344 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



at Port Colbourne. She had been stolen in England; was 

 buff-colored, and the exact image of Velda. 



The real old-fashioned Cocker is not often seen nowa- 

 days; the present generation of fanciers never saw them, 

 and surely never used them afield. They simply don't 

 know what they were, or what they ought to be. As to 

 the absurdly long body and low formation, which I hold to 

 be not only a deformity, but altogether contrary to the 

 true formation and type, it must also be against the very 

 utility of the breed. 



Mr. J. E. Hosford, of Washington, D. C., in an article in 

 the American Field, speaking of the good qualities of the 

 Cocker, says: 



There is something about this breed of dogs that at once appeals to our 

 sympathy, and no man can own one and not feel constantly on the alert to 

 defend it from abuse, slander, or misrepresentation. There is no other breed 

 of dogs that will win one's affection so completely, and hold it so firmly. A 

 new Spaniel puppy may never replace, in its owner's heart, some favorite old 

 Setter or Pointer, but it will be sure to find a place there, and hold it, too, 

 against all comers. When the shooting season closes, the Pointer and Setter 

 are laid up in ordinary until the approach of the next season. If owned by 

 the right man, they are regularly exercised and carefully groomed every day, 

 and their grateful master never tires of relating their wonderful prowess in the 

 field. They rest on their laurels contentedly. 



Not so with the little Cocker. He and his game have no close season. He 

 seems to know, intuitively, a thousand and one little tricks and ways to please, 

 entertain, and surprise his master, in and out of season. He is constantly at 

 work in a busy, merry, unobtrusive way. He knows your words better than 

 you do yourself, and governs himself accordingly. If you want him, he is 

 right here before you, wagging his tail and looking at you intently, as if to 

 say, " I am ready for anything." If you don't want him, he is away in some 

 corner quietly dozing, or apparently sleeping, but always on the alert. He is 

 never troublesome. He is always able to take care of himself, and to do a 

 great deal else besides. 



He is a most noble and faithful guardian of your property and person. 

 While he is in your possession, chickens do not scratch the flower beds and 

 wallow around the front porch; rats do not come into the cellar, nor strange 

 cats into the back yard; your peaches and melons ripen before they are stolen, 

 and burglars do not tamper with your locks and window-catches. If anything 

 goes wrong about the place, the little Cocker is almost always the first one to 

 notice it, and the almost human w T ay in which he comes and tells you of it 

 touches certain chords in the heart which do not vibrate too often. They are 

 the handiest little companions of the whole dog race. They ask for but little 

 room, little food, and little care, yet in return they give a value tangible only 



