MY SOUTHERN COCKER BELLES

This opening page should be a dedication to a little black Cocker named Josh . He is the reason I have my two Cocker Spaniels now. I don’t have a picture of Josh, but maybe that was meant to be as well. He was with me for just a short while, but while he was here, he showed me that I could open my heart to another “special dog” and not just one but two.

Josh found his way into my life about two years after I had lost my beloved Misty. It was a hot July day around dusk as we came back down from working in the garden and I heard a puppy crying down in the woods across the street.

My husband, Tommy, and I went looking for this pup that we heard and were almost down to the creek when I looked down and saw a little black Cocker-looking pup in a large hole where a tree once stood. He couldn’t get out by himself. I picked him up and he immediately thanked me with kisses and puppy whimpers. He looked to be about 8 weeks old.

We carried him home, gave him water and a little food and my heart started to melt and to open up again. We couldn’t find who he belonged to so I took him to our vet, had him neutered and his little tail docked. He was adorable, so funny and so loving.

Josh became a part of our family and it felt good to have “my dog” again until 3 weeks before Christmas, he ran out of the house while we were trimming our tree to bring it inside. He was never outside without being on a leash, but this cold night he was and chased one of our cats across the street and was killed by a passing pickup truck. He died instantly as he was hit in the head. He only had a little spot on the side of his head where the bumper struck him. My heart was ripped from within me again for the loss of this little black dog. I knew immediately though that we had to have another Cocker Spaniel or we would never make it through Christmas that year.

I don’t know how Josh got where we found him, where he came from or why he went as quickly as he came, but I like to think that he was sent to help me open my heart again. Josh had done his work by showing me the wonderful merry Cocker Spaniel. Thank you, Angel Josh. You are with me still.

 Now that you know the reason I am so into Cocker Spaniels, please see My Southern Belles  and their stories:

page last updated February 23, 2008