My name is Mickey. I am an 8-year-old male Cavalier King Charles Spaniel originally from northern Idaho who now lives north of Seattle Washington. Sadly my owner passed away and my life for awhile there was quite upside down. But now I live with my mom Peabody and dad Jason and we continue to get to know each other. I am definitely a mama’s boy, but dad’s cool too.

Unfortunately, I do come with many health issues. I am deaf. I have Atlanto Axial malformation with mild dorsal compression…which means that my C2 is overriding my C1. Which means I have some pain issues (that are controlled by meds). I also have a very common (and very often misdiagnosed) condition called Chiari malformation and Syringomyelia. I’m also a little overweight which I am working on since it’s not good on my back to have the extra weight.

I also had a few behavior issues mostly because I had all these health issues but not until the wonderful people at Cavalier Rescue USA came along and got me an MRI no one knew about so I was in pain. I was a little growly at men and sometimes teens but only when they are in my house…I love any and all people outside of my domain. I also get better about this every day as mom and dad work on it with me. I like other dogs, especially dogs about my size or smaller. Cats and other animals don’t bother me at all and I don’t bother them.

Things I like:

My mom. I like to follow her everywhere. I like to sit on her lap when she is on the couch. She is my person.

Walks in the park.  Dangle a leash in front of me and I am up and excited and ready to go! I walk rain or shine. Sometimes convincing the humans to go in the rain is hard but I have a raincoat and so do they so no excuses!

Food. My mom cooks a lot and I love to hang out in the kitchen and hope and pray that something drops. Sadly usually nothing does. But a boy can hope.

Belly rubs.

Laying on the grass in the sun.

To take all my toys out of the toy bin…but I don’t play with any of them…I just like to put them on display for all to see. But mom keeps picking them up and putting them away so I have to drag them out again.

The bed. I didn’t sleep in the bed when I was at my foster house (there were other dogs on the bed) but I love sleeping in bed with mom and dad. In fact, every day after mom gets up to give me my pills I try very hard to get her to go back upstairs to go back to bed for awhile…sometimes it works.

Licking grass. It’s my thing. I don’t really eat it. I’m weird.

Peanut butter.

My Kong…but I’m not very good at using it. Mostly I just lick whatever is on top and give up.

The Calgary Flames. I am told we are a hockey family and this is my hockey team. I’m still learning the sport right now. It’s a good thing I am deaf since sometimes, especially during the playoffs, dad yells at the TV.  😛

Dislikes:

When my medication needs readjusting.

Severe changes in weather can sometimes make my condition worse.

People bending down to pet me. It hurt me when I was not on medication to have my head pet and so I fear a little when people go to do that. I wear a CAUTION leash in hopes that people ask first. This is a good reminder that you should ALWAYS ask a dog owner if it’s okay to pet their dog before you do.

People in the kitchen. I like when they are cooking, in fact, I have a little low growl I give to let them know I am there and would like some of what they are having. They ignore me though. But sometimes I see people in the kitchen and I bark at them. It’s my kitchen, not theirs! Mom is the exception she can always be in the kitchen and it’s okay.

People getting up quickly from the couch. Since I am deaf I sometimes get startled when all of a sudden people pop up.

So why do I have a blog? Lots of reasons:

*Show people that rescue dogs are awesome!

*Show people that senior (dogs 8 years old and up are considered seniors) are awesome!

*Educate people about Syringomyelia since it is overlooked by pet owners and vets alike.

*Talk about the ups and downs of having a dog with medical needs.

*Showcase places to take your dogs, especially around the Pacific Northwest.

*Talk about traveling with pets.

*Dog Treat recipes.

*Talk about what products we like and don’t like.

Just a warning, my mom will be writing this blog most of the time since she is a better at typing than me, but her grammar sucks.

So thanks for stopping by! I hope you will be a loyal reader…because us dogs are all about loyalty!

Mickey and Mickey’s Mom (Peabody)