It was a cold wet night in June 1988 when I was born. My poor mom, Lady, took all night to deliver her brood of two boys and two girls.

She wasn't in her own home surroundings as her owner had opted to send her to a friend with more experience in puppy arrivals. This lady was going to be allowed to keep one of us for all her trouble and she chose my sister Claire.

At 8 weeks of age my brothers, Bernard and Dexter went to their new owners who had virtually bought them at birth. I must have been the "ugly pupling" as no one had shown much interest in buying me.

Then one day, to my horror, I heard that someone who did not allow dogs in the house had made my owner an offer. Well I am a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel after all and expected to be treated like Royalty and not left outside in a dog box/kennel.

The lady who had helped to deliver us and lavished so much care and attention on us for eight weeks was devastated that our owner could even consider this and after much anguish and weeping managed to persuade her hubby to buy me. So I got to grow up with my sister, Although I knew that Claire was her first choice, I was made to feel wanted and they named me Bernadette. As the years passed it became obvious that I had developed into a better Show prospect than my sister.

When I was almost two a marriage was arranged for me to a very handsome fellow who had done extremely well in the show ring. The result of this union was that after a difficult birth I became the proud mother of two girls and a boy. My son was sold and subsequently went to live in Spain, one of my girls went to her new owners in Cape Town and my other daughter stayed on with us and proved to be a much better birther than me.(Popping out four pups in two hours.).

Over the years my daughter Nikita has given me seventeen grand-children from four litters.

I had my second litter at the age of seven, but due to complications had a caeser and became a sportsmodel at the same time. Some time previous to this I became a Champion which made my owner very proud and happy.

Now two of my grand-children are also Champions and the one that still lives with us is soon to make me a great granny. My mom is now eleven and her owner allows her to visit us from time to time.

Claire and I are now nine and I am no longer the "ugly pupling" but the grande dam looking forward to becoming the Great Grande Dam of Michaela's pups. Over the years I have come to realise that there is no favouritism in our home, our owner loves us all equally no matter what our failings might be and we give her our unconditional love.

I am so glad that things turned out the way they did because I got to grow up with two real families, my canine, and human families.

CH PSHAMANTE ( Bernadette )

A Royal Princess Cavalier King Charles Spaniel