I forget she is a spaniel

Ella made me laugh so hard the other day. We have become quite attached that I know her looks, moods, etc. but I love how she is with birds the best. It really cracks me up. I forget she is a Spaniel who can be retrievers but I read that at some point in time toy spaniels were used for hunting. Please anyone correct me because I can't find where I read this, but there were certain spaniels that strayed. The not so bright ones became companions of royalty and elite. I do not want to give the history but I want to point out that Ella has some hunting instincts but not so good to catch anything.

We were at the park and not surprisingly someone came up to Ella and said the normal things and then came THE BIRD. She sat real still, pushed her lip up (which is what she does when she concentrates) and waited for the right moment. I have to get it on video because it just makes me laugh. The man said he has never seen any dog like that. I laughed thinking to myself that if he only knew. So Cavaliers I know I was told by her breeder, have the tendency to run off if they see something.

Now I have to say when I found out about this was when I took her to the beach for the first time. We took a boat ride from charleston sc to Capers which is a small island that people will go to. There is nothing on capers except the beach and dunes. She ran all around the dunes and in the grass when I saw a bunch of birds fly by and Ella took off. She was only a puppy but even now I don't want to chance it again but she did not listen to me. My sister ran after her long after I ran out of breath and could not catch her. My sister came back after a long time with Ella in her arms. I asked how she finally got her and she told me Ella ran to the end of the island which is over a mile long. Good thing my sister is a runner because I can't remember the last time I ran a mile.

Moral of this story, if you own a cavalier make sure you own a leash.