Why did you chose a cocker?

[Helen]

Well,  2 years and 800 correct spellings later she was even more keen on a dog.

I love a determined girl, she will go far 

[JennyBee]

Our family has always owned cockers - my dad’s parents grew up / worked with them, and they were born in the 1920’s, so I think with me it’s genetic!   When Barney died, I knew soon after I would get another cocker - to me they are just the perfect dog in every way and I really cannot imagine owning any other breed.  It was love at first sight with Brodie - the second I saw her I knew she was the one

[mcphee]

I confess, cocker was not on my list since my Mum made me walk a very fat and unpleasant one for a lady with MS when I was 13. I was ill with work related stress and had very expensive therapy paid for by work. This pointed out that long hours single parent hood and responsibility for lots of staff meant I hadn't put myself first. I had wanted a dog for ages, but had to put work and two children first. The Friday before I returned to work after 8 weeks enforced rest, a colleague e mailed me to say one of my staff had not yet had her baby but had had 8 puppies 4 days ago. I knew I wanted a black boy dog, but didn't know what breed these were. The first thing I did was go and enquire. Others said don't get one, they are mad, but it was meant to be. I have photos of him from 2 days and was allowed to meet him at 4 weeks. His mum was so wonderful she sat next to me on the sofa, put her head on my shoulder and let Rufus suckle her from my lap. Yes I know I should have researched the consequences of the working background, but she was so loving and gentle. I was smitten. Rufus came home at 8 weeks, and is now an indispensable part of my life. I was 48! His poor recall is due to my inexperience. But I love him and hate not being with him (except when he has rolled in fox or dead fish). He was very good at agility today!

[Cockertime Blues]

I was given my first dog 49 years ago for passing my 11+.  He was a cairn terrier and my parents hadn't a clue about looking after dogs and, obviously, neither did I.  Have always had dogs since then but mostly whatever dog needed a home at the time, so no specific breed, except that the only dogs I ever actually bought (and they were pups) were 2 Dalmatians (and I think Dals will always be top of my list - they're lovely amiable creatures that think nothing of running a 10K with you and not airheads at all). 

However, OH has always liked cockers..............  and used to have one a million years ago.  So we had a rescue springer and after her he got a rescue cocker, Mollie.  Meanwhile my lovely old lab died last year and last December my friend I got her from rang to say would I take another lab from her as she had a surplus one (she's a beater).  But the day we were supposed to go down to Moray to pick her up we had several inches of snow so I phoned her to postpone the trip.  2 hours later here's Eileen from Spaniel Trust on the phone asking if we would like a blue roan worker boy.  OH jumping up and down saying yes yes yes and a few days later he's off to Edinburgh to bring back the lovely Alfie and of course it was love at first sight.

I have noticed however that one spaniel tends to lead to another ..................  however, if we decide we have room for another at some time in the future I'm determined to get an oldie again and not to care what breed.  Except I do love hairy mutts and lurchers and Dals and afghans and greyhounds and whippets and ......... Diane pack that in right NOW.

[Cob-Web]

Well,  2 years and 800 correct spellings later she was even more keen on a dog.

I love a determined girl, she will go far 

I agree - fabulous    I might suggest this to a friend who is struggling with his daughters constant nagging for a dog 

[Claire7]

When we were looking to get a second dog, I wanted to get a springer because of my family dog Meg ( ) who lived with my mum and dad but we thought it might be better to get something a similar size to our terrier so did some research on working cockers then went to see Breagha's litter just for a look  but couldn't resist! 

[*jen*]

We weren't having a dog - OH works away alot and I work shifts. Oh friends black cocker had just had a litter and we went round just to "look", and ended up having one ourselves. We sadly lost Bella in the summer she had to be PTS after an accident, and the house just wasn't the same without four paws. We finally found Ruby after a long search, and have never looked back!!!!!


