Cocker Spaniel Adoption Center Blog

Walter's Happy Ending

“Seriously, painfully cute” is how one friend described Walter after meeting him.  This has become a common reaction.  He has the best traits from his gene pool – beautiful black and tan markings from his King Charles Cavalier father and the ears, body shape, and soft hair from his cocker spaniel mom.   He has beautiful tan eyebrows, which only add to his expressiveness when he looks up at you while snuggling or when he’s lying on his back.  

Walter was rescued from a South Carolina puppy mill by CSAC at 8 weeks.  He was then fostered by Dolly and her family, in Maryland.  They have a number of dogs and cats of different sizes and breeds with plenty of love for everyone who shares their home.  While his temperament plays a part, I believe that belonging to this family of people and pets had much to do with his adaptable, friendly, and social way of being with everyone he encounters.  He is empathetic too, howling along whenever an ambulance or fire truck siren comes close to the house.

Walter came home to Vermont in early January to snow on the ground and freezing cold temperatures.  He enjoyed eating the snow and gradually began to want to stay outside for longer periods of time.   As the seasons progressed, he “helped” me plant flowers in the spring by digging nice deep holes for the plants, and this summer he has gone swimming in Lake Champlain, and he has hiked on a mountain.  He spends most days with his best buddy, Berkeley (also adopted from CSAC) who is now an older gentleman.  Berkeley tolerates his ceaseless energy in exchange for Walter’s unending adoration and love for his cocker spaniel partner in crime.

He is a good student, having taken puppy class, basic obedience, and several agility classes.  He is quick to learn new things and responds well to basic commands, though we’re still working on training when there are exciting distractions such as squirrels, chipmunks, and birds. 

As a youngster, he would stare at his reflection in the mirror and give off a low growl…now when he sees his reflection on the front of the dishwasher or in the glass pane of a door, he will paw at it, trying to get it to play.  When he’s excited, especially when greeting others, his whole backside wags quickly back and forth.  He easily wins people over, even non-dog lovers.   He loves to play with his toys and has recently discovered the fun in chasing a tennis ball outside.  He instinctively knows to bring the ball back to me; if I’m not paying attention, he’ll pick the ball up again and drop it so it bounces to get my attention!

A love-bug and snuggler extraordinaire, Walter has settled in nicely, clearly understanding that this is his home and his very own fenced-in yard.  Walter will soon be one year on October 16th.  He shares his birthday with my brother and my niece, a true sign that he was meant to be part of our family.

I couldn’t be more grateful to the CSAC for matching Walter and me and for giving us both a life full of laughter and learning.  This seriously, painfully cute creature is easily the love of my life.

- The Kirzl Family