Robert

Born on October 22, 1996, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel came into my house and into my life. Robert (called "Bobby" by those members of my family who disregard my express wishes on the subject) is a Tricolour dog (white, tan and black) with tan eyebrows and a white racing stripe going up between his eyes. He has long fringed ears and while others say he is slightly overweight, I prefer to think of him as cuddly. With a playful personality, Robert is a friendly dog who loves nothing better than a big hug.

Robert follows at my heels wherever I go. He even tries to follow me into the bathroom! In the middle of the day he jumps up onto my lap and promptly falls asleep. If I'm not sitting down, he will jump up onto my bed and falls asleep with his head on my pillow. When flealess, Robert sleeps at my shoulder and keeps my head warm throughout the night. It has got to the point where he can't fall asleep at night unless I am laying next to him. If it is late at night and I am not yet in bed, he will come into my room, sit or lay by the door, and whine at me until I put him on my bed and cover him over with a blanket. I am told that when I am not home at night, Robert will walk around the house aimlessly and whine, and then fall asleep on my bed. However, when I come home he gets very excited, jumping all over me and licking my face.

As a puppy, Robert was not house-trained and left little "presents" all over the linoleum, to the consternation of my parents. I now have him trained to bark and tap at the door when he wants to be let out. He also used to bite peoples' chests, and needless to say he no longer does that! Robert does attend the local dog obedience school when he is able, and is taken by my brother (as it is held on Sunday mornings and when I am home on Sundays, I like my sleep!) He is currently working on Level 2 after successfully passing Level 1 obedience.

Robert's life to date has not been a charmed one. At birth, he was the runt of the litter and at times it was despaired whether he should survive to a great age. He grew though, and came to live with us at the age of ten weeks. In the beginning, he was not particularly my dog, rather belonging mainly to my younger siblings. I had not been a fan of animals up till then, but within a couple of weeks he and I were unseparable. However, after an falling incident from the second storey verandah of the cubby house involving my youngest sister last November (like the Kennedy assassinations, the full details may never be known), Robert's health took a turn for the worst. He had broken his back left leg (shown extended in the adjacent photograph) in two places, in the middle of his leg and at the ankle joint. The ankle break in particular was very severe, as the fall had broken off the parts of the foot bone that held the leg in the joint. It required major surgery by a specialist in Melbourne, and involved the setting in place of two pins, an screw, and a figure-of-eight clamp. Robert could not walk for a month and a half and is currently still partaking of an exercise regime. He is not allowed to exercise for a long period of time and cannot attend obendience classes.

I know I am slightly biased, but I think Robert is the best dog in the world. After reading this page, I hope you agree. With luck he will remain in good health for many years to come and provide my family with companionship long into the future.