CockersOnline Forum
General => Introductions => Topic started by: Sumava Cockers on January 17, 2017, 07:42:10 AM
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Hello Cocker Forum, and thank you Admin for approving our membership.
We were heartbroken last year at the loss of our dear Betty the Cocker, after an friendship that lasted more than 16 1/2 years. It was a great journey we had together, with much fun and not too much sadness along the way. We are still grieving her loss, but know she's now running free in dog heaven, and that her spirit will be with us forever.
We thought we'd never get another dog at all. But after rescuing and temporarily housing Marco, a lost Quail hound ( A kind of large German Spaniel) over Christmas we've realised that although no other dog could ever replace our Betty, that our home and life in general had a very obvious a dog shaped hole in it...... and we've come to realise that that hole is Cocker-shaped. (Marco was eventually reunited with his relieved family so at least that adventure ended well)
The upshot is that a new member of the family has been reserved and will be joining us in a little over a week's time. We're very excited.
A Cocker of course, but this time a boy.
We've joined the forum to share some of the serious, but mostly funny, stories about our old girl, and to seek advice and encouragement as we train our new boy.
In spite of 12" snow on the ground and very sub zero temperatures, much preparation is now under way in the house for our new arrival. He's due to get here next Monday, and the new journey will begin.
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Hi and welcome to the forum.
I'm sorry for your loss, 16 1/2 is a grand age that we all hope our dogs reach such an age - Betty must have had a wonderful life with you.
Very exciting times ahead! Cockers have changed quite a bit in the last 16 years as I'm sure you are aware. Will your new boy be a show type or a working cocker spaniel?
From reading your post I'm guessing that you are not based in the U.K.?
I'm Jayne and have two cockers Pearl who will be 6 in April and is a blue roan show type, also, Coral who will be 2 on Sunday and is a black and white wcs. My OH also has 2 cockers: Purdey who will be 7 in April and is a black and white wcs, also, Sally who is a dark golden wcs and is 2 1/2 years old.
Looking forward to reading some of Betty's story's and seeing her photos plus learning all about your new boy and his photos as well, please :D
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Hi Jayne,
Thank you for the warm welcome.
We are Sarka ( Pronounced Sharka) and Jon. You guessed right. We live in the Sumava Highlands in South Bohemia, although we also have a home on the East Anglian Coast. I'm English and Sarka is Czech..... English isn't her first language so please smile politely at some of her newances when she joins in the discussions on here :-)
Our Betty ( Betynka was her pet name) was a fabulous companion. She was a kind of wake-up-happy kind of soul, who until the end had infective joi de vivre that made the whole world shine. Scatty, silly, affectionate, and bursting with energy are terms that would best describe her. I cannot find a way to post a pic on here yet, but when poss I'll post one of her on her 16th birthday, when she still looked like a 6 year-old.
There must be something in the water here that gives dogs longevity. Not long ago there was a Cocker nearby who finally passed away at 21 years old!
The new boy is a working Cocker. Conditions here are fairly extreme and we live an active lifestyle so for the dog to join in fully, he needs to be robust. He'll be a family pet, living in the house with us, in case you were worried:-) Oh yes, and because Betynka was such a great finder-of-things and compulsive inspector of everything new that came into the house, we're expecting the same of the new arrival, so his name will be Barnaby (Of Midsommer fame)
OK gotta go now. Snow to clear and furnace to feed..
J&S
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Sounds like Barnaby will have a wonderful home with you, as did Betynka (what a beautiful diminutive).
This forum is a wonderful place, I've had so much support and advice here with my show cocker Henry, my first dog ever. I'm still learning, and everyone here is so kind and happy to share their experiences.
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Hi and welcome!!! I'm (another) Jayne and am minion and dog's body to Humphrey, my 3rd dog but first cocker. We're also battling with mounds of snow at the moment, - I live in Germany and we're experiencing a particularly "challenging" ;) spate of weather right now which is making daily walks a bit of an ordeal. (I go out with a dog and come back with a canine snowball,)
Looking forward to hearing updates and seeing pictures!
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Hello and welcome, it is impossible to replace a loving dog but we all find happyness in another way with our new fur babies. I have Dexter and he is the most wonderful addition to our family and my best friend.
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Hi and welcome.
Sorry to hear of the loss of Betty :luv:. But dog shaped holes need to be filled. Looking forward to seeing Barnaby and hearing his stories. Just remember your puppy days were so long ago and the rose rimmed specs are cracked :005:
I am mum to Gemma, almost 6 year old red working cocker. She firstly a pet but we do work her during the shooting season. We are based in South Lincolnshire UK and are yet to witness any snow
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Wow, what a lovely bunch you are. Thank you all.
Sarka's out at work at the mo but her comment will be bound to be that all dog-people are good people and this just goes to show she's right.
Busylizzie over the boarder there in Germany: Whereabouts are you? German people seem fascinated with Cockers, have you found this? Every time we crossed the boarder with B we were always a centre of attention, especially from the ladies. I thought it was my drop dead good looks that was attracting them, but B-less visits see me ignored as normal, so it must have been the Cocker after all. For us we've not seen the back of the bad weather and are expecting -10c daytime and down to -20 at night in the next few days. Worst so far this winter was a recorded -32C up on the high Sumava 30Km from us:-( Hope things clear up for you soon.
TTFN
Jon
When we work out how to upload pics, I'll post some pics of our old girl playing in the snow.
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With help from some kindly forumettes, We now know how to post pics,
So, here's a few.