Jen and Ruby
xxx

[tillyson]

Not to sure why we ended up down the cocker route, i had yorkshire terrier as a family pet who was a little star  and OH had a cross bred called Trampy who was lovely  . so when we started talking about getting a puppy it was me and DD that starting looking into what breed to get OH wasn't overly keen at the time, we ended up between 2 breeds cocker  or a min schnauzer as a friend had a really sweet one of these in the end the cocker eyes won, remember seeing Tilly and me and DD fell in love with her, but OH took me outside to say he wasn't keen on the colour did have a blue roan in mind but i told him she's beautiful and different, now who adores her sooooooooooooooo much that gets on the floor for cuddles with her and who allowed her upstairs and in on the bed , she won him over BIG time   

[Dunton4]

I've enjoyed reading these stories.  This is the story of how we got Tilly.

I was brought up with Welsh Springer Spaniels and have always loved gundogs, but my OH really did (does?) not like dogs at all  .   When she was 7 Emily started asking for a dog and my OH always said no.  Then one day I saw an ad in the local rag for black cocker spaniel pups and read it out to him.  I said that I though cockers would be an ideal dog for us - the Welshies would be too big and bouncy for my OH, but it would have to be a gundog every time for me.   I said that the cocker was an ideal size and temperament.  To my surprise he said "shall we get one then?"  I nearly fell over with shock.  I was very sensible (for once) and I wanted to be sure cockers were right for us and that our daughter would be responsible and the pups needed to have the right health checks etc .  I had bred a litter of Welshies myself 30 years ago, so knew a little bit about how to go about things (my girl had all the health checks done, even though she was only shown sporadically).  So, we told Emily that if she showed us she could look after a dog properly, maybe we might get one.  For about 12 weeks we went on regular walks with our "imaginary" dog  .  Every morning before school we were out and after school too.  People must have thought we were mad  .  By this time "Tilly" had a personality of her own - she liked sniffing in the undergrowth and walking on walls (according to Emily). 

I took the family off to a dog show to check they weren't allergic (they are both allergic to cats) and we looked at different colours and types.  Emily decided "Tilly" was definitely black, so I 'phoned up the secretary of the Solid Colour Cocker Association to ask if she knew of any litters.  She didn't but by chance she had an 8 week old girl puppy herself which she had decided not to keep for showing.  We went to "have a look", but of course were smitten    Tilly has been an ideal dog for us ever since and even my OH will admit she's "not bad for a dog" (high praise indeed  )

I still love Welshies and have adored fostering Guide Dogs, who are mostly labs or retriever crosses (see how far my OH has come  )
but my lovely little cocker is the perfect dog for us.  As her breeder told us when we met her "you get a lot of dog in a little package with a cocker" - it's very true!

Sue and Tilly

[louisedi]

Id always wanted a blueroan cocker, my sister got a golden cocker Hollie, when she got married and she was a real sweetheart, she would spend a couple days aweek at my mums when she was a work, and the groomer we took Hollie too had a litter of blueroans iwas very tempted, it wasnt until a guy I went to school with dropped down dead, when he was buying a new car at the age of 32, I thought hell with it, live for today, so Id been to a couple of shows to see what type I liked a friend of a friend was having a litter, by a dog that id loved, so I put my name on her list, I told the breeder I wanted it for showing and she gave me first pick, of the bitches, I got Hessta, zaffre Zeisha at Harbethol,

She did realy well for me, we qualified for CRUFTS, a dream.
Then I mated her to Shenmore Star Voyager JW, & kept my HarveyNorman HARBETHOL LOOK WHAT UMISSED JW SH CM,who is my star boy

We mated her for a 2nd time to a Classicway Chance meeting at Willmerella, & kept Hanna HARBETHOL LOOK OF N ANGEL.Who I hope to mate later this spring.

Im just hooked on the breed know would have more but OH, has to agree.

