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Sunday 11 May 2014

Cocker Spaniel

The first mention of the cocker spaniel dates back as far as 1368 in the British Isles. Later strains crossed with toy dog breeds to give it its modern, small stature.


It was bred to its now recognizable breed by the Dukes of Marlborough, by crossing the original Spanish breed with King Charles Spaniels. Thus, the Cocker Spaniel was definitely established by the end of the nineteenth century.

The 'Cocker' part of the Cocker Spaniel's name refers to the reason they were originally bred in the UK - to hunt woodcock.

The cocker spaniel was exported from Britain to America in 1882, American breeders produced a smaller dog with longer legs, while retaining the finely chiselled facial features.

The cocker spaniel was first used in America to flush or "cock" game into nets, and later used for gun hunting of small birds.

By the mid 1930s the English Cocker Spaniel was the most popular breed in Britain and by the 1940s the American Cocker Spaniel breed was the most popular dog in North America.

Steven Spielberg’s cocker spaniel Elmer appeared in four films that he directed: The Sugarland Express, JawsClose Encounters Of The Third Kind and 1941.

Corky retired from the U.S. Customs Service in Miami in 1991. The golden cocker spaniel, rescued from an Illinois animal shelter three years earlier, had sniffed out $18-million in drugs. 

1 comment:

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