Posts tagged "cocker spaniel"

Lipomas are a common affliction for household pets. As part of a Paw Nation series about the medical problems that your pets may suffer, we spoke to Dr. Lee Pickett, a practicing VMD in Reading, Pa., to get some insights about the condition. You should always consult your veterinarian before giving medicine or supplements to your pet.

What are the signs that my pet has a lipoma?
Lipomas are benign fatty lumps that usually develop in the space between the skin and the underlying musculature. That area is medically referred to as the subcutaneous space. Lipomas are soft and usually freely movable.

Name: Leo

Location: Pune, India

Age: 2 years, 3 months

Dog Breed: English cocker spaniel

Favorite Toy: Rope -- he loves to fetch it.

Favorite Treat: Coconut -- his ears definitely perk up at the sight and smell of a coconut.

Likes: Going for long drives, cold places, getting dirty in the mud, being pampered, eating Choco Flakes with milk, ice cream and the list goes on.

Dislikes: Taking a bath, going to the vet, taking his medicines.

Weird Quirk: He loves to go for a drive and wants to always be seated in the front. He can identify when his owners are taking the house key or car key.

Fun Fact: It gets chilly in Pune, so early in the morning or before his owner goes to sleep, he loves to cuddle under the blanket. Also, when he has to run fast, he sometimes runs in place.

Congratulations to our submitter, tp_abr. If you'd like to submit your pet, upload your favorite pet photos to our Flickr pool!

More Cute Pets

Every dog owner knows how exceptional the human-canine bond can be, but celebrity journalist Glenn Plaskin's cocker spaniel, Katie, had an even more unique talent: She single-handedly turned a floor of strangers living in a lower Manhattan high rise into a family by nosing her way into each person's apartment... and heart. Plaskin reminisces about the four-legged star of his new book, "Katie Up and Down the Hall: The True Story of How One Dog Turned Five Neighbors Into a Family."

Do you think there are other stories like yours of people coming together because of a special animal?
Absolutely. I believe there are communities throughout the U.S. with neighborhood mascots that race from backyard to backyard, uniting strangers along the way. I tell people that dogs are like emotional anchors; even though they're not able to speak, they have a strong sense of communication and are sensitive to emotions. If you have something on the end of a leash, it can lead you anywhere.

How did Katie go about charming several people on your floor?
I like to say that I took the initiative and she was my ambassador. When I first got Katie, I didn't know a thing about dogs. A neighbor, Pearl, had once owned a cocker spaniel, so I knocked on her door for advice, and the rest is history. Katie crawled into her lap and never left. After breakfast, she'd wait at my door to be let out and then she'd run down the hall straight for Pearl's apartment, where she'd spend several hours with Pearl and her husband before heading back to my place. We started leaving our doors open, so Katie could push them open herself. She eventually ended up doing the same thing with John, a single dad who lived down the hall with his son Ryan. My dog brought us all together, helping us to create our own version of a family.

Name: English Cocker Spaniel

Personality: The breed is intelligent, sturdy, robust, lively, perky, lovable, pleasant, gentle, playful, affectionate according to The Dog Breed Info Center. While the American Kennel Club calls the English Cocker Spaniel "merry and affectionate," with an "even disposition."

Grooming: "Their medium-long coat does take some care, including brushing and regular stripping or clipping," says the AKC.

Common Health Issues: Like many spaniel breeds, weight problems are common and the droopy ears must be checked for debris and parasites often to prevent infection. Otherwise, serious health issues are rare, and English cocker spaniels enjoy an average lifespan of 12 to 15 years.

Training Tips: These dogs are "willing and happy to listen to their owners," says Dog Breed Info Center. The AKC seconds that sentiment, praising the breed's "trainability."

Still, some English cocker spaniels are more difficult to train than others. "The dominancy level in this breed varies widely even within the same litter," explains Dog Breed Info Center. These dogs are sensitive to voice tone and will not respond well to harsh discipline and, says Dog Breed Info Center, "if you are not the type of person who can display a natural air of calm, but firm authority, then be sure to choose a pup who is more submissive."

TrainPetDog.com says training "should be firm but gentle," and that they "obey well, especially when there is praise involved." Always remember that a thoroughly exercised English cocker spaniel is a well-behaved English cocker spaniel.

Name: Cocker Spaniel

Personality: This perennially popular breed is well-known for it's boundless energy. The Dog Breed Info Center call them "Amusing, trustworthy and charming with an ever-wagging tail." Cocker Spaniels are known recognized for their loyalty. The Dog Breed Info Center notes their devotion, and the American Kennel Club describes the breed as "intelligent, gentle dogs that thrive as part of a family."

Grooming: TerrificPets.com says that, despite its appearance, the Cocker Spaniel's "beautiful, silky, medium long coat" is actually rather low-maintenance. "Regular brushing and a trim every few months helps keep the coat free of mats," says the American Kennel Club. The Dog Breed Info Center advises Cocker Spaniel owners to "wipe under the eyes often, as they tend to tear."