Louise & Harbethol gang

[Nicola]

Apart from a German Shepherd who I worshipped we've always had working gundogs, my Stepdad trains and works Springers and I started helping him with that when I was in my early teens and I loved it. I loved our Springers but I met a few Cockers on various shoots we went on and I really fell for them, they were such characters and I vowed that once I had graduated and bought a house then I would have one to train and work. I spent a long time researching them even though I'd been around the Springers for years and they really are the perfect breed for me. I originally wanted a solid black bitch but somehow have ended up with everything but

[cerinrich]

We had similar reasons to Han with Darcey, a smallish 'proper' dog. Also, lots of the things we read said that cockers are eager to please, we just didn't realise that they meant eager to please themselves!!! We'd seen a gorgeous golden cocker puppy, that was probably a worker although we didn't know the difference at the time, and after three years of thinking about it decided that was what we'd look for. We didn't know anything about the present-bringing, the bottom waggling, the utter delight to see us when we've been away for five minutes, the tap-dancing, the comedy moments or the way that our smallish proper dog would steal our hearts

[Beth]

we read said that cockers are eager to please, we just didn't realise that they meant eager to please themselves!!!

 

[Henshallboys]

I have posted this story a couple of times so bear with me if you already know this  
My husband is an ex Army Officer and we always said we would not have a dog as long as we were being posted here and there every few years....he was a Guards Officer  so had a few central London postings . When we were posted to Berlin for 3 years the thought of a dog never crossed our minds at all.  We had both had dogs as children and both loved dogs my husbands favourite being German Shepherd.

He past a pet shop every morning going to work and in the window sat a lovely pale gold cocker pup....eventually he could look no more and came home one night with Lucy hidden under his jacket. She was stunning and such a sweet natured girl....we think that she was maybe worker/show cross but we still have the  German pedigree certificates.  She was very small and delicate and very very special.  I was heart broken when she had to go into quarantine for 6 months on our return to the UK. To ease the pain we sent her to wiltshire 3 months before we were posted then once settled in Wiltshire we only had 3 months to wait.  My husband used to take a book and go and sit with her in her very large kennel...the kennel owners were brilliant and you could go whenever you wanted and stay all day if you wished.

Once she was home we then looked for a local cocker breeder and purchased Bracken from a well known Breeder...Greencoats.  He was the opposite to Lucy ....a chunky teddy bear of a boy who used to sit down when he was on walks as a pup and my husband had to carry him home as he wouldn't budge...

Both dogs were very popular with the Army children and even went to work with my OH.  Our last posting was Preston and then we came to live in my home area of York.  Both Lucy and Bracken loved our cottage .....Lucy died in 2007 aged nearly 16 and Bracken died this time last year at nearly 14.  Both are buried under the Apple tree at the bottom of our garden.

Bramble & Beri have filled the ache in our hearts so well.......we got them both at 8 weeks when Bracken was still alive,  I do sometimes wonder if they finished the old boy off  
We were aware that as workers they would be a lot more energetic than the other two.....but it never crossed our minds to not get a cocker  
The boys are wonderful......lovely natured and so sweet.  My husband still works for the Army as a Retired Officer and he takes them to work with him every day.....they love everyone and everyone loves them  
Our cottage just wouldn't be the same without a cocker  

[henrys mum]

Kim a black and white cocker was a Christmas present for me when I was four. Some fifty years later i can still remember going to see the puppies. We waited in a really warm room with big sofa's and lots of pictures of cocker spaniels on the wall while the owner went to get the puppies. They all shot through door and Kim put a muddy paw on my forehead so I said he had picked me.He had a lovely temperament and i used to put a babies wool bonnet on him and push him around in my dolls pram!! He was PTs at 11years old and my Mum got Lucky a black cocker for her birthday as she missed the company of Kim. Although Lucky was from the same breeder his temperament was completely the opposite to Kim's.

When I got married we lived for some time in the outer Hebrides and had a border collie.

Then when all the children started school we had Sam a lovely blue roan, who gave us 11years of pleasure and love. The house was so empty without him when he waspts after he collapsed at home.  It was horrible coming in and finding your shoes were you had left them so Henry came into our lives almost 3 years ago and just 4 weeks after we lost Sam. I didnt think we would find such a lovely dog as Sam but we did in Henry. From the minute he came home he just fitted in and still does.