First young Barnaby:
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/captain-cook1/9782215-anglicky-kokrspanel-nadherna-mohutna-stenata-1_zps8iocotk4.jpg) (http://s41.photobucket.com/user/captain-cook1/media/9782215-anglicky-kokrspanel-nadherna-mohutna-stenata-1_zps8iocotk4.jpg.html)
Betynka last winter, after fun helping to clear up the garden. ( 2016) aged 16
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/captain-cook1/Betty_zpsfesxli1a.jpg) (http://s41.photobucket.com/user/captain-cook1/media/Betty_zpsfesxli1a.jpg.html)
And Betynka Summer 2015 on her favourite walk aged 15 1/2
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/captain-cook1/Betty%20Dubna%202015%20Sumava_zpse2i49n9f.jpg) (http://s41.photobucket.com/user/captain-cook1/media/Betty%20Dubna%202015%20Sumava_zpse2i49n9f.jpg.html)
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Barnaby, I see you! Gorgeous, the whole lot of them.
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GORGEOUS!! What lovely colours they all are (- but Barnaby is definately the lovliest!! ;) )
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:luv: little Barnaby and as for Betty, what a beautiful lady she was :luv:
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Wow, what a lovely bunch you are. Thank you all.
Sarka's out at work at the mo but her comment will be bound to be that all dog-people are good people and this just goes to show she's right.
Busylizzie over the boarder there in Germany: Whereabouts are you? German people seem fascinated with Cockers, have you found this? Every time we crossed the boarder with B we were always a centre of attention, especially from the ladies. I thought it was my drop dead good looks that was attracting them, but B-less visits see me ignored as normal, so it must have been the Cocker after all. For us we've not seen the back of the bad weather and are expecting -10c daytime and down to -20 at night in the next few days. Worst so far this winter was a recorded -32C up on the high Sumava 30Km from us:-( Hope things clear up for you soon.
TTFN
Jon
When we work out how to upload pics, I'll post some pics of our old girl playing in the snow.
We're about 80kms north east of Frankfurt/Main, in the foothills of the Rhön Mountains, which can get a bit bleak at this time of year. Cockers are a bit of a rarerity here, none at all where I live although I think there are a few more in the north, (which is the former British Army On the Rhine area, so could be due to the British influence.)
Betynka was a beautiful girl, she looks like she had a happy life with you!
Look forward to hearing more about Barnaby's adventures!
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Oh Barnaby, what a gorgeous little boy you are! :luv: :luv: :luv:
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Thanks guys.
Bizzylizzy (got it right this time) We're effectively on the northern slopes of the Bravarian forest, so about hours North East of you.
For sure we'll keep the forum posted on the adventures of Barnaby in the Sumava
ATB
Jon
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He's a little darling isn't he?....... I wonder if we'll still feel he's so angelic after the first week at home :-)
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Thanks guys.
Bizzylizzy (got it right this time) We're effectively on the northern slopes of the Bravarian forest, so about hours North East of you.
For sure we'll keep the forum posted on the adventures of Barnaby in the Sumava
ATB
Jon
Sounds beautiful and a great place to be a cocker!!
Jayne
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Oh my :luv: what a beautiful girl Betty was. I'm sure Master Barnaby will quickly fill some of the Betty shaped hole in your lives......and create a new Barnaby :luv: shape too
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Hello and welcome to you all! Adore your new pup's name (I'm a massive fan of Midsomer Murders ;)). So sorry about your Betty, she looked a wonderful girl :luv: I'm mum to Monty, who is 11 months old and a little :angel: most of the time :lol2: He has helped me massively after having a very sad time with my last cocker. Looking forward to lots more photos of the little chap!
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What gorgeous cockers and gorgeous names too....love Betynka and Barnaby. I can imagine his name being shortened but
when if he's ever a little naughty ( ;)) he will get called by his full name, like my OH who is known as Des but when he's in trouble I use Derren :005:
Welcome to COL. I am so sorry about Betty but what a wonderful long life she had, although I know this doesn't make the loss any easier as we lost our last dog at 16 years too. We now have Bonnie, who is a black working cocker and will be 4 years old on Sunday.
Look forward to more photos of the 2 beautiful B's :luv: :luv:
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So sorry about the loss of Betty, she was an absolute beauty :luv: :luv: Barnaby is also gorgeous :luv: :luv: he will certainly help to heal that missing Cocker shaped hole in your heart ;) :luv:
Stephanie, George and Hamish xxx
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Hello and Welcome to COL :D
So sorry to hear about the loss of your beautiful girl. :luv: Barnby is gorgeous! I am sure he will help me do the broken hearts and look forward to hearing all about him as he grows.
Tracy & Reese
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Gorgeous photo of Betty with her ears blowing in the wind, looks like a perfect photo for a L'Oreal advert - 'because you're worth it' :005:
Barnaby looks so sweet can't wait to hear about his adventures as he grows up :luv:
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Firstly a big welcome from me and my cocker Oliver who names says it all - please Sir can I have more :005:
What a lovely puppy Barnaby looks, I must admit that Betty looked a beautiful lady and what lovely photos to cherish.
So glad you found us and hope to hear all about the homecoming boy soon
Julie and Ollie dog
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To everybody who has extended a welcome to us, thank you.
Just a few more days and the new arrival will be home.
More photos to follow:-)
We look forward to chatting on here about the fun and games as they happen.
ATB to you all
Sarka and Jon
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SO SORRY ABOUT YOUR BEAUTIFUL BETTY. YOU WILL REALLY ENJOY THE CUDDLY BOY BARNABY.