Dogs have always been part of the family; first Tess, a Cumberland Sheepdog, then Dusty, a Rough Collie. But in 1982 we got our first Cocker Spaniel, a solid gold which we named Honey
Honey was followed by Chloe, another solid gold Cocker Spaniel. Her kennel name was Daydawn Sea Coral
Chloe died in December 2008 at the age of 13 1/2.
18 months after Chloe’s arrival, she was joined by Joe, a handsome blue roan. His kennel name was Peb’s Pleasure of Oakmeadows/Sprogmore heritage
Joe died March 2011. having reached 14 1/2
April, 2009, saw the arrival of a gorgeous orange roan pup, – Sashal Snowdon – who we named Emmi. She was one of a litter of 7 by a beautiful Tri-colour cocker, Cilla, owned by Alex and Jan Friar of Sashal, Flintshire. Sire was ‘Tommy’, a Finnish import from the Bitcon kennels. Emmi proved to be all one could hope for. She grew into a very active and most stunning Cocker. She had the most beautiful face markings and her body could only be described as ‘toffee ripple ice cream’. Most importantly, she had the most gentle and loveable temperament. She was extremely interactive, just loved a cuddle, and needless to say, was much admired. Sadly, at almost 13 1/2, she died following a short illness.
Just prior to losing Joe we were fortunate to get another of Cilla’s pups, this time a Tri-coloured boy. We have called him Cody. Like Emmi, he too has a most loving temperament, but is more confident than his sister. He too has the most beautiful markings; very similar to his Mum. He is very affectionate and, like his sister, just loves a lap. His sire was award winning ‘Ollie’ of Kyna kennels. He and Emmi were the best of buddies, although Emmi was clearly in charge! Typically, if they were not playing with each other, they were asleep cuddled up together.
Cody clearly missed his sister, but with the introduction of a new playmate, he remained active, enjoyed his long daily walks, and as always, loved the car and insisted on going everywhere with us. Cody died December 2023, at the age of 13+.
Manderley will never be quite the same without “the inseparable pair”.
Eventually Cody was joined by Bailey, a blue roan from Ranbatan breeder at Canonbie. Bailey was an attractive little dog with a wonderful temperament. Sadly, from the day of his arrival, he gained weight worryingly slowly. At 17 weeks, he suddenly fell ill one evening and died the next morning. He may have ingested something toxic. Or, as the vets believe in view of his failure to develop, he had an underlying congenital problem, such as a liver shunt. One will never know.
Bailey was quickly followed by Darcy, a blue roan from the well known Milalder kennels. Now 18 months old, Darcy is proving to be a lovely, most affectionate, and extremely active young cocker. He is a relatively small cocker, and being a very light blue roan with lovely flecks, he is striking in appearance. Needless to say, he is much admired.
The Cocker Gallery