Common Health Issues: Cockers enjoy a longer-than-average lifespan of 12 to 15 years, according to the Dog Breed Info Center. "Some major concern in American Cocker Spaniels are cataracts, glaucoma and patellar luxation," in addition to the usual canine health hazards such as hip dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy, allergies, cardiomyopathy and liver disease. For this breed, be particularly aware of IMHA (immune mediated hemolytic anemia), which "is relatively common in Cockers, and almost always fatal. It's a fast-acting, silent killer."

Training Tips: Good news! A Cocker Spaniel is "respectful of its master's authority," claims the Dog Breed Info Center. These dogs are fairly easy to train, but like almost all breeds, should be well-socialized as a puppy in order to produce a well-adjusted adult. And while Cockers are generally eager to learn, they're also notorious for having difficulty adjusting to potty training. "Crate training is recommended to help with the process," says TerrificPets.com.

Were you bitten by a dog as a child? How did it affect the way you feel about dogs today?

My mom and my wife both were bitten as kids. Anna's bite was a lot more serious than my mother's, yet Anna loves dogs and my mom does not. What gives?

Anna's family got an English springer spaniel puppy when she was about four, and there seemed to be something wrong with her almost immediately. She snarled inexplicably and was very food territorial. They had to be sure not to walk behind her while she was eating. When Anna was six, the dog attacked her at the top of a set of stairs: "She knocked me onto my back and did not let go. She had my whole forearm in her mouth and bit me several times before my mother could pull her off of me."

She doesn't remember much about the aftermath other than (gross-out alert) "the blood and the tissue that I saw hanging out of the hole in my arm." Her mother cleaned the wound and took her to the hospital, where she got stitches in five places on her arm and a bandage she had to wear for weeks.

Rocco was once an unwanted pet. Now, the 18-month-old cocker spaniel is a necessity for the Fife Constabulary in Scotland. Rocco has been recruited to sniff out criminals' cash and illegal substances.

According to Sgt Davy McKelvie of Fife Constabulary, such dogs helped find £3 million ( $1,632,387) last year.

The dog recently completed six weeks of training and will be stationed at a ferry landing to help seize money. Rocco will work amongst a powerful force of 26 dogs.

Rocco's newly trained nose is now qualified to find large amounts of euro and sterling notes, which often contain large amounts of cash and illegal substances.

Keep up the good work, Rocco!

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Lookin' good, Sadie!

Once perilously close to death, Sadie, the cocker spaniel puppy that Oprah adopted from PAWS Chicago, appears on the June cover of O, The Oprah Magazine, along with her media maven mommy and four adorable shelter pups (who have all found homes, too).

The photograph was taken in February when Oprah visited PAWS Chicago --- a no-kill animal shelter --- to pose for the cover of the magazine's June issue, which is dedicated to animals and the bond we all share with them (as is the May 15th episode of her show). "One thing I know for sure," says Oprah. "I can't begin to repay my own dogs for the flat-out joy they bring me." In addition to Sadie, the talk show icon has two Golden Retrievers, Luke and Layla, and once had two deeply-loved cocker spaniels, Sophie and Solomon, who both passed away in 2008, and a dog named Gracie who passed away in 2007.

During the photo shoot, several precious puppies wriggled around Oprah, but it was a female blond cocker spaniel (then named Amanda, and subsequently re-named Sadie) who captured Oprah's heart.

"The dog chose me," Oprah reveals on the March 6 episode of her talk show, in which she introduced her "new love" Sadie to the world. "There were like six or seven dogs and she was on my shoulder nuzzling," Oprah explains. Photographer Pamela Hanson captured the tender moment when Oprah first met Sadie.

For those watching the show that day, who could forget when Oprah suddenly introduced Sadie's three blond brothers --- Ivan, Webster and Gordie --- and announced to the squealing studio audience that the male pups still needed homes. Unable to resist her own words, the long-time dog lover decided to adopt Ivan.

Tragically, just days later, Ivan contracted the deadly parvovirus and died. "I'd been through parvo 13 years before, with my brown cocker, Solomon," recounts Oprah. "It nearly killed him. He stayed in the hospital for 20 days. He was over a year old when he got it. Ivan was only 11 weeks. His young immune system wasn't strong enough to overcome it. Four days after we took Ivan to the emergency clinic, he died."

Sadie was also infected with parvo and fell gravely ill. "The first four days, she got increasingly worse," Oprah remembers. "At one point I told her doctor, 'I'm prepared to let her go. She shouldn't have to fight this hard.'" But Sadie battled back to a full recovery, rediscovering her fondness for warmed up chicken. "That's because that's what her mommy was making [for her] before she left [for the hospital]," smiles Oprah.

Reminiscing about the day of the cover photo shoot, Oprah has a confession to make. "Out of all the pups in that picture, Sadie was the one I felt an instant connection with." Sounds like true love.

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