  We are a very small kennel located in Northeastern Texas, in the city of Waxahachie. Our story began in the Spring of 1999.   My husband and I had decided we wanted to adopt a new family member since we were both dog lovers and the kids' had moved on with their lives.   However, with so many breeds to choose from we thought a good place to start was with an on-line survey that helped determine what breed would best fit our lifestyle.  And a funny thing happened.  This little breed I'd never heard of let alone saw with my own eyes kept popping up!  The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was the number one dog for us!  

 

A few years later, the opportunity to buy a Cavalier presented itself and without hesitation we jumped at the chance.  This is how "Brodie" (a little tricolor boy) came to join our  family.   Before long, we knew this breed was unlike any other.  So it was no surprise when only two years later we fell victim to the saying;  

 

“Cavaliers are like potato chips; you can never have just one!” 

 

When we knew we wanted to adopt yet another Cavalier is when we thought, maybe we could breed them?  It had not been our intention to become 'dog breeders' since we both grew up in the city and hadn't a clue about raising any animal.   But when looking into obtaining a nice Cavalier with the right to breed, we hit a brick wall.   Of course we were clueless as to the huge commitment of time and money to say nothing of the emotional hardship that goes in to raising healthy and correct pure-bred dogs but we were willing to learn.  That said, we were 'sitting ducks' to breeders who were only about making money.  Unfortunately, we fell victim to obtaining less than perfect dogs to show, let alone breed.  So we had to spay and neuter and began once again.  

 

The 'silver lining' to this trying time was we learned a lot about people, dogs and how to develop a 'vision' for our kennel.  We educated ourselves on Cavalier health, pedigree, type and care.  We went to all the local shows in order to visualize what a Cavalier should be.  Once we felt relatively confident in our ability to choose a good specimen, we then set out to find a reputable breeder who would trust us.  Thankfully, we were able to find some amazing dogs from amazing breeders!  I owe a debt of gratitude to them and I hope by selective breeding for HEALTH FIRST and FOREMOST, I will do them and the breed proud!  

 

Our Vision

It has taken years to develop a vision for our kennel.  While Cavaliers make excellent Therapy, Agility and Show dogs, our goal is to breed for HEALTH and that wonderful temperament Cavaliers are known for.  This can be a slippery slope, especially for those who exhibit (Show) extensively.  When we breed closely related dogs, we have as they say, "More times at bat" in achieving gorgeous offspring.  While I am no different in my appreciation of a beautiful Cavalier, I choose to focus my efforts on HEALTH, first and foremost.  Breeders and buyers alike get caught up in the animals' beauty, rather than its’ substance let alone its' genetics.  I am not a huge fan of ‘line-breeding’ (the breeding of related dogs) since it is my belief most of the health issues in Cavaliers are due to a lack of genetic diversity. 

 

That said, Cavaliers do have a ‘standard’ by which all ethical breeders aim for.    I practice ‘out-cross’ breeding  (the breeding of unrelated animals) and so much of the time have puppies looking very different from one another IN THE SAME LITTER.  So it can take time to achieve that one phenomenally beautiful, proportionate 'happy-go-lucky'  and HEALTHY animal.  Of course I would love for all my pups to be show pups but it is far more important that they are healthy, happy and well adjusted.   I do what I do FOR THE LOVE OF IT.  NOT FOR THE PROFIT.

 

The path I walk is solely based upon my experience and has led me to practice out-cross breeding in the hope of  providing as much genetic material as possible to help lessen the possibility of your pet developing one of the many debilitating diseases Cavaliers are prone to.   This is my proclamation of love to the future welfare of the breed and is in no way an admonishment to breeders who practice differently.  I believe we have to follow our hearts and this is where my heart has led me.  There is room for us all!

 

     While no breeder (myself included) can guarantee a pup won’t develop a life-threatening or genetic issue during its' lifetime, we at Entourage Cavaliers believe we have an obligation to be honest and forthright about our animals’ health to buyers and breeders alike.  All of our breeding animals are annually health tested by board-certified veterinary specialists annually and ‘live amongst us’ in our home.   It is our goal to produce a happy, healthy and beautiful Cavalier so that you may have a long-lived “Comfort Spaniel Companion” to enjoy for years to come!

 

  We are a kennel ‘In Progress’ and hope always to be. I truly love this breed and will always have a Cavalier in my life. We welcome you to our site and hope you will stick around and get to know us better!   We subscribe to the motto:

"Once you have a pup from us, it makes us family!"

               Scott & Jennifer Dew

 

 

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.  You are his life, his love, his leader.  He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.  

You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"