Thanx everyone for your warm welcome, great to read other people have the same questions as I do and to get some great answers here.
Looks like every one is besotted with their furry friends, I knew when I saw a golden cocker spaniel on a beach in August last year that it was the dog for us! So after thinking about it for 12 months (and seeing another one this year on a different beach) we saw an advert very local to us for 2 remaining puppies and went to look, her sister was golden all over and I though we would take her home, but our puppy chose us and went to everyone for a belly rub so that was it, and I'm so glad she did as she is just fab, never had a dog before but always had cats (my old baby is 19!) and I'm now just so totally in love - ahh must stop rambling!!!!
Thanx again everyone x