Just back from two weeks in Malta. Tried to avert my gaze when approaching dogs but they seem to sense our loss and we collected a new circle of friends and associated dogs, not always Cockers, which was quite heart warming. Definitely on the lookout for a replacement. We have bred cockers - just once - they took over the house in Harpenden and one of the pups, a girl came to Louth when we moved here in 1992. She lived to 16, followed by Penny, a black and tan from Melton Mowbray. She was 4 when she came to us and also lived to 16. Georgia, from Lochranza kennels, another black and tan came 6 years ago until her sudden death beginning of April. Our first dog, Paddy a blue roan pup from North Wales, came to us in 1962 for the princely sum of £3.10 shillings - £3.50 today. Blue Roans were just about considered pedigree dogs in those days, the blacks, reds and goldens considered the "true pedigree."Paddy taught our three children to walk and we were always having to cut lumps of sticky hair from his coat. He would just stand there when they pulled themselves up to take their first faltering steps. the seed was sown and another blue roan [a girl] followed in Cheshire when "in pup" - it turned out she was diabetic. Our Vet Alex Wiper had the "chair" in vetinary science at Liverpool University and he was devastated when she suddenly died about 5 weeks into her pregnancy. We said never again after that but Alex had another client who had a blue Roan girl, also "in pup" and one of hers also came to us. The rest was history as they say.
Happy memories
