Cocker Spaniels are close relatives of the Spaniel, which has the claim of being one of the oldest breeds in history. Chaucer, in 1342 and Shakespeare, in 1564 wrote about the breed in many of their stories, making it possible to trace the breed back that far.
Many people believed that Spaniels were in England at the time that Caesar invaded, if this is true the breed can now be dated back to 54 BC.
It wasn’t until 1892, that the Cocker Spaniel was considered a separate breed by the English Kennel Club. In the early 1900’s the Cocker Spaniel started to quickly gain popularity in the U.S. In 1921 the breed won the best in show spot at the world famous Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The Cocker Spaniel also has the unique bragging rights of holding the number one spot for sixteen years in a row, of registrations of the American Kennel Club.
It was this popularity that was almost the breeds’ downfall. Greedy people began to over breeding the Cocker Spaniels to make fast money. It got so bad that puppy mills were shipping out the Spaniel puppies by the thousands. Due to over breeding, these mass produced puppies had serious health problems. Even though serious and reputable breeders have now taken back control of the new population of Cocker Spaniel, the past damage cannot be undone. Today in the U.S thanks to the puppy mills there are still at least 1000 homeless Cocker Spaniels. Before you purchase a new puppy take the time to contact rescue organizations. There might be a dog in need of a family waiting for you.
