Diamond Valley Ranch
{About Us}
Diamond Valley Ranch is located in Temecula, California, 45 minutes North of San Diego. We are situated on five acres of fully fenced horse property, so our dogs are free to roam when outside with no restrictions. We do not kennel our dogs. They are kept in our home, and puppies are handled daily from the minute they are born to the day they join their new family. My young daughter lovingly enjoys helping me with this task, so our puppies are used to children.
Many think of the Cavalier King Charles as an "elite" breed, only to be enjoyed by the wealthy. I do not hold this belief and do not feel entitled in picking and choosing a home for my puppies. I feel that if you have previous experience owning a dog, and can provide a safe and loving home, with a lifetime commitment for the life of the dog, you have a suitable home. If you are unable to keep one of our dogs at any time, please contact me, no questions asked-I would be more than happy to take them back at any time.
I come from a family of animal lovers and have owned dogs, cats, birds and horses for as long as I can remember. From the time I was 14 until my mid twenties when I applied to pre-veterinary school, I worked as a veterinary technician, surgical assistant and veterinary pharmacist in two small animal veterinary clinics, attending to both routine and trauma care patients. Life's path took me in a different direction and I was unable to attend veterinary school at The Ohio State University, but of course my love for animals is just as strong.
Our five acre property ~ Diamond Valley Ranch
Me and my daughter Kaitlyn (many years ago) she still loves the doggies!
I breed both AKC registered and OFA health tested Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and American Quarter Horses for the English discipline that show in an event called Hunter under saddle. I am extremely picky when choosing my breeding stock for both my horses and my dogs. My mare has produced a two time world champion, reserve world champion and a lengthy number of international, national and regional show winners.
When working in the veterinary field, I was exposed to many dogs in shelters that met an untimely fate. This has always affected me, and I do not take the subject lightly. My best preventative to avoid adding more homeless pets to shelters is to breed the very best that I can, in small numbers. Often times, pets that end up in shelters may suffer from health issues that the owners do not have the financial means to provide proper medical care for the animal. This means OFA testing (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, the top rated organization for health testing in animals) my breeding stock by Board Certified Specialists in the respective fields of both Cardiac (heart) and Ophthalmology (eye), and stringently testing my dogs for any sort of genetic or abnormal defects. I run my dogs through a number of health tests before they are ever bred. If there is any question as to their soundness in breeding or passing on any sort of undesirable or genetically inherited abnormality, they will not be bred, and I will have them spayed or neutered.
There are alot of aspects of responsible breeding. Many factors are considered, mainly health, temperament and looks. These factors include the very important health issues and testing discussed above. Temperament in the Cavalier King Charles is extremely easy! I have never owned or met a Cavalier that was not wagging its tail, happy and full of life! Appearance has a few factors in producing a solid, conformationally correct and beautiful dog. Desired coat colors are achieved by breeding "parti" (partial) colors to partial colors (example: tri color to blenheim) and breeding solids to solids (example: ruby to a black and tan). I do not breed between the color families, as this results in unwanted markings that are not to the breed standard. Conformation is important in the breed because how well a dog is put together (the overall "build of the dog, or how topline ties in with hips, length of the back, length and straightness of the legs, how sloped is the shoulder, what is the dog's headset and neck like, tail set, ear set etc), all have to do with how the dog will repeatedly use its body throughout its life. A dog with a poor build will be at a greater risk of developing patella, "stifle" problems, as well as arthritis and other health issues.
The bloodlines that one chooses to breed are of the utmost importance. I am not out to forge new territory with my "own" bloodlines, and make mistakes along the way. I have learned from years in horse breeding to go with combinations of bloodlines that are proven to produce a correct, healthy, happy animal with as small a chance of defects as possible. With the Cavaliers, I have chosen the VERY best bloodlines that exist in the breed. These bloodlines have been crossed to produce dogs that are free from common genetic defects in the breed, and those with longevity, many having lived well into their mid teens! The Sheeba line is very well known for heart clear Cavaliers, even in their "senior" years. The Pascavale lines are literally a foundation import English bloodline of the breed. I breed what others have bred that have proven themselves to be great.
Lastly, I feel it is any good breeders responsibility to do the very expensive, very time consuming health clearances on all of their dogs because that is an absolute necessity in producing healthy puppies. However I do not believe that it is the puppy buyer's responsibility to have to pay more because the parent dogs are certified. Therefore, I do not charge an arm and a leg for my puppies because they have a much greater chance of living a healthy, long, life and come from healthy parents. That is simply my responsibility as a good breeder, and doing the best that I can for the breed, and for the animals.
