The first one I ever met of your kind was a beautiful ruby girl puppy.  Because of her heart murmur, she’d been turned over to the veterinarian I was volunteering with.  Her heart murmur indicated significant disease and, given the dog’s young age, the owner didn’t want to develop a relationship that would end quickly in heart ache.  Years went by without seeing any more of your breed.  Then I was a fourth year veterinary school student.  Suddenly, your breed–the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel–was back in my life.  Mostly I’d see Cavaliers like you on cardiology service where we’d perform echos (ultrasounds of the heart) or EKGs on your sweet breed.  Those big brown eyes would look up at me and the tail would wag on every single one of those dogs.  They were always so gentle and the wagging tail and kind eyes were filled with gratitude.  “Thank you for helping me,” they seemed to say.  Some dogs would grow impatient with the procedures, the handling, but not Cavaliers.  With some reassuring words or a gentle pat on the head,  the Cavaliers would…