About Kilmaren Cavaliers | Our Philosophy

We are lucky to live in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains just outside Charlottesville, Virginia.

While it is true that the Cavaliers here live in the house and benefit from the close contact with all the human family members, Teri is the heart and soul of Kilmaren Cavaliers. Teri has shared her life with animals since she was a child. Her serious interest in purebred dogs began about 14 years ago when she acquired her first Golden Retriever, Zach. He was a beautiful dog and wonderful family companion and he ignited a passion for purebred dogs that would burn steadily over the years to come.

As often happens, other Goldens followed. Of special note is her homebred boy Calvin, Misteri’s CK Takes the Wheel CGC, TDI and Delta Pet Partner. Calvin was OFA excellent, elbow, eye, and heart clear. He proved to be a wonderful sire of lovely puppies, several of which successfully completed a rigorous service dog training program and are now assisting the people with disabilities they live with full time.

Teri became interested in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel about 10 years ago. Cavaliers seemed to have a temperament similar to good Goldens and came in a much smaller package. After much research, reading, talking with breeders, and visiting Cavalier shows, she was delighted to acquire her first Cavalier, a lovely young adult Ruby girl, Milestone Moulin Rouge, a.k.a., “Moe”.

Over the next two years she was extremely fortunate to be able to import three other beautiful girls and you can learn more about them at OUR DOGS page. She and her family are so grateful to Deborah Ayer, Liane Berger, and Mark Sedgwick & Michael Levy for allowing these special Cavaliers to share their lives.

In addition to wife, mother, and breeder, Teri is a professional dog trainer. She was central Virginia’s first CPDT - Certified Pet Dog Trainer – a certification program designed by the APDT – Association of Pet Dog Trainers. For more information, or to find a CPDT near you please visit www.apdt.com

Teri founded, owned, and operated Golden Rule Dog Training for over 8 years. Golden Rule was the first training school of its kind in the area to focus exclusively on helping people with pet dogs learn to train using positive reinforcement and clicker training. For more information please check out www.clickandtreat.com Teri sold her business in 2004 and now has time to train her own dogs again. She has also discovered a serious interest in showing Cavaliers in the conformation ring. She shows in both CKCSC-USA and AKC venues.

Teri has written several articles about dog training for the Blue Ridge Australian Shepherd Club:

Teri enjoys dog showing, tracking training, and does agility with Kate and Zusa, for fun.

	Our Cavaliers have annual health exams including but not limited to heart screening by a Board Certified Veterinary Cardiologist.

	We believe that a Cavalier should be actively friendly and make correct temperament a priority in our breeding program.

	At Kilmaren our Cavaliers are raised naturally.

	They are fed a commercially prepared raw diet, Healthy Pet Products Food, http://www.healthypetdiet.com/main.shtml.

	We do necessary vaccines but keep them to a minimum. Please see http://www.doglogic.com/vaccination.htm for more information.

	We use no toxic chemicals on our grounds, and only organic products in our yard. The dogs live in the house as members of our family, but they do of course have access to a large fenced yard for sunshine, fresh air, and exercise. Our Cavaliers have the opportunity to go on frequent walks and hikes in the nearby countryside.

	We believe that our membership in the CKCSC Member clubs is valuable both for its strict member Code of Ethics and for the wonderful opportunities these clubs provide for ongoing and continuing education about the health and welfare of this wonderful breed. http://www.ckcsc.org/ckcsc/ckcsc_inc.nsf/Founded-1954/ethics.html

	We strive to produce the healthiest happiest Cavaliers we can. As all purebred dogs have health issues related to each breed, it is important to stay informed about those issues and the advancements being made to reduce the incidence of disease. For more information about Cavalier health concerns please visit www.aboutcavalierhealth.com