Here at Catch Me we believe in the versatility of the American Cocker Spaniel.
We feel there is no reason a Cocker can't look good and perform well at competition events such as agility, obedience and field work. Above all a Cocker should have an excellent merry temperament no matter what ring or lap they are in.
Catch Me actually began back in 1989, but we didn't know it at the time. After my husband and I were first married, we wanted a pet, not knowing any better we purchased our first Cocker Spaniel from the local pet shop. Her name was "Ginger" a buff Cocker. We didn't know of the horrors of pet shops at the time and we really were lucky with Ginger, she was a happy and healthy girl and was with us for nearly 15 years. We lost her April 2004 and we miss her everyday since.
Then came "Bosco" a Chocolate Cocker. Bosco was my first venture into obedience and agility and has taught me so much.
Then came "Snooker" a Black/White Cocker, he has taken me far in agility and I know we will go even further,
Then came "Mox-Z" a Tri Cocker and my first girl to take me into the breed ring as well as agility.
Then there's "Vandal" my Red/White spitfire. I know this little wonder is going to go far in whatever she does with that look at me attitude!
Then I was fortunate to meet Jessica Brickett and she entrusted me with my beautiful B/W girl who went right out in the show ring at 6 months old and got both Majors by 7 months old. She was the first Catch Me girl to become a Champion with multiple Majors in June 2006, thanks to Jessica! She began to train for agility and started some limited trialing in the Fall of 2007.
In August 2006 we added a new color to our line a Black/Tan girl we named Lilly. She has an excellent pedigree and we thank the ladies of Be-Fit cockers for such a lovely girl. Lilly finished her Championship under the expert hands of Jessica Brickett in June 2008. Lilly is now being a dog and training for agility.
In September 2006 we bred our 1st litter, our Vandal to Justin CH Ju-Mar's Just Imagine. And on 11-21-06 our Vandal whelped 7 beautiful puppies all tris, 5 boys and 2 girls. We kept a boy from this litter "Chaser" who finished his Championship at only 10 1/2 months old. Chase has also started his agility career and began to compete in October 2008.
We bred our Vandal again in January 2008 and kept a Brown Tri puppy from this litter, we call him Chevy and we will see what the future holds for him.
The future certainly looks bright for Catch Me, we hope to add some new Champion as well as new performance titles this year. Breeding only occasionally and selectively we carefully plan our litters well in advance.
Before deciding that you want a Cocker you must ask yourself if it is the correct breed for you. For me a Cocker is the perfect breed, but may not be for everyone. First they can range in activity levels from being bounce of the walls crazy (which I personally love) to very laid back. They do require daily exercise or they can become bored and destructive. Usually a game of ball. Frisbee, or a walk should suffice. They also can become easily overweight if their food is not carefully monitored. Cockers have bottomless stomachs and will literally eat until they would burst. They also require a great deal of grooming. If you would like to keep them in that beautiful show cut it requires a lot of time. They need to be completely brushed out at least every other day and bathed and blow dried weekly, and require a trip to the groomer at least once a month. I usually suggest for pet owners to get a puppy cut, with shortened furnishings, this makes grooming much easier on the dog, the owner and the groomer, and will cut groomer trips down to about every 6-8 weeks. The beautiful long ears also require a great deal of care, they can become very heavy and air cannot get inside, thereby harboring yeast and bacteria. A weekly ear cleaning is an absolute necessity. You can ask your Vet, Groomer, or your breeder for suggestions on ear cleaning products and for tips on cleaning them.
Cockers are also very much people dogs and love to be under your feet following you everywhere, they do not take well to being left alone for long periods of time. So if your looking for a active buddy that wants to be with you and you have the time for training, socialization, and don't mind the grooming, a Cocker may just be your friend for life!
