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