Nikki
Cocker Spaniel
Acquired: Other (stray, given dog by friend etc.)
Gender: N/A
Training: N/A
Nikki, the cocker spaniel
I had this dog for seventeen years. She was a real gem. She was very calm, to the point of being lazy, and great with kids. She was very smart, but not super amenable to training. She loved to play fetch and I seem to recall that her favorite toy was a squeaky chicken that she would fetch over and over again. If you're not familiar with cockers, know in advance that they do shed a lot, and if you keep their coat long, you'll need to brush it a lot so it doesn't get matted and gross. If I recall correctly, they are also prone to hip problems. This particular dog of mine didn't have any hip problems - actually, no problems until she grew very old and had arthritis, fatty tumours all over, blindness, etc; problems that simply come to dogs with old age.
Pros:
Great companion dog, loves to lie around
Good size - not huge and scary, but not tiny and yippy
Extremely intelligent
Doesn't drool too much
Cons:
Sheds a lot
Not an exercise companion
Can be stubborn
Excitable in new situations